Mel Gibson’s bloody World War II biopic, “Hacksaw Ridge,” has cast a spotlight on the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The film tells the extraordinary true story of the late Desmond Doss, a devout Seventh-day Adventist who refused to carry a weapon due to religious beliefs while serving as a combat medic.

Doss became the first conscientious objector to be awarded the Medal of Honor after rescuing at least 75 soldiers during the violent battle for Okinawa in 1945. He died in 2006 and is buried at the Chattanooga National Cemetery in Tennessee. His story is well-known within the church, but was less so outside of it until now.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church has about 18 million members worldwide, including more than 278,000 in eight Southern states. While the denomination does proselytize, the church views the movie not as an evangelism tool, but as an outreach opportunity, said Daniel Weber, the director of communication for the denomination in North America.

Doss’ adherence to the Ten Commandments, specifically keeping the Sabbath and not killing, as well as his Bible are key parts of the movie’s storyline. Seventh-day Adventists recognize the Sabbath on Saturdays and they take it seriously – it’s referenced in their name and is one of the commandments, Weber said. And they take a position of nonviolence and are supportive of military service, but leave it up to the individual on whether they serve as noncombatants, he said.

“We respect that’s their own personal opinion, that’s their own conscience,” Weber said.

Many older Adventists grew up hearing about Doss’ valor and heroism. In the last couple of decades of his life, Doss frequently shared his story with church members, especially the young people, Weber said. He taught them how to tie the special knot he used to lower all the men he rescued down the sheer rock face of the Maeda Escarpment that the U.S. soldiers called Hacksaw Ridge.

The church isn’t pushing the movie because it’s not theirs to push, Weber said. That means they’re not telling members they must go see it, especially since the war movie earned an R rating for prolonged and graphic violence.

“I think his story is something that we can uphold,” Weber said. “We live in a world that’s very contentious right now and here’s someone who very simply stood up for what he believes no matter what, no matter how difficult the circumstances were.

“And because of it he was able to greatly impact and affect a lot of people’s lives.”

From left to right, Sam Worthington, Director Mel Gibson, and Vince Vaughn on the set of Hacksaw Rigdge. Photo by Mark Rogers, courtesy of Lionsgate