Editorial: “Desmond Doss Gives a Christmas Gift to Adventists”
I am happy when Adventists are spoken well of in the media, and for reasons that show us at our best.
Recently United States senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia introduced legislation to rename the Veterans Affairs clinic in Lynchburg, Virginia, after Private First Class Desmond T. Doss, an Adventist conscientious objector whom the senators called “a true American hero.” The legislation passed and will go to President Biden’s desk to be signed.
You already know that Desmond Doss was a medic who saved the lives of 75 wounded infantrymen on Hacksaw Ridge during the battle of Okinawa, and was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Truman.
When I was young, being a conscientious objector was an important part of my identity. I remember quite vividly my visit to the Selective Service office, where I identified myself as a Seventh-day Adventist and received a 1-A-O classification.
Conscientious objection has almost entirely disappeared from Adventist consciousness. When I was young, not breaking the sixth commandment was singled out as a principle we should live by. There was theological instruction on the topic for young Adventists men, and practical training on how to navigate military service.
You don’t hear anything about that now. One recent General Conference military chaplain, in fact, wrote a book in which he seemed to reverse course on the matter entirely, minimizing non-combatancy and defending Adventists serving in combat.
I believe in people making their own choices. But I also wonder this: if conscription should return, could the Seventh-day Adventist Church still help young Adventist men who, like Doss, want to serve as medics? They’d have a hard time making a case for it from anything that’s happened in the last 50 years. Is there anyone left who remembers when conscientious objection was one of our core principles?
I fear we may have lost the chance Desmond Doss gave us to build a reputation as people who stand against the violence of war.
Adventist Today is here to speak up for truth and peace. We’re in the last week of our year-end fundraising event. Will you help?
Loren Seibold
Executive Editor, Adventist Today magazine & website
28 December 2024
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