# The Conscientious Objector

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This article is about the documentary film about Desmond Doss. For freedom of conscience in the military, see [Conscientious objector](/source/Conscientious_objector). For conscientious objection in medicine, see [Conscience clause in medicine in the United States](/source/Conscience_clause_in_medicine_in_the_United_States). For and, see [Conscientious objection to abortion](/source/Conscientious_objection_to_abortion).

***The Conscientious Objector*** is a 2004 documentary film directed by [Terry Benedict](/source/Terry_Benedict) about the life of [Desmond Doss](/source/Desmond_Doss), a [conscientious objector](/source/Conscientious_objector) who received the [Medal of Honor](/source/Medal_of_Honor) for his service in [World War II](/source/World_War_II). Due to his religious convictions as a [Seventh-day Adventist](/source/Seventh-day_Adventist), Doss refused to carry a weapon. He initially faced opposition, persecution, and ridicule from his fellow soldiers, but ultimately won their admiration by demonstrating courage and saving many lives as a [combat medic](/source/Combat_medic).

In 2016, *[Hacksaw Ridge](/source/Hacksaw_Ridge)*, a fictional film directed by [Mel Gibson](/source/Mel_Gibson) and starring [Andrew Garfield](/source/Andrew_Garfield) as Doss, was released to critical and commercial success, signaling Gibson's welcome-back to Hollywood. Benedict was one of the producers of *Hacksaw Ridge*, and the film features several excerpts from *The Conscientious Objector* immediately before the end credits.

## Reception

The film has received positive acclaim[1][2][3] and has won multiple awards, including:[4]

- [Long Island International Film Expo](/source/Long_Island_International_Film_Expo) Festival Prize – Best Feature Film
- Santa Cruz Film Festival Audience Award – Best Documentary
- [Heartland Film Festival](/source/Heartland_Film_Festival) Crystal Heart Award – Best Director
- [Cinequest Film Festival](/source/Cinequest_Film_Festival) Audience Choice Award
- Cinequest Film Festival Director's Award

## References

1. Propes, Richard (November 30, 2006). ["'The Conscientious Objector' Review"](http://theindependentcritic.com/conscientious_objector). *The Independent Critic*. Retrieved November 19, 2016.

1. Stoda, Kevin (July 4, 2010). ["A great Story for This Fourth of July—DESMOND T. DOSS—a Hero of WWII"](https://eslkevin.wordpress.com/2010/07/04/a-great-story-for-this-fourth-of-july%E2%80%94desmond-t-doss%E2%80%94a-hero-of-wwii/). *Eslkevin's Blog*. Retrieved November 19, 2016.

1. Radical Catholic Mom (May 19, 2008). ["A War Hero Without a Gun"](http://www.patheos.com/blogs/voxnova/2008/05/19/a-war-hero-without-a-gun/). *Patheos*. Retrieved November 19, 2016.

1. ["The Conscientious Objector"](http://www.indieplaya.com/VideoDetails.do?vid=56#). *IndiePlaya*. Retrieved November 19, 2016.

## External links

- [The Conscientious Objector](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0302427/) at IMDb
- [*The Conscientious Objector*](http://www.christianfilmdatabase.com/review/conscientious-objector/) at the [Christian Film Database](/source/Christian_Film_Database)
- ["Official Desmond Doss Website"](http://desmonddoss.com/)
- ["The Conscientious Objector (2004)"](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10003868-conscientious_objector). *[Rotten Tomatoes](/source/Rotten_Tomatoes)*

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [The Conscientious Objector](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Conscientious_Objector) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Conscientious_Objector?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.