SUNDAY SINEMA
Star Wars fans defy church protest to attend first ever showing of a film on the Sabbath on Isle of Lewis
THE force was strong on Lewis yesterday as Star Wars became the first movie to be shown on the island on the Sabbath – but not even Yoda’s mind tricks could have convinced the dissenters it was right.
All 183 tickets for the showing of Star Wars: The Last Jedi at An Lanntair in Stornoway were snapped up despite church protests.
Yesterday, two demonstrators stood outside the venue carrying placards telling film fans the Sabbath should be kept holy.
The Rev David Fraser, of the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing), held a sign that on one side said “repent and be converted that your sins may be blotted out”.
The 78-year-old said: “This is a serious breach of God’s law.
“The Sabbath is to be kept holy – people are forgetting about higher things and going against the Christian tradition of our island heritage and culture.
“There should be freedom of choice within the limits of respect of the religion and culture here.
“We are making our convictions clear – we are not trying to block people going in but making clear what we believe in and that they should be seeking their own salvation and God’s ways.
“Spending Sunday in a cinema is not God’s way.”
But David Green, the chairman of the board of An Lanntair, defended the decision to open.
He said they had not deliberately booked Star Wars to guarantee a Sunday sell-out in the trial scheme – it was simply the film the distributors had made available.
Next month’s Sunday film, Coco, is already more than half sold out.
David said: “We have not set this up as a way to get lots of people in on a Sunday. I fully understand the Sabbath issue but I also understand it is not up to us to impose one view on another.
“We are committed to diversity. No group can impose on any other group what they can do and what they cannot do. We’ve been careful to do this in the least disruptive or offensive way. It is about a quite afternoon for families.
“How we continue, and if we continue, with this will be decided at the end of the trial.
“The only regret I have is that some staff have been put under pressure over this – some have family members who have objections for cultural or religious reasons. But no member of staff has been forced to work on a Sunday.”
Cinema goers welcomed the opening. Therapist Hereward Proops, 37, took his two children, aged eight and three. He said: “I think it’s fantastic. If people don’t want to go to church, they should be allowed to go to the cinema.
“I think quite a lot of people to want this to happen. Nobody is going to stop people observing the Sabbath. I cannot understand why people cannot accept choice – live and let live, I say.
“Religion is important to the history and heritage of the island but nobody is standing outside the churches saying you can’t come in – that would be disgraceful.”
Elly Fletcher, chief executive of An Lanntair, said: “What we are doing is a genuine audience research exercise and not at all trying to challenge, or go against, local traditions.
“Sabbath observance is something very important to the Isle of Lewis and there is a strong history of Sabbath observance here and we are mindful and respectful of that.”