| Author |
Message |
Martinc
Registered user
Username: Martinc
Post Number: 235
Registered: 9-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 02, 2011 - 5:14 pm: |     |
Freeatlast, well well, you were born at the San. We were there 1961 to 1965, lived on Spruce Ave., a short walk from the Review and Herald Bldg. My mom worked there at the San as a nurse's aide, and we went to Sligo church. I went to JNA but started to flunk out of first grade, so mom pulled me out. Lots of family chaos back then. The name Tripp is familiar, but this was a long time ago, and we never went back.
Martin C |
Jrt
Registered user
Username: Jrt
Post Number: 1116
Registered: 10-2008
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 02, 2011 - 6:44 pm: | |
Mercy, Colleen,
I just read this thread and you just hit a button with me. You are so bang on correct with your portrayal of "what" we internalized growing up as an Adventist.
I was nearly brought to tears with your most recent post. Mercy ...
The thing that was SO SIGNIFICANT for me was when my "great controversy" worldview was questioned. Awhile ago, you described to me that Satan was a subset of God's creation. That God was "outside" of His creation and actually Satan was a part of what God created. Satan must answer to God - for he was a created being ... and God is "Alpha and Omega" - God was never created, never had a beginning ... Satan became this little tiny blip in all of God's creation and God is SO BEYOND what He made ... it just kind of put things in perspective.
I had to sit with that for some time and still find I bump up against my old thinking of "Great Controversy".
Thanks for your post. |
Karethamiller
Registered user
Username: Karethamiller
Post Number: 173
Registered: 8-2010
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 02, 2011 - 7:09 pm: | |
I'm not going to try to summarize the GC worldview, but I will say that I believe it has influenced nearly EVERY aspect of my perceptions on life. I can't begin to know how I should combat it or purge it from my mind on my own. The only recourse I have found is to fill my mind with good Bible-based teachings and to keep God's word in the absolute center of my focus. I hope and pray that over time, the erroneous/bad stuff will go away and be replaced with the good/proper stuff. Only the miraculous work of God's Spirit can set me free! |
Nowisee
Registered user
Username: Nowisee
Post Number: 753
Registered: 5-2009
| | Posted on Friday, March 04, 2011 - 5:33 pm: | |
How I thank God that He is washing all this stuff out of our lives. How I thank Him for this "support group" where we can safely de-program from the stuff that is so deep in our marrow.
Colleen (and everyone else) has said it all so well. I'll just post a few personal things. I want anyone lurking here to actually face this stuff.
I learned, when she died when I was 12, that my grandmother's death was probably caused because she ate turkey on Thanksgiving. My mother (her only child & more of a sister to her) was so traumatized that she cried all night for many weeks. I remember her moaning, "If only the Lord would come tomorrow..." (If you have the mindset that your loved one is 'no more' upon death, then your entire hope is in the Second Coming.) She refused to cook meat ever again. Knowing my grandma was happy in heaven with Jesus would have made this awful time so much easier. (Sorry, I have been processing this lately).
I learned that I could never have girlfriends outside of sdaism. Besides, I thought all non-sdas were ignorant.
I feared that satan or a demon could come sit on my chest at night while I was sleeping This was in one of the books I was given, bought at the 'Book and Bible House' (remember when it was called that?) An incident like this was described in one of the teen books I had. The GC outlook gave me an inordinate fear of satan! I can't tell you how much peace I now have knowing that Jesus defeated him at the cross! The GC gives so much power to satan.
In college (!) I poured over the GC, trying to figure out how I could tell if it was really satan coming in the clouds instead of Jesus, since satan was going to imitate His coming. I thought it wasn't fair--how could I be sure?!
I felt sorry for satan. (Isn't that awful?) He wanted to repent, but God wouldn't hear of it. Maybe He wouldn't let me repent, either (or at least make it really, really hard to do so.)
And I just now realized how much those Uncle Arthur stories where naughty children were humiliated (ie,the mom hid the beloved teacher in the kitchen so she could 'eavesdrop' on the naughty girl when she was cranky and teach her a lesson) brought me up with such an overwhelming sense of shame. |
Free2dance
Registered user
Username: Free2dance
Post Number: 268
Registered: 2-2010
| | Posted on Friday, March 04, 2011 - 5:45 pm: | |
Nowisee! I think I have a faint memory of that Uncle Arthur story! No wonder so many have thought that if anyone really knew us they would be disapointed and not like us anymore!!!!! |
Karethamiller
Registered user
Username: Karethamiller
Post Number: 177
Registered: 8-2010
| | Posted on Friday, March 04, 2011 - 5:54 pm: | |
Nowisee and Free2dance...Yes! The Uncle Arthur books were full of those stories...children who were good were rewarded and children who were bad were punished and/or had love and approval withheld from them. Of course the message we received was that if we were bad we wouldn't be loved, and no one could know the "real me" because it wasn't good enough for approval and love. |
Cloudwatcher
Registered user
Username: Cloudwatcher
Post Number: 395
Registered: 5-2009
| | Posted on Friday, March 04, 2011 - 7:07 pm: | |
I've been looking for examples of how the IJ is taught to children, but I'm beginning to think that the Uncle Arthur stories are exactly that. I have access to a set...maybe I'll check it out.
I can sooooo relate to everyone's flashbacks and thoughts. I hope I haven't inadvertently been transmitting any of these ideas to my children. But what are the chances that I haven't... I definitely need to process this some more. |
Karethamiller
Registered user
Username: Karethamiller
Post Number: 179
Registered: 8-2010
| | Posted on Friday, March 04, 2011 - 7:28 pm: | |
Cloudwatcher...this is an area I had not even considered that I might need to process...so I'm with you in the same "boat!" |
Craig
Registered user
Username: Craig
Post Number: 1
Registered: 2-2011
| | Posted on Sunday, March 06, 2011 - 8:43 pm: | |
Other than continuing to reach out to those individuals still in the Adventist system in love, patience, and self-control, there really is only one thing to say to the organization: REPENT! |
Flyinglady
Registered user
Username: Flyinglady
Post Number: 9047
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, March 06, 2011 - 9:26 pm: | |
Hi Craig, I see this is your first posting. Welcome to FAF. You are in a safe place here. We have our differences as you have probably seen, but we express ourselves with much love for each other. Glad you are here.
Diana L |
Hec
Registered user
Username: Hec
Post Number: 1652
Registered: 3-2009
| | Posted on Sunday, March 06, 2011 - 9:35 pm: | |
Welcome to the Forum Craig.
Hec |
Colleentinker
Registered user
Username: Colleentinker
Post Number: 12332
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, March 06, 2011 - 10:39 pm: | |
Craig, Welcome! I'm glad to see you here.
Yes, "Repent" sums it up...
Colleen |
Free2dance
Registered user
Username: Free2dance
Post Number: 270
Registered: 2-2010
| | Posted on Monday, March 07, 2011 - 11:28 am: | |
Welcome Craig!!  |
Michaelmiller
Registered user
Username: Michaelmiller
Post Number: 275
Registered: 7-2010
| | Posted on Monday, March 07, 2011 - 4:57 pm: | |
Welcome Craig! |
Asurprise
Registered user
Username: Asurprise
Post Number: 1738
Registered: 7-2007
| | Posted on Monday, March 07, 2011 - 5:44 pm: | |
Welcome Craig!
Nowisee; I remember that story! The worst one I remember was a story about a little boy who was kidnapped when he was passing out religious (probably SDA) literature. The kidnapper let him go quickly before taking him anywhere and Uncle Arthur was trying to say that the reason nothing bad happened, was because the boy was "doing the Lord's work." That was a horrible message and so obviously untrue when one considers the hardships/torture/death that happened to most of the disciples and to so many other believers down through the centuries and is still happening today! |
Craig
Registered user
Username: Craig
Post Number: 2
Registered: 2-2011
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 08, 2011 - 8:50 pm: | |
To say nothing about dangerous to the child. I remember that story being told when I was a boy. I hope they're still not using that in today's world. It would be like sending a child to pass out literature to the denizens of Sodom and Gomorrah! |
Colleentinker
Registered user
Username: Colleentinker
Post Number: 12339
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 08, 2011 - 10:44 pm: | |
Yes, Uncle Arthur's stories are still around...sigh.
Colleen |
Jrt
Registered user
Username: Jrt
Post Number: 1127
Registered: 10-2008
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 09, 2011 - 5:50 pm: | |
Paradigm shift ...
Asurprise, ... I remember that story and how I internalized if you did the right thing ---bad things wouldn't happen to you ...
When I left Adventism ... all hell broke lose and I couldn't figure out why it was happening ... shouldn't God "reward" me for taking a stand for Him ... yep, I thought that ...
So glad now for the fire ... and His word tells us as believers we WILL suffer ... sigh, so much for the modern "prosperity gospel," and Uncle Arthur. |
Philharris
Registered user
Username: Philharris
Post Number: 2403
Registered: 5-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, March 10, 2011 - 10:12 am: | |
Jrt,
Thanks for sharing "all hell broke lose and I couldn't figure out why it was happening". Knowing something of your story I can understand why you said that.
Although my own experiences are very much different and there is much of it I have yet to share, I know the meaning of what you said. When I got "honest" with my life it was a shock when "hard things" started happening. Having been through the fire I wouldn't trade anything for what I now have in the Lord's embrace.
Fearless Phil |
