| Author | Message | ||
| Maryann |
Hi Y'all, This is dedicated to the people that did stupid things to Sunday keepers because they weren't Christians! When I left the SDA church and all religion for that matter, I had this idea that I needed to behave around SDA's only. You see, I very quickly developed this, "sailor mouth" because it was just the thing to do. I really refined it to a science too! It was really awful!:-(( When I was around SDA's, a bad word never escaped my lips! Not even a "darn" or "shucks" made an exit! When I was around Evangelical's, Catholic's or any gOD professing folk, my mouth had no reins. WHY????? In my mind it just didn't matter as these people were NOT Christians, they didn't know God, they knew gOD! Isn't that awful????????!!!!!!!:-(( I'm thinking of a gal that I've known for nearly 25 years and want to contact again. I haven't talked to her for several years. (she's probably glad as she hasn't had to wash her ears out with lye for a while!) She's a genuine Christian, looking back at her. I don't even know what brand she is???? And it doesn't matter. Anyone else have an experience like this? You know, even though you're "out of the light" you still think the SDA's are the only true christians and everyone ele is a "poor lost soul"? Did any of you care? This is actually refering to those of us that left ALL religion more then the ones that switched from SDAism to Christianity. Sheeeeeeeeeeese, some of the things I talk about:-) Oh, and Happy Sabbath:) Maryann | ||
| Maryann |
Come on guys!, AM I the only one that ever disrespected a Christian because they weren't an SDA?? I don't imagine that very many of you disrespected them in the same way I did, but didn't you ever treat them like the secular bible people that at least I was taught that they were?!!??? I'm beginning to feel like a REAL heathen!?:-)) Maryann | ||
| Patti |
Well, Maryann, guess what? You ARE heathen! Good thing Christ died for heathens like you and me, isn't it? (I truly love you for your honest reactions. I envy you the ability to express yourself so openly. Really I do. I have lots of questions right now that I am holding back on because I am afraid to be genuinely honest on a public forum such as this. Nothing drastic, just little things that have been nagging at me.) God bless you! Patti | ||
| Lydell |
Yeah Maryann, you are like reaaally bad and all alone. Ha. Not hardly. I would venture to say that most of the time, it was just that there was always this shield that we held out in front of us to keep "them" at a safe distance so we wouldn't be contaminated by their error. But you know, it doesn't matter if we ever spouted off about it or not. The sin was still that nasty little attitude in the mind that we were just a little bit better than them because we were sabbathkeepers....so there. Geez, makes you want to throw up doesn't it?! Praise God for His patient mercy! | ||
| Steve |
Hi Maryann, When I used to drive past "other" Christian churches, I actually felt sorry for them. I thought that they didn't have all the "light." But now I look at ALL of them as my brothers and sisters in Christ. Although I never had to be careful about what I said to SDAs or non-SDA Christians. I've always talked the same way to all people -- still do. I believe in speaking my mind and being honest to everyone. Like Patti says above, Christ died for heathens like us. Now, I'm actually glad that I'm a Gentile. The New Testament means so much more to me with that kind of mindset. I think of myself as a Gentile that has been grafted in to the True Vine. And as Lydell says, "you are reaaally bad". We're all bad. And that's why the Good News is so Good. It wouldn't be good news if we were all good. We wouldn't need it. God Bless, Steve | ||
| Bmorgan |
Maryann, I learned a good lesson 13 years ago. I remember praying one morning, "Dear Lord, send someone to me so I can share the gospel with them. Remember the Pharisee's prayer? I was the pharisee, so FULL of myself. That day I met a woman with two children, almost the same age as my daughter. As we began conversing, I let her know the church I attended and the great truths we espoused. I felt proud of my witnessing capabilities and went home boasting about my accomplishments. It turned out that the kind woman and I became fast friends. She offered to partner with me for prayer. We fellowshipped and I met some of her friends. These people were living examples of the Word. They were quite knowledgeable about scripture. I thought they must have read EGW, for how else could they know so much. "WoW! What a concept? I even told her quite sweetly "You sound just like Ellen G. White." She looked at me stunned. I guess she overlooked my naivette. She did not realize I was a seasoned SDA. Although she investigated SDAism- unbeknownst to me,- she was relieved. Walter Martin had upgraded Adventism. They were removed from the cult category. We remain friends over the years. Because of her living a gracefull life, I could contrast her integrity with the contentious, hypocritical, divisive spirit that I was immersed in. I believe she and her friends were pieces of the puzzle God used to fill out the portrait of His grace for me. I began feeling emptier and emptier. My yearning to know the heart of God grew stronger. When my friend found out our baby had a serious birth defect and would die, she invited herself to be with me at the delivery. She spent fifteen hours with us, from birth to death. No one (but two of my friends) from my church family peeked at us. O Yes, they were sad, but did not know how to mourn with us. Maryann, for a long time, as much as I respected my friends, I used to long for them to come into the "Truth." I KNEW they were wrong about many things. I thought I respected "other" christians, however, even recently I recognized how ingrained the spiritual pride of Adventism was in me. In my heart, I felt superior to those Sunday people. I am ashamed. I was HUMBLED to the core. I thank my God and Savior for His loving forgiveness. BMorgan | ||
| Maryann |
Hi Morgan, Does that mean we are real down home soul sista's? :=)) Partners in piously dis-respecting Christians? Steve said: "And as Lydell says, "you are reaaally bad". We're all bad. And that's why the Good News is so Good. It wouldn't be good news if we were all good. We wouldn't need it." Hmmmmmmmmm, sounds like I'm making light of it but I'm reaaally not. I guess my experience with Christians really does come from a much different angle that you guys. You guys were SDA's dis-respecting Christians and I was a NON-christian dis-respecting Christians.....YET respecting SDA's! Go figure??;-(( Come to think of it, in the end, God makes it all come out in the wash. You remember the song, "Whiter Than Snow". Look at you now!, you're going to make me write a song again:-)) Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole; I want Thee for ever to live in my soul, Break down ev'ry idol, cast out ev'ry foe; Lord Jesus, I most humbley entreat, I wait, blessed Lord, at Thy crucified feet; By faith , for my cleansing, I see Thy blood flow, Lord Jesus, Thou seest I patiently wait, Come now, and within me a new heart create; To those who have sought Thee, Thou never saidst, "No," Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow; Now wash me , and I shall be whitter than snow. Hey Allenette, If my re-memory serves me right from a hundred years ago, wasn't that the song that went on and on at the foot washing? Having never been baptized into the SDA church for what ever reason, some things are a bit fuzzy. (I didn't say warm fuzzies) But, seems to me that I'm NOT remembering that the "whiter than snow was ALREADY done." It was more like it was "BEING done." You know, you haven't done any worse hereticin' than me and your laundry can be as clean as mine ifn ya wanta jump in the washer? He didn't say "NO" to me, why in the world would He say "NO" to you? Reaaally bad to you........Maryann P.S. Do you like front load or top load washers? | ||
| Patti |
Your thread, Maryann, just reminded me of yet another SDA misinterpretation. It is one of their cherished myths that all of Christendom, besides themselves and the handful of other sabbatarians, actually "keep" Sunday. I personally know of no organized Christian denomination that preaches Sunday observance, except for Mormons and maybe the Church of Christ(?). All their fighting against "Sunday laws" only amounts to jousting at windmills, because most of Christendom chooses to exercise the freedom that Paul speaks of and regard every day the same. | ||
| Steve |
Good point, Patti. I don't think I've ever met a "Sunday Keeper." And I'm still waiting for someone to greet me with "Happy Sunday." (Except for you, Maryann!) More SDA mythinformation. | ||
| Patti |
MYTHinformation! I love it! | ||
| Sherry2 |
Morgan, I've just enjoyed your stories so much, and your testimony out of the church to real grace. Your story above, and how you had a "Christian" friend, and that brought hunger to your own soul...yes, I know that one. Thanks for sharing. Awesome stuff... MYTHinformation! Love it! Good one Steve. How are you doing? I pray for you and your wife. Do you have children also? So hard. May the grace of God wake your wife up. Ya know, the way things are opening in Grand Rapids, I may need to start a Former Adventist group soon. God keeps bumping people into me that have family in the church, or have just gone through the series and have questions. I don't have enough books or enough money to buy more, so I just share my stuff around, and talk and pray with them. God bless ya all. | ||
| Chyna |
hi all, I was listening to my daily sermon (on the way to work) and I was listening in fascination to the subject of the early church: how some claimed to be of Apollos, or of Paul, or of Peter. and then he cited this Stanford professor (probably of psych) and he said the most dangerous thing one can do is go into isolation. whether it'd be a person, or a church. which, obviously made me think of the Adventist church, isolated by its doctrines. can you guys tell me the sort of justifications you all had for the isolation of the Adventist church and community? thanks! Chyna | ||
| Maryann |
Good point Chyna, I have learned an awful lot from Chuck Swindoll. |
