| Author | Message | ||
| Valm |
Theresa, The best thing that you can get your hands on now in my opinion is Ratzlaff's books. Go to the links portion of this site and look for his site. Particularly "THE CULTIC DOCTRINE OF THE SDA CHURCH". This book begins with the church's beginning which came out of the Millerite movement of 1844. So hence the founding doctrines of the SDA church are based on errors of interpretation in prophecy. During Bible study with these guys maintain noncommittal to anything they say. They will throw a string of "proof texts" from various parts of the Bible to support their doctrines. Tell them that you will write them down and read them within the context of the chapter and book to see if they apply. They usually don't fit into the context. Read also the book NEW COVENANT CHRISTIANS which is online and can be also found in the links of this site. It was written for Adventists and pretty much will tell you what Adventists don't believe in. They will want to pray with you. You make sure you pray also so you are giving them the message that you are on equal footing. I know this may sound insincere, but they are viewing you as not really a Christian and they are there to save you. You must tive them the message that you already have a relationship with God and view that you have as much to give as to receive in this study. Also real quick. Adventist believe that the Sabbath is the ultimate test of faith for God's people and refer to it as the seal of God. They believe that the "mark of the beast" is the Catholic church and by keeping Sunday you are bowing to the beast. They believe that the "testimony of Jesus" and the "Spirit of prophecy" referred to in Revelation is the writings of their prophetess Ellen White. I admire your bravery but keep your husband there with you. Once this doctrine gets under your skin it is a long road to recovery. It took me years to get over the anxiety of being raised SDA and it took about 17 years after leaving Adventism before I could really read my Bible and find the Gospel message in it. It would be very easy to be sucked in without a support system near by. God Bless you. Valerie | ||
| Chyna |
Dear Theresa, For the love of God don't get sucked in! To be honest, the issue is not Ellen G. White but the Adventist faith being based on someone who is unbiblical, extra-biblical authority. As we often warn people, getting into discussions with SDAs, especially on their turf is especially dangerous for one if they don't know their Bible well. Please treat this as a very serious matter because SDAism is a cult, and a cult's main objective is deception. Don't be deceived. Chyna | ||
| Chyna |
Also, Theresa, it's not just controversial history. I can't even begin to describe the amount of pain and grief Adventism has caused to so many people on this forum. I can't even begin. Be careful. I am a Christian who has never been Adventist, and really strongly rooted in the word, and yet I was deceived entirely. Don't make your focus EGW. Focus on Salvation because that's the most important issue. Chyna | ||
| Violet |
Theresa, Chyna is so right about the pain. When you have invested years of your life loving them and loving their children. Welcoming them into your home. Hosting slumber parties for the kids. Taking them fishing, having them play in your back yard, the list goes on, then when you find that the SDA beliefs are mixed with untruth they refuse to even speak to you. You are considered a threat to their children, because you no longer observe the Sabbath or you may have a pork hot dog in your refrigerator. This may be unbelievable but it happened to me, in the last 6 months. I was a trusted member of the church, I even founded the newest one in our city, about 3 years ago. Put thousands of dollars into it, but the minute I started questioning and bringing up issues that were Biblically based, I was out, my kids were out, my husband's SDA clients started giving us trouble, (not paying ect). The problem is that their "prophet" tells them that the people who have known the truth and have fallen away will turn them over to the authorities when the sunday laws are passed, that the formers will be the ones who hate them the most. White puts up the fear factor in them, a parania (sp?). Therefore they musth shun less they be turned over. I did not have a choice at first, I was born into the cult---you do. RUN! I will pray for you. In Christ VI | ||
| Lydell |
Theresa, you need to know that all their doctrines are based on the writings of their false prophetess and her interpretation of scripture. Maybe it would be helpful to you to see what she had to say, so you will know the undercurrent that you are up against. EGW: "Jesus entered the most holy of the heavenly (sanctuary) at the end of the 2300 days of Daniel 8, in 1844, to make a final atonement for all who could be benefited by His mediation." Compare that to these scriptures that show that Christ work was completed by the time the scriptures were written. Romans 3:21-25, 5:9-11 EGW: The blood of Christ, while it was to release the repentant sinner from the condemnation of the law, was not to cancel sin...it will stand in the sanctuary until the final atonement. The Bible says: Eph. 1:7, I John 1:7 and Romans 4:7-8, Heb. 8:12, Is. 43:25, and I John 1:9, that once we confess our sins they are gone. EGW: "Those who accept the Saviour, however sincere their conversion, should never be taught to say or feel that they are saved. ...Those who accept Christ, and in their first confidence say, I am saved, are in danger of trusting to themselves." Now obviously you can come up with many scriptures on your own that run counter to that one! I john 5:11-13 is a great one! EGW: To obey the commandments of God is the only way to obtain His favor." Compare to Isaiah 64:6, and Gal. 3:11 EGW: "I was shown that...the door (in the most holy place) was not opened until the mediation of Jesus was finished in the holy place of the sanctuary in 1844. Then Jesus rose up and shut the door of the holy place, and opened the door into the most holy, and passed within the second veil, where he now stands by the ark." Compare to Hebrews 8:1,2 and 9:12 which were written in 60 A.D. Theresa, you'd probably do well to give up on the idea that you will, by continuing to study with them, open their eyes to truth. Their "studies" with you are going to center on the proof texts that they always use. Your response to those texts will result in them giving more proof texts. They are amply prepared to answer your arguments. I honestly think the only way to break thru to SDA's is by beginning at a totally different starting point from the one they choose. For instance, for them to see truth about their doctrine of the Investigative Judgment and 1844, they would have to first study and get a grasp on the New Covenant. But they aren't going to do that with you. Why? Because everything the SDA "studies" in the Bible begins with the supposed necessity of keeping the 7th day sabbath, end time prophecies, and the Old Testament. Everything! It's totally opposite from how the early church studied. They looked at Christ first to get their understanding of all the rest. If they have already been coming to your place for 3 weeks, then they are likely getting very near hitting you with the "necessity" of keeping the 7th day. It will sound so reasonable if you listen to what they say and only read their scriptures. We are told to In John 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments." When you respond by showing them verses like John 13:34 and I John 3:23 that show that Christ's gave only two commandments, to love God, and our neighbor as ourselves, they will give a standard response. "Oh, but you see, the first 4 commandments of the 10 tell us how to love God, and the last 6 tell us how to love our neighbor as ourselves." We can give you an airtight guarantee that that is what they will say to you. When you point to Gal 3:11 "Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, 'The righteous will live by faith.'" They will tell you, "oh, you don't keep the commandments to be justified. We rely on Christ's sacrifice for our salvation." But Theresa, we here can guarantee you that what the church teaches is that if a believer has been presented the "sabbath truth" and has rejected it, then they are NOT saved and are doomed to hell. So what does that sound like to you? There is no teaching in the SDA's that Christ intends to change us from within by the indwelling Holy Spirit that results in the natural change of our behavior. Instead, the doctrine they teaches places a person in a position of constantly examining themselves to see if they measure up to the 10, rather than the person being taught to behold Christ and have relationship with Him. No Theresa, you are definitely not going to change their minds. Especially with two of them together! Please, please, come to this site and ask questions. And memorize immediately this verse: "And such were some of you. But you WERE washed, but you WERE sanctified, but you WERE justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." I Cor. 6:11 This verse is your assurance that Christ has already accomplished ALL and there is NOTHING you can add to the perfect work of what He has done for you. If you let these people in your door, you definitely need to have this truth fixed in your mind! | ||
| Nelda_church |
After 20+ years as an sda, and the misery of being a part of that group, I would advise you to move rather than have anything to do with them. They are brain-washed and whatever you tell them rolls off like water on a duck. Only by the grace of GOD was I brought out of that cult. You are truly asking for trouble if you let them into your house. Their prophet is for profit. She (EGW) wrote that in the last days your property would rise up against you-so guess who sold all of her rental houses, for practically nothing so as to not have them rise up against me.LOL But GOD is definitely good and has since blessed but sometimes I really can't believe that I was so deceived. It took them 2 years to get me in-but they wear away at you like drip-drip. Please, please run. Sincerely, Nelda | ||
| Lori |
Tree077, Don't take their word for any scripture they quote. The reason the SDA church starts with Daniel and Revelation is because most people know very little about it and they can tell you "anything" and you won't know the difference because you didn't know in the first place. When they give you texts to prove what they say. Never read just the text they quote, read the entire chapter. Better yet read the chapters before and after. Always consider the heading of the chapter--it will give you a major direction of the theme of the verses. Adventists excel in taking scripture out of context. They excel in it so well that they don't even know it's take out of context. (I know, I was one of them and I thought I had a great Biblical foundation. Truth is the only foundation I had was not based on scripture). You are doing the right thing. Read everything you can find online about SDA Church. Mark Martins site "What Seventh Day Adventist Should Know" is an excellent source of information concerning the false doctrines of SDA. Keep in touch and let us know how you are doing, who knows God may use you to open someones eyes!! | ||
| Jtree |
Greetings all. I have a question. What QUOTE of EGW states that "Scripture is to be interpreted by Ellens writing's". | ||
| Lori |
Here are some excerpts from a letter that E.W. wrote to some who were introducing conflicting views into the conference. If youíd like to read the full article you can find it under Manuscript Releases Volume Fifteen, page 18, paragraph 4 Chapter Title: Cautions about making Doctrinal Differences Prominent. on the Ellen G. White Estate Website ìÖÖ. Even if you are fully convinced that your ideas of doctrines are sound, you do not show wisdom that that difference should be made apparentÖÖIt is no small matter for you to come out in the Signs as you have done, and God has plainly revealed that such things should not be done. We must keep before the world a united front. Satan will triumph to see differences among Seventh-day Adventists. These questions are not vitalÖÖÖÖto bring these differences (apparently these were differences concerning the law, please read the full article on Ellen White Estate website) into our general conferences is a mistake; it should not be done. There are those who do not go deep, who are not Bible students, who will take positions decidedly for or against, grasping at apparent evidence; yet it may not be truth, and to take differences into our conferences where the differences become widespread, thus sending forth all through the fields various ideas, one in opposition to the other, is not God's plan, but at once raises questionings, doubts whether we have the truth, whether after all we are not mistaken and in error. There are the main pillars of our faith, subjects which are of vital interest, the Sabbath, the keeping of the commandments of God. (WHERE IS THE GOSPEL?) Speculative ideas should not be agitated, for there are peculiar minds that love to get some point that others do not accept, and argue and attract everything to that one point, urging that point, magnifying that point, when it is really a matter which is not of vital importance, and will be understood differently. Twice I have been shown that everything of a character to cause our brethren to be diverted from the very points now essential for this time, should be kept in the background. Christ did not reveal many things that were truth, because it would create a difference of opinion and get up disputations, but young men who have not passed through this experience we have had, would as soon have a brush as not. Nothing would suit them better than a sharp discussion. ÖÖÖÖÖÖWhen these contentions come in before the people, they will think one has the argument, and then that another directly opposed has the argument. The poor people become confused and the conference will be a dead loss, worse than if they had had no conference. Now when everything is dissension and strife, there must be decided efforts to handle, [to] publish with pen and voice these things that will reveal only harmony. ÖÖÖÖ..I do not think that years will wipe out the impressions made at our last conference. I know these things work. I am satisfied that we must have more of Jesus and less of self. If there is a difference upon any parts of the understanding of some particular passage of Scripture, then do not be with pen or voice making your differences apparent and making a breach when there is no need of this. We are one in faith in the fundamental truths of God's word. And one object must be kept in view constantly, that is harmony and cooperation must be maintained without compromising one principle of truth. And while constantly digging for the truth as for hidden treasure, be careful how you open new and conflicting opinions. We have a worldwide message. The commandments of God and the testimonies of Jesus Christ are the burden of our work. To have unity and love for one another is the great work now to be carried on. There is danger of our ministers dwelling too much on doctrines, preaching altogether too many discourses on argumentative subjects when their own soul needs practical godliness.î I think that this article states it fairly clearly that YOU DO NOT CHALLENGE THE AUTHORITY OF ELLEN WHITE. Any differing opinions should not be allowed to enter the conference, even if they are Biblically sound!!! | ||
| Violet |
Lori, not only that but God told her the secret lives of people and she was to correct them (not the Holy Spirit). And if anyone questioned her it was an insult to God. "I was shown that temptations will continually increase in regard to the labors of Brother and Sister White. Our work is a peculiar work, it is different in character from that of any others who labor in the field. God does not call ministers who have only to labor in word and doctrine to do our work, neither does He call us to do only their work. We each have, in some respects, a distinct work. God has been pleased to open to me the secrets of the inner life and the hidden sins of His people. The unpleasant duty has been laid upon me to reprove wrongs and to reveal hidden sins. When I have been compelled by the Spirit of God to reprove sins that others did not know existed, it has stirred up the natural feelings in the hearts of the unsanctified. While some have humbled their hearts before God, and with repentance and confession have forsaken their sins, others have felt a spirit of hatred rise in their hearts. Their pride has been hurt when their course has been reproved. They entertain the thought that it is Sister White who is hurting them, instead of feeling grateful to God that He has in mercy spoken to them through His humble instrument, to show them their dangers and their sins, that they may put them away before it shall be too late for wrongs to be righted. {3T 314.1} Some are ready to inquire: Who told Sister White these things? They have even put the question to me: Did anyone tell you these things? I could answer them: Yes; yes, the angel of God has spoken to me. But what they mean is: Have the brethren and sisters been exposing their faults? For the future, I shall not belittle the testimonies that God has given me, to make explanations to try to satisfy such narrow minds, 315 but shall treat all such questions as an insult to the Spirit of God. God has seen fit to thrust me into positions in which He has not placed any other one in our ranks. He has laid upon me burdens of reproof that He has not given to any other one. My husband has stood by my side to sustain the testimonies and to give his voice in union with the testimony of reproof. He has been compelled to take a decided stand to press back the unbelief and rebellion which has been bold and defiant, and which would break down any testimony that I might bear, because the ones reproved were cut and felt deeply over the reproof given. This is exactly as God designed."3rd Testamony pg 315 | ||
| Colleentinker |
I am SO THANKFUL the Jesus opened a new and living way for us to approach the Father! Can you imagine living in the kind of ongoing fear of exposure the early Adventists had? If the exposure had been justified, that might have been one thing, but EGW really did have ultimate authority in those matters. And the "brethren" knew how to use her to accomplish their desires. Thanks for the quotes, Lori and Violet! Colleen | ||
| Violet |
Guys, my computer crashed on me and I lost everything! My brother in law is supose to be here this weekend so all of the information I was going to give him is gone. The devil leaves not stone unturned. But my God is mightier than he is so the devil will not win! | ||
| Colleentinker |
Violet--what a loss! I'm sorry. But God will give you the words and the wisdom to deal with your brother-in-law. I will continue to pray for you! Colleen | ||
| Pheeki (Pheeki) |
I don't know how to start a new thread so I am posting on the end of this one. I have a question. In a feeble attempt to defend EGW, my husband's brother knows a person in CA. who claims he is the utmost authority on EGW. He states that at the end of her life, she started preaching straight rightousness by faith and they shipped her off to Austrailia to get rid of her. Is this true. Even if it is , she never recanted her previous words sold throughout the world! And, another thing that makes me mad. I recently read her will on the internet and she provided quite nicely for her children and grandchildren from her book sales yet my poor grandparents were encouraged to leave \b(everything) they owned to the church. My mother and her siblings got /b(nothing). I know the church encourages this because they provide lawyers to help write your will if you leave them something. It seems so wrong! | ||
| Pheeki (Pheeki) |
This is a email I got from a searching SDA friend of mine. I find it interesting and wanted to share it. She had just finished reading the DR. Bacchiocchi attempt to defend EGW found posted on this forum. I can't remember exactly where it is but he fired back a angry rebuttal and called people deceivers, etc... Anyway here is her reaction.................. I wonder where this is all leading. It seems the lid of Adventism is about to be blown off and I think the church could be at risk. I wonder if God is bringing this about now toward the end of time. It seems there is no way that there is an excuse for Ellen White. I have always fallen back on thinking there had to be an explaination but I am in a confusing crossroads now and I know eventually I will not be able to sit on a fence anymore but will be convinced one way or the other. When I become convinced (not in her favor) I will suddenly have nothing to talk about with my mother-in-law (or my parents for that matter.) These people will go to their graves being deceived because I know it will cause violent conflict for me to push it. I tried the other night to talk to my mother-in-law some. She was talking about a friend of hers that she is worried about. She told me this friend is very fixated on the end of time and trying to confirm Jesus soon coming (pinpointed) from scripture. The friend uses her greek and hebrew concordances and interlinear bibles to try to find the original translations to help her understand the original concepts or meanings which I believe in doing. I do think there is a problem with someone who is anxiety struck about proving Jesus "estimated time of arrival" and I believe the devil can get us side tracked on these tangents that keep our minds off of the real issue of cultivating our relationships with Jesus which is the only thing that will really save us. My parents have done this badly with devoting all of their energy to showing the church has apostisized rather than recognizing babylon (confusion) when they see it, realizing maybe they have been mislead (into Adventism) to begin with and letting the whole experience just drive them to their bibles to figure out truth. Of course they cleave to Ellen White sitting around reading "End Time Events," instead. All that to say, during this conversation with my mother-in-law, I had already taken note that she was in one of her flippant "better by birth" moods that she gets in. (Preacher's daughter, 3rd or so generation Adventist you know,) kicking her foot and speaking rather abruptly and generally making everyone around her feel like a dumb ass (I still get affected by these moods of hers because it makes me feel worthless) but I was listening to her talk about her friend and she was saying that she felt like she needs to have a talk with her. She didn't have any demeanor that wasn't usual for her, I see it often in her but something just struck me like a ton of bricks while she was talking and it must have come out on the look on my face because her demeanor kind of changed after that. The thought that struck me while she was talking in her usual smug way was "here is a woman who never picks up her bible, when she does it is totally with an unteachable attitude because Adventists think they have the answers and they are the remnant therefore, why search? And she is going to set this person straight? This person who is at least studying and is an intelligent although yes, an eccentric person. She's just going to set her straight because she is worried about her. Used to, I would've let that go by and thought she was being arrogant but maybe right and not said anything. This time I started talking to her. I told her I believe it is good to use the concordances but said that I was also concerned about the way this woman gets off on her tangents and has in the past I reminded her that this was nothing new for this woman. I told her that Matt 7 (or Mark 7) is all about how God condemns our judging other people and that we will be judged with the measure that we give. She argued that "yes, but we have been given council on some things that we can know we must uphold" (and I guess gives us a license to judge and condemn other people.) She was telling me she was trying to talk to her friend about that, some of our people are praying for Jesus to not come in the winter because we are to pray our flight be not in the winter or on the sabbath day. I said "what is the sabbath"? She wasn't looking quite so flippant now and was diverting her eyes to not look at me but you could tell she had her jaw set against the things I was starting to say. She looked uncomfortable. Suddenly she had gone in a few minutes from looking arrogant and smug to looking like a dog who had gotten caught doing his business on the floor. She had a look on her face that maybe she was up against someone who she couldn't argue bible facts with because she didn't know any bible facts. But quickly, just like my mother, got this look on her face like that didn't matter because we "know we have the truth." Just like Dr Bacchiocchi, so on and so forth. Here is a couple of web sites, especially one compares quote to quote of how "The Great Controversy" was lifted largely from a book from J.N. Andrews published in 1860 entitled "The Three Messages of Revelation XIV and another one I guess call "The Third Angel's Message and The Two Horned Beast." James White took this verbatem (I'm not sure I'm spelling right and too lazy to get the dictionary,) and apparently after James died, these things were quickly incorporated into the four small volumes of Ellen's "Spiritual Gifts" 1858-1864 and amplified and expanded further into GC and The Testimonies. You'll just have to read it, go to the site: http://www.bible.ca/7-WL-exhibits-Great-Contro.htm another site dealing with her plagiarism: http://www.bible.ca/7-WL-CH3-aint-so.htm My husband pointed out something interesting for me to think about last night. No one can argue that the GC and I'm sure other of her writings have gone through a lot of alterings with their revisions. He said that it would make sense that this was because they were afraid at the time and down through the line of a big plagiarism lawsuit, and fairly quickly after the 1st addition started to smooth things, reword etc.. and also that even if a lawsuit did happen at the time, they very well could've paid J.N Andrews or whoever, off and it got brushed under the carpet. There would be no evidence and the rest is $$$$ for the Adventist church and their prophet which they have become fithly stinking rich off of her writings. You know I have always said "follow the money." I am just starting to realize how much of business Adventistism has been. Ingenious, let's encourage our kids to be highly educated, how self sustaining that you would get 10% of doctor's salaries etc... and by the way lets make the ones that can't pay much, feel shunned and ashamed like 2nd class citizens. My mother suffered when she was young and was talked about within her hearing range by ministers etc.... because she was having trouble paying my sisters' school bills, that drove her to go to work. I directly suffered from my mom's conviction that she wasn't going to be talked about that way because I was given to one baby sitter after another from the time I was 10mos old to 9years old. All that time my mother worked 4pm-Mn and I never saw her. And by the way, not all of my Adventist baby sitters were so nice and furthermore, there were a lot of mothers, not just mine who were giving up their babies too to go make money to pay to the church. I am not talking about having to work to make it, we all work but it was encouraged by belittling when it could've been avoided and it didn't matter to them that my mother was never home in the evenings with her family. Adventists were very modern minded when it came to encouraging splitting of the families. Why? (follow the money.) What about boarding school? Let's send our kids off when they are right on the brink of getting into the worst trouble with their raging hormones and let the clergy raise them. What about that? Seems proposterous for such a conservative religion to not keep the children with the parents. I would think Ellen White in "The Adventist Home" would have discouraged something like that. I have always wondered about that because I have known so many of my friends and family that were so damaged by being sent off to boarding academy. I mean numerous. | ||
| Jerry (Jerry) |
Ah yes, Pheeki. You are seeing the clear picture. You mentioned Samuelle Bacchiocchi and his vituperative rejoinders. (OK, OK ñ I am a vocabulary freak. I admit it.) On the one hand, several Adventists have said, ìYou know: Walter Rea is such an ANGRY man.î On the other hand, it is hard not to notice the rage in some of Dr. (I-know-EVERYTHING-about-the-Sabbath-and-you-donít) Bacchiocchiís correspondences when his views are challenged. As it happens, I function as a nominally paid accountant for a small local SDA congregation as a favor for my wife. It is interesting to ìfollow the moneyî even today. Frankly, I believe that money may well be a significant motivation for much of the policies and beliefs of the SDA church. However, that is hardly news to people here. Jerry | ||
| Pheeki (Pheeki) |
Thanks for your response. My friend is having a hard time reconciling her past SDA life with what she is now finding to be a very false way of life. My problem is I can't get away from it. It would all be so easy if I could just step away and attend another church like so many have but I have a husband and children who attend and are very active in the church and school. My husband is very resistant to even talking about leaving the SDA church. But one thing is for sure, I am determined not to get sucked back into bondage. I would quit it all together before I would accept their teachings. I know to some this may sound hippocritical but I don't know what to do at this point. | ||
| Colleentinker (Colleentinker) |
Pheeki, you are not the only person to be in such a difficult position. God really will make it clear to you when you should start attending another church. There are several people who have been on our forum who have had SDA spouses who didn't want them leaving the church. In time, many of the spouses themselves began studying and left also. Sometimes the former SDA spouse began attending a different church before the Adventist one did. Just keep asking God to lead you and to make his will clear. We will keep praying for you and your family also. Your friend has surely discovered the truth about the church and, it sounds, about the Sabbath and the gospel. Her husband is right, of course, about "follow the money", just as Jerry affirmed. The church has been (and, I'm quite certain still is) involved in some pretty non-spiritual business deals that have involved sharing profits with the Catholic church. For more details you can check out the articles regarding the lawsuit and eventual firing of Robert Folkenberg (former GC president) in the issues of Adventist Today beginning in late Dec., 1998, and continuing until about March, 1999. I'm so thankful for Jesus and for real, objective truth! Colleen | ||
| Susan_2 (Susan_2) |
About gettig fixated on end-time events: There's one pro-SDA website that is so fixated on end-time events that it posts daily updates on extreme natural disasters to chart if those disasters qualify to be counted in the Revelation account of things like famines, earthquakes, etc. This same site posts all the sunset tables for Friday evenins and Saturday evenings for all the worlds time zones. I guess to guard the edges of the Sabbath. But, then it says somewhere in the Bible, too, for the men to not cut the corner of their beards an I believe most SDA men are clean shaven, even around the corners. I read something recently from Dr. Baccocchio (sp?) that irritated me and I wrote him a breif note telling him so. He sent me back an e-mail that if I were to print it out would be at least 20 pages. The entire e-mail was telling me if I want to know the truth about anything then all I need to do is purchase the 13 books he's written and then he gives me a overview of each book, the price and the address where to send my money for his books. It's pathetic! Pheechi, I too have numerous kin who are total SDA devotees. The elderly ones I trey to be very respectu to nd I even humor them quite a bit. The ones in my agegroup or younger I nfigure ae fair game. I try to not ever bring up anything much having to do with religion, churches, beliefs, etc., but if they bring it up first I speek or or I go to sleep or I excuse myself. As far as going to other churches goes, for two years every Sunday morning I put on my bluegenes and went bicycle riding. I rode to St. John's Lutheran church and had a wonderful communiopn with Goid and with other Christians and never mentioned to anyone where I was going or what I was doing other than going bike riding. Try to be creative. | ||
| Pheeki (Pheeki) |
Thanks for your responses. Good advice about being creative Susan2. My daughter told me yesterday (she was probably mad at me for making her clean) that she couldn't wait to get to heaven and meet and talk to Ellen White. I made no comment because for all I know Ellen is in heaven or will be. ( I haven't grappled with the state of the dead yet...). But later I was really saddened that she wasn't saying the same about Jesus. She is only 13 however. I am so concerned that she is being taught to worship EGW instead of Jesus but my husband won't hear of pulling the kids out of SDA schools. His parents went through hell trying to keep him and his 8 siblings in school (the kind of hell some of us will never know, no food in the house, etc) so he sees it as top priority. I need a good Bible study on the state of the dead if anyone knows one on the web. My husband wants to study it from a little brown Bible study book (the name escapes me) but it is from the SDA and he said it also has texts that other religions use to rebut the SDA views so it would be a fair study for us. It doesn't sound good to me! Here I am scared again of getting pulled back into bondage! Help. |
