| Author | Message | ||
| Krista Registered user Username: Krista Post Number: 2 Registered: 8-2004 |
Hi friends, Thanks for all your nice notes... I joined 2 years ago shortly after I met my husband and got married. The main thing that pulled me out of the church was finding out about how much EGW stole (not "borrowed") from others, then claimed it was from God. (I always thought if you borrowed something, you asked permission, then you gave it back!) I realized the church was based on deception. Then I began questioning doctrines. I attended another church which was nondenominational and I saw a big difference. Not only did I feel joyful, but I saw they were into leading people to Christ, not trying to get people to join their church. They were also reaching out to other churches and helping others, instead of being proud of what made them different from others. It was my fault for not learning enough about the church when I joined, but I didn't have a clue it was all so complicated! I just wish I had been given the "rest of the story." I'm studying a lot and sharing info with my husband... and all your posts are so helpful. Actually it's all a blessing because I'm getting closer to God's Word! | ||
| Dd Registered user Username: Dd Post Number: 72 Registered: 7-2004 |
Krista, I am so happy and thrilled that you are listening to that still small voice. What a wonderful gift Jesus promised and gave us! If everyone would listen to the Holy Spirit, as you are doing, the SDA church would have been held accountable years ago. I want you to know you will always have support from friends here on this forum - what a special growing experience it has been for me in just the few short months I have been on this forum. I hope you don't mind me asking: Were you raised knowing and believing in Jesus Christ? Is your husband supportive of your search for answers? Does your husband's family support you? Whatever is your circumstance, I am praying for you. Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart (Col. 3:15)! | ||
| Pw Registered user Username: Pw Post Number: 114 Registered: 6-2004 |
Well, I agree about the deceptive ways the SDA uses to snare people into their cult. When I saw the Revelation Seminar advertised in our paper, I had no clue who it was sponsored by, but thought it was a regular church. They never even proclaimed who they were until the very end of the seminar. And it was held at a Moose Lodge which is mainly run by a Catholic Church...the arch enemy of the SDA's! | ||
| Melissa Registered user Username: Melissa Post Number: 434 Registered: 7-2003 |
Watch out about the term "Jesus Seminar". There is another heretical group already out there using that phrase. | ||
| Vchowdhury1 Registered user Username: Vchowdhury1 Post Number: 18 Registered: 7-2004 |
I've always found this concept of deception by the sda church very interesting and very sad. Yesterday, I asked a friend of mine (who is 3rd generation sda), could she explain to me that when the Apostle Paul was spreading the gospel to the gentiles, a new convert asked him, "What must I do to be saved"? Paul answered, "Love the Lord your God with all your soul, and all your mind, treat your neighbor like you would want to be treated, and obstain from any sexual immorality. This you must do to be saved". I asked my friend why Paul DID NOT mention "keep the 7th Day holy? and obstain from eating certain foods. She responded to this by saying "Maybe Paul was trying to 'Reel them in first'". This is nonsense!! The Apostle Paul, and even Jesus, were very "upfront" about Christianity and what it entailed. Now, only SDA's and other cultic religions would try to practice the deception of "reeling" people in first, then telling them about the legality of what one must do in order to remain apart of the so called "Remnant Church". When I used to attend the sda church, I could not tell you all of the people that were talked into joining first, then afterwards were told that they couldn't wear jewelry, could't eat pork, couldn't attend movies, etc., etc,. at least 90% of these new members "high-tailed it" out of there. In the year 1998, after a huge evangelistic meeting given by a very popular sda evangeles, after 8 weeks of these meetings approximately 600 people were baptized into the sda church. Infact, there were so many "new converts", some of them were "assigned" to our church, and some were "assigned" to a new sda church that opened up in the area. To make a long story short, out of the 300 hundred that were assigned to our church, there are only about 10-20 that remained before I even left. I don't have the detailed statistics about the remaining new converts at the new church, but I heard that its very scarce. Also, at these evangelistic meetings, I noticed that the "Sabbath" is not mentioned until about the very last meeting. By then, the new converts are already "hooked" or scared to death by the gloom and doom prophecy of egw's writings so they join. They see the light about 6 months later and the majority of them soon leave! Even when I attended the sda church, I never agreed to deceptive tactics to convert people. What kind of nonsense is that. No matter what, I think all religions should be upfront about what they believe. It's non-Christian to be deceptive, period. | ||
| Susan_2 Registered user Username: Susan_2 Post Number: 848 Registered: 11-2002 |
When I ask my sda kin their understanding of how come Jesus and the N.T. writers did not mention the Sabbath, the unclean foods and other laws I am told that Jesus and the first Christians did not have any need to mention those things because those things were just plain known to everyone as the way it was supposed to be. They were a given. That the Sunday-keepers who don't have the truth of the Sabbath or the truth about pork and whatever else srtikes their fancy at the moment, the Sunday-keepers are blinded by the fact that those sins were never ment to even come into true Christianity and sda's know this and the SDA's need to share this knowledge with the Sunday-keepers. Oh, it just goes round and round. I saw a bumper sticker one time that said, "God said it, I believe it and that settles it". My mom was with me and I told her that is my religion, too. I study my Bible and take it for what it say, that it means just what it says. I was told it is too easy to get suckered into false teaching that way, that I should go with her more often to church so can be taught how to understand the Bible in the truth that is intended. It was really convoluted. I get so frustrated with the 's I know. Why can't they just do what egw told them to do and go by the Bible alone?! | ||
| Melissa Registered user Username: Melissa Post Number: 435 Registered: 7-2003 |
Reality is the "day" issue is address in scripture. Roman 14, Col 2 talks specifically about holy days, both as non-issues. Galatians is very specific about the role of the law, of which holy days were a part. And Ephesians 2 is pretty plain that the law of commandments and ordinances (or regulations or decrees, whatever term) has been abolished. B's explanation is, and I doubt he is alone, is that those passages all exclude the 7th day sabbath. I've asked him repeatedly "what if" the Bible means just what it says. But he cannot even consider that possibility. It has to exclude the sabbath. His whole reality crumbles if it doesn't. | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 570 Registered: 12-2003 |
Krista, welcome! How is your husband handling your leaving? Is he receptive to the things you're learning? How did you meet him? Melissa, you've hit the nail on the head with your question, "What if the Bible means just what it says?" That's the bottom line! Praise God for His word! Colleen | ||
| Pw Registered user Username: Pw Post Number: 115 Registered: 6-2004 |
The SDA's will never see outside the box of EGW regardless of what the actual Bible says. They always claim that her writings are not above the Bible, but they obviously must be because they hold on her teachings so strongly that even when you show them the errors according to the scriptures they always respond with a EGW quote. Her so-called divine revelations and writings (even though they are not her own as we know) somehow are unfallable to these people. | ||
| Susan_2 Registered user Username: Susan_2 Post Number: 850 Registered: 11-2002 |
I recently took a class on the book of Revelations. It was the exact same class with the same textbook that the seminary students take at the Lutheran seminary when they are studying to become ministers. We had the option of paying several hundred dollars for the class and getting college credit or paying $45.oo and take the class for the learning experience. I took the later offer. For the first time in my life Revelations made sense. Taking the class the way I did I did not have to take the exams. However, a few months after the class had finished my mom asked me if I wanted to go to the local SDA chruch with her to a Revelation Seminar. I told her I'd recently taken quite an extensive class on Revelations. She asked me about it. I told her. She was not impressed. The good news is that she has not broght up studying Revelations to me again. At frist before I committed myself to the class I was a bit aprehensive. The word, "Revelations" whould automatically give me an anxiety attack. I guess because of my SDA upbringing. I met with a pastors wife and told her my anxiety and she enouraged me to follow through with taking the class. Then I remember thinking, "How awful can it be? After all, they're Lutherans. They wrote the book on grace. They've got a handle on grace like none other". My fears were all unfounded. True to form, the teacher even made the book of Revelations seem not scary and with grace. | ||
| Vchowdhury1 Registered user Username: Vchowdhury1 Post Number: 19 Registered: 7-2004 |
Susan, ask you kin, who are still sda, that if the Sabbath, and unclean foods were already "a given" and plain known to everybody, shouldn't sexual immorality also be "a given"?? Why did Paul, Jesus and other N.T. writers feel that he had to mention "sexual immorality" if that were the case? Plus, I believe that some new Gentile converts back in the N.T. did not know about Jewish laws or plain rejected Jewish law. The N.T. writers could have taken the opportunity to emphasize these laws if they were so important. | ||
| Krista Registered user Username: Krista Post Number: 3 Registered: 8-2004 |
Hello Dd, Colleen & Everyone, Dd, yes I was brought up in a nice Christian church. My parents were in the choir, so I remember all the old hymns. After college I started going to Unity Churches. I learned to accept other's beliefs and not judge; however, they are too liberal in my opinion and omit things from the Bible like Satan (they say there's only one force in the universe, or something like that). Sometimes I go to the SDA church because the pastors are really good and they talk about grace. Mainly I'm now attending a non-denominational Christian church (mega-church) with contemporary music and great band, plus great Bible messages! We're still members officially, but I'll be withdrawing my membership. I'm studying in my spare time, so it's a gradual process, and my husband is open to finding the truth. I appreciate all these wonderful posts. This forum is great!  | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 579 Registered: 12-2003 |
We'll be praying for you and your husband, Krista. Glad you're here! Colleen | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 476 Registered: 3-2004 |
Krista, You and your husband are on my prayer list also. It is good to have you here. It means two more has slipped out of Satan's clutches. Diana | ||
| Dennis Registered user Username: Dennis Post Number: 154 Registered: 4-2000 |
THE FACTS BEHIND THE RHETORIC Often when one intensely quizzes an SDA apologist about their lofty claims for Ellen White, their answer is something like "but she never authored any Adventist doctrines." As I was reviewing the official position statements on the GC website this morning, I read the one-page "Statement of Confidence in the Spirit of Prophecy" that was voted and approved at the Utrecht GC Session in 1995. I was shocked anew when I read their official EGW stance as follows: "However, we also believe, as did Ellen G. White's contemporaries, that her writings carry DIVINE AUTHORITY, both for godly living and FOR DOCTRINE" (emphasis supplied). Most Adventists, and even some of their apologists, may not have read the official claims as quoted above. Consequently, with their staunch adherence to extrabiblical "authority," Seventh-day Adventists are not truly Protestant. *His grace still amazes me, Dennis J. Fischer *Sylvia is listening to a CD of our church choir singing, "His grace still amazes me; each day I fall on my knees because your grace still amazes me." It is my heartfelt prayer that this is also your testimony tonight. | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 527 Registered: 3-2004 |
His grace constantly amazes me. I am always in awe of what God does and is. That is why I sign off with God is awesome. Diana | ||
| Loneviking Registered user Username: Loneviking Post Number: 277 Registered: 7-2000 |
My hackles just went up on finding this: www.springsproject.org Another disguised SDA church. Don't they ever get tired of the deceit? | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 528 Registered: 3-2004 |
Loneviking, that website is sponsored by one of the SDA programs. I want to say Faith for today, but I forget now that I am writing. It was in the lower left hand corner of one of the screens. I sent them an e-mail which was rejected by their website. I asked if it was deceptive & sneaky to not say they are SDAs. Of course the e-mail did not go through. I also said that whatever Jesus and the apostles did was always in the open. What a shame. I may try again. God does not need that kind of advertising. Diana | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 529 Registered: 3-2004 |
I could have sworn I saw a name about who was sponsoring this group, but when I went back to look again, it was not there. Probably just in my mind. It is definitely an SDA site. I sent another e-mail and hope it gets through. I said I was offended by their not saying they were SDA and that it was deceptive, and that Jesus and the apostles were not deceptive. I will see if this e-mail goes through. Diana | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 530 Registered: 3-2004 |
Just got my second e-mail returned to me as undeliverable. Maybe that is God's way of not letting anyone communicate with them. I hope so. Diana |
