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| Marysroses Registered user Username: Marysroses Post Number: 74 Registered: 4-2007 |
I was typing a response to another thread and it got bigger than the topic. In the discussion of the article on the meeting held to air various views of the young/old earth I had some observations. The only reason I can think of to have such a meeting is that it is the perception of the leadership that the body of evidence contrary to the Adventist position is getting to be so great that they will have to come up with a way of dealing with it. There is no wiggle room in EGW's writings for anything but a very young earth. What struck me most was the need for secrecy, people being afraid to put their names to their ideas for fear of losing their positions and livelihoods. This reminded me of other discussions and other upheavals. Adventists have had to give up the notion that Sunday keeping began in the fourth century by decree, well documented historical sources simply do not support Ellen White's version of history in the Great Controversy. Adventists have had to deal with the overwhelming evidence of copying and 'outsourcing'of Ellen's books. The sense of secrecy and fear reported just seem to be so great for something on which the Bible itself does not explain in great detail. Adventists themselves put a great deal of emphasis on the idea that in the bible 'day' does not always mean a 24 hour day. Adjusting one's theology to accommodate new historical and scientific information is never easy and shouldn't be rushed, but there is something more going on, imho. Several groups came out of the Millerite movement. I'd be hard pressed to remember them all. I could look them up, but thats really the point I'm making. The ones that kept to mainstream Christianity have all but faded away. We do have a Sunday keeping Advent Christian Church nearby, but when I've asked some of them questions about Miller and prophecy and their origins, not one person I talked too even knew about 1844. Their doctrine is comparable to the local Church of Christ and Disciples of Christ that we have locally as far as I could tell from a casual conversation. As far as I know, none of the groups that maintained orthodox protestant beliefs ever grew to be very large. The other category would be ones, like Jehovah's Witnesses that are so far out of the mainstream that few would consider them other than a cult. There are so many different ideas about prophecy out there. Other groups have dietary related beliefs. Other groups even keep more of levitical law than Adventists do. But not one other group that I know of makes the sabbath into a centerpiece of being the test of loyalty and salvation for the end times. Without this "sabbath message" there is no real reason for the Adventist Church to exist. Anything that threatens that message threatens the identity of Seventh-day Adventists as a group. Defending a young earth or ellen white is more than scholarship its survival. I think, rambling on here, that individual SDA also resist really looking at their beliefs because their own sense of self and their Christianity is bound up in the sabbath. If a literal 24 hour seventh day sabbath is threatened, everything comes tumbling down. I sometimes need my understanding and thinking about theology corrected. I don't really like it if I need to modify my views, and I will study and argue the point until I understand my error, (or show them theirs! lol), then I move on. It doesn't threaten my identity as a Christian or as a Catholic, if there is credible evidence I'm wrong, I can accept it. I don't see this kind of security in Adventists. I can study without fear that some discovery will shake my entire foundation. Obviously, the sabbath is not a worthy foundation for a secure, open and honest faith. MarysRoses | ||
| Reb Registered user Username: Reb Post Number: 307 Registered: 5-2007 |
You are so correct, MarysRoses. I've thought some of the same things myself. Looking at my son's textbooks from Adventist school they totally indoctrinate the kids with this nonsense. I am so glad he'll hopefully be going to Catholic school next year, where at least he'll get the proper science education and actually get taught Bible in Religion class instead of EGW's Great Controversy. | ||
| Helovesme2 Registered user Username: Helovesme2 Post Number: 979 Registered: 8-2004  |
I posted this on another forum, but I think it fits on this thread as well. Sabbath was definitely a defining part of my identity as an SDA, and I think I was not alone in that. Here's what I wrote elsewhere:
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| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 6349 Registered: 12-2003  |
Wow, Mary--what an articulate description of your experience. Yes, it is very familiar. My, what a convoluted world view we had! Colleen |
