| Author | Message | ||
| Nowisee Registered user Username: Nowisee Post Number: 1312 Registered: 5-2009 |
Thought it would be interesting to share some of the instructions from the official SDA website on how to witness to non-Adventists: (Born a 3rd & 4th generation SDA, I can tell you we were trained in special ways to convert people to the doctrines of adventism (Much like Mormons...friendship evangelism). SDAs will be very kind to you. Mormons will be very kind to you. These groups are both sincere, as are JWs...but they all hold to extra-Biblical doctrines. I have pages & pages of instructions on how to win people to adventism (I used to do it myself!). You can google the official SDA personal ministries websites & read the instructions for yourself.) I'm looking @ a page right now entitled "One Hundred Ways to Be Kind",....it says "Sometimes outreach can be very simple..." 1. Smile & speak kindly to everyone you meet. 2. Give fruit. 3. Give a bag of groceries. 4. Bake a loaf of bread & give it to a neighbor. "The duty & responsibility of every member to become involved in witnessing, and also the results of failure to do so are emphatically stressed in the Spirit of Prophecy. These important statements will be shared near the end of this booklet, so they could, perhaps, be used more wisely." 25. Be sympathetic & help neighbors during bereavement. 31. Compliment neighbors on their yard, flowers, and home. 32. Praise the good qualities of your neighbors. 33. Loan items to neighbors as necessary. 52. Offer to watch neighbors children while they are shopping. 55. Attend neighborhood club meetings and offer your services. 88. Conduct a neighborhood children's story hour. (This is to teach the doctrines of adventism.) 94. Be a good listener. ("The duty & responsibility of every member to become involved in witnessing, and also the results of failure to do so are emphatically stressed in the Spirit of Prophecy. These important statements will be shared near the end of this booklet, so they could, perhaps, be used more wisely.") Teach them (this, again written to those training the witnessing SDA members): How to be kind and tactful.. How to watch for interests daily & cultivate friendships. How to use the tone of voice properly. How to cultivate or develop interests through media interests (e.g. Voice of Prophecy, It Is Written, etc). The importance of and how to listen. How to disagree agreeably & never argue. Witnessing SDAs are taught not to use the special SDA "code words"...On page 34 of the SDA Personal Ministries Handbook it says: "Step 4--Learn to use understandable language. Adventists use terms that other people do not understand. Do not use terms like "pen of inspiration", etc. When people decide to take Bible studies, or join baptismal classes there will be opportunity to teach them this vocabulary." Page 14 in the above booklet: "Well-organized work must be done in the (SDA) church, that it's members may understand how to impart the light to others..." Page 42 of this same booklet there is a whole discussion of how to arrange Bible studies for non-SDAs in a "psychological arrangement"--they begin with Christ, but then go to "You love Jesus, right?" Don't you want to do what He says? And then take you to the 4th commandment & the last step is: "3. Decisions to enter Christ's last-day church." >>>"Present the distinctive teachings of Seventh-day Adventists after people have accepted Jesus and made a commitment to follow Him." Here from pg. 54 is an exact quote of instructions: "When you think of how Jesus gave Himself for you on the cross, you can't help loving Him, & I know that you love Jesus. In John 14:15, Jesus says to you, If you love Me, keep My commandments. Now that you see that one of His commandments is to keep the 7th day holy, you are going to start keeping it because you love Him, aren't you?" (No manipulation here!!!) Finally, under the "General principles for gaining decisions" section, pg. 49: "Helping people decide to accept the truths (SDA doctrine) they have been studying & do something about them is often the most difficult part of soul-winning....It's a science..." "Be agreeable, be direct, be kind & courteous, never argue, meet objections with Scripture." "Determine the specific obstacles to decision. Clear away the obstacles." Pg. 50, Ask for a decision on the materials presented at the end of every study. Encourage the student to put into practice each new duty as it unfolds. Do not ask for a major decision until the student has sufficient information to enable him or her to make an intelligent decision. pg. 50: "Ask for a decision on the basis of a choice between two alternatives, both of which are positive & possible, for example: 'We are planning a baptism on the 15th & one on the 29th. Which would be better for you? | ||
| Nowisee Registered user Username: Nowisee Post Number: 1313 Registered: 5-2009 |
I have heard people wonder how they were converted from Christianity to Adventism....well, here are the techniques (& there are lots more).... Sorry about the errors--but you get the drift! | ||
| Sharon3 Registered user Username: Sharon3 Post Number: 175 Registered: 2-2010 |
How about giving them a loaf of homemade bread? Didn't Ellen say there was more religion in a loaf of bread? | ||
| Goldenbear Registered user Username: Goldenbear Post Number: 178 Registered: 12-2004  |
I once had a Union President mention in a conversation that the Adventist church had no idea how to evangelize middle-income and above Americans. He said this was evidenced by the fact that the only place that the church was truly growing was in low income communities and third world countries. Adventism, in his opinion, reached out to the disadvantaged and promised a "better" life. I also remember going to a lay training program called "Friendship Evangelism" where they taught that the best times to reach out to people was when there was stress or discord - moving, divorce, death, loss of job, etc. Reaching out to people when they are the most vulnerable, nice huh | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 9983 Registered: 3-2004  |
The way I see it is that Christians who do not know about the NEW Covenant are easy marks for adventist. Diana | ||
| Lyrical Registered user Username: Lyrical Post Number: 174 Registered: 4-2012 |
Diana, I wholeheartedly agree!! | ||
| Rocky Registered user Username: Rocky Post Number: 69 Registered: 3-2012 |
And Christians not being lead by the Holy Spirit will not recognize a fleshly manipulation... The Spirit brings Life and a witness to that word in due season.... | ||
| Punababe808 Registered user Username: Punababe808 Post Number: 398 Registered: 4-2012 |
That explains why my friend who was raised very strict Catholic then became Mormon as an adult and now is beginning SDA. She's once again needs comfort And kudos as she once again trys to get her life back on a good track. She sends me texts about how nice the SDA 's are And several have helped her with her rent, utilities, etc. | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 14372 Registered: 12-2003  |
Oh, Nowisee...that is so telling. I always "knew" those things as an Adventist, but seeing them written down...it's horrifying, actually. We were taught that the end justifies the means...concurrently with being told "the end does not justify the means". I clearly remember being told that it was wrong to do something "immoral" for the purpose of gaining a good outcome...while also believing that if was RIGHT not to tell people I was Adventist so they would become interested in "what I had that they didn't". Colleen | ||
| Capross Registered user Username: Capross Post Number: 50 Registered: 7-2012 |
Growing knowledge of the scriptures and the presence of the Holy Spirit was what freed me from adventism. Knowledge of the scriptures and presence of the Holy Spirit is the only thing that can protect someone from adventism. | ||
| Rocky Registered user Username: Rocky Post Number: 70 Registered: 3-2012 |
Well said Capross, thank you and so true! | ||
| Cazperth Registered user Username: Cazperth Post Number: 12 Registered: 4-2013 |
I experience (still do actually) all those things from my Adventist friends. Sadly, the 83 year old lady (whom I love dearly) that brought God's word into my life is convinced that her bible reading must be done in all the little snippets that add up to support the SDA "truth". I want to share with her the wonderful things I found from reading entire chapters of the New Testament but she tells me I am just learning and soon I will understand how God made the bible a puzzle and that we must work hard at piecing together to understand His "true meaning". She still tells me that we must only follow the bible (while giving me EGW pamphlets) and only believe in what it says, I don't have the heart or the experience to debate it with her *sigh* | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 14383 Registered: 12-2003 |
Cazperth, that is SO the "Adventist deception"! They are taught that all their doctrines are based only in the Bible. They are taught that they are the only church that believes in the WHOLE Bible. They are taught proof-texts to toss around with their statements of "truth". Most of them never actually study the Bible without an EGW book or the SS Quarterly or some other SDA book nearby. Because they already believe the Bible supports all their doctrines, when they read things that don't make sense, they slide over them and ignore them. Their worldview will not allow the cognitive dissonance. Colleen | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 9985 Registered: 3-2004 |
In academy and college I had a Bible with subjects listed on the back pages with the first proof text after it. I would turn to that Bible text and next to it the next one would be listed. NEVER read the Bible in context then. Thank Awesome God I am no longer there. Diana | ||
| Punababe808 Registered user Username: Punababe808 Post Number: 404 Registered: 4-2012 |
In fifth grade my teacher at the sda school i attended had what she called bible class but really was sda indoctrination class.I'd go home and ask my parents if what she said was true. My mom would tell me we went to the sda because of the Sabbath truth. My dad would tell me we mwent to the sda because my mom said we have to. So, by age eleven I'd made up my mind when I grew up i didn't want to be sfa because nothing i wax taught made any logical sense. | ||
| Cazperth Registered user Username: Cazperth Post Number: 14 Registered: 4-2013 |
And this same lady (god bless her!) is outraged because she believes Catholic nuns are not allowed to read the bible, she says the priests control it to keep the women and congregation in the dark about God's true words. Oh my, and how much of her own bible knowledge is controlled in the same way by SDA doctrine! I am always asked "Do you have any questions, dear?" and I say, no I am fine with my reading at the moment. But I am learning from the tactics posted by Nowisee. The kind words, generosity, mild manner and gentle persuasion will not get under my defenses. When I feel more knowlegable I will ask to read the bible excerpts she refers to alongside her and my questions and ask her in return to look at some of the ones I like (Acts 15 for instance). I have also been studying Daniel as it is her bible study for this quarter. I used to read detective fiction every night, consuming 3 novels a week. I have read nothing but the Bible or articles about the bible for two months now, it is absolutely fascinating! | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 9988 Registered: 3-2004 |
Catholic nuns do read the Bible. Jeff Foxworthy hosts a TV program called "The American Bible Challenge". One of the groups of winners was a group of nuns. Diana |
