| Author | Message | ||
| Honestwitness Registered user Username: Honestwitness Post Number: 861 Registered: 7-2005  |
I found an interesting statement today on the website, "Beware This Cult," by Dr. Gregory Hunt. He writes in Chapter 23, "Studying the behavior of any Adventist will betray the fact that he does not really believe that she [EGW] is a true prophet, deep down in his heart." I had never focused on this concept before, but I have to agree with Hunt. My husband's behavior, which is very kind, caring, and loving, nevertheless does tell me that he doesn't believe Ellen White was a true prophet. If he really believed she was, he would be doing his best to follow EVERYTHING she wrote. In the early part of our marriage, hubby did try hard to obey all the Adventist rules. However, as the years have gone by, he has relaxed more and more of the restrictions he once put on himself. While he would not do these things in the past, because of Ellen White's writings, he now watches baseball games on TV; attends baseball games; eats fish, chicken, and turkey; uses caffeine in his headache medicine; uses vinegar; eats cinnamon; and others I can't remember right now. He claims to believe she is a true prophet, but he has stated that not everything she wrote is "inspired." Would you agree with Hunt's allegation that, when you were SDA, your behavior revealed you didn't really believe she was a true prophet? Honestwitness | ||
| Hec Registered user Username: Hec Post Number: 224 Registered: 3-2009 |
I would say that this is part of the syndrome of pick and choose. SDAs have a habit of picking and choosing what to believe and what to practice. They do that with the Bible and also with EGW. The funny thing is that they do not see any discrepancy in this practice. Hec | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 9916 Registered: 12-2003  |
Ditto that, Hec. Whether or not I thought she was a "true prophet", I believed she was "used of God". She didn't have to be a full-blown "prophet", in my mind, for me to consider what she said. If God had "used" her at all, what she said had to be considered. She was always in the back of my mind. I remember deciding that she had definitely been wrong about the IJ (for whatever reason!), but that if she made certain assertions, then it might be true, and I couldn't just ignore them. They had to become part of my collection of ideas and "tribal knowledge" that informed my "life processing" and analysis. Colleen | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 4904 Registered: 9-2006  |
That's like jumping in bed with a prostitute and then claiming your not doing anything. If you jump in bed with the Adventist prostitute, don't tell me your not doing anything. I don't know what Hunt is hunting, but that dog don't hunt for me. It appears to me like Hunt has about as much spiritual discernment as a fence post. The guy needs to take up knitting or something. River (Message edited by river on June 01, 2009) | ||
| 8thday Registered user Username: 8thday Post Number: 950 Registered: 11-2007  |
Some that I know will be sure to reinforce to me that they believe in 'Sister White' yet in almost the next breath say they think it's okay to have a glass of wine, and they don't think everyone has to be an SDA. Either they have not read what she actually said, or their conviction in her is very weak. But it's not possible to obey every single command she wrote - which she didn't even live by them herself, so at some point there has to be compromise for one reason or another - divided thinking, or massive guilt. | ||
| Honestwitness Registered user Username: Honestwitness Post Number: 862 Registered: 7-2005 |
River, Hunt is on our side. I guess that might not be evident by the very small portion I quoted from his web site. Sorry about that. If you will do a Google search on "Beware This Cult Gregory Hunt," you should be able to find it. I am sorry I can't paste a link when I'm typing in this little box using my Blackberry, or I would get the link for you. | ||
| Honestwitness Registered user Username: Honestwitness Post Number: 863 Registered: 7-2005 |
So, Colleen, if someone had said to you back then that your behavior revealed that you didn't believe EGW was a true prophet, would that have increased your cognitive dissonance and hastened your final exit from Adventism? The reason I want to know is to determine if stating such to my husband will cause the veil to lift or will it cause it to thicken and stiffen up even worse. Honestwitness | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 4908 Registered: 9-2006 |
Honestwitness honey, you got to watch about trying to write on blackberrys, your supposed to eatem'  Thanks for the google clue. | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 9925 Registered: 12-2003 |
Hmmm--interesting question. I don't think it would have had too much effect, although it might have increased my dissonance slightly. I already knew I didn't know what to think about her. I resorted to explaining her by saying we just happen to have WAY more of her writings than we have of Isaiah's, for example. I remember I used to use this argument; if we had ALL the things Isaiah wrote in personal letters and journals, he'd look far less inspired than he looks in the Bible. We are just judging Ellen by a body of work such as the Bible writers never had to defend. Of course, that argument totally begged the question, and it ignored the fact that Ellen said over and over, "I was shown..." when history proves she clearly was not (at least, not by God!). My in-laws explain their behavioral deviance from her writings by taking refuge in "present truth" and "progressive revelation". They can always explain lack of consistency by saying understanding changed over time... Sorry--I don't think I helped much! Colleen | ||
| Indy4now Registered user Username: Indy4now Post Number: 534 Registered: 2-2008  |
I agree with Dr. Hunt's statement also. A lot of my friends have told me also that they don't believe that some of EGW's writings are inspired... BUT... "I can't give up the Sabbath" they say. So because of the "Sabbath", a lot of my friends would never leave the SDA church. The Sabbath becomes the millstone that keeps them where they are at. That was the hardest part of my transistioning out of Adventism. ~vivian |
