Arthur
In silent horror, I listened to my Seventh-day Adventist pastor’s mini-sermon as I watched blood trickle down the little Boy Scout’s leg. After crashing his bicycle, the boy had timidly approached our picnic table. In a weak, shaky voice he begged, “I lost my group. Could you catch me up to my group?” Seeing this as a “teachable moment” my pastor responded to the young lad by gently putting his hand on the boy’s shoulder.
“Saturday is the Sabbath,” the pastor said with an enlightened smile and began a short homily explaining why the fourth1 commandment kept us from helping him. However, he offered to pray for him. To this day, I am baffled as to why the pastor refused the Boy Scout, unless it was the Adventist taboo of riding bikes on Sabbath. That experience symbolized my frustrations growing up in the SDA church.
As a cradle Adventist, there were so many unexplainable taboos I had grown up with. On the Sabbath we couldn’t play with the neighbors, swim, go to the store or mall; no television or radio. A sampling of the list I’ll entitle, Adventist’s Iniquities, (any day of the week) included dancing, drinking, smoking, going to the theater, eating meat, drinking coffee or anything with caffeine in it, and wearing jewelry. Drinking root beer was our family’s version of walking on the wild side (it contains no caffeine but it looks like Coke).
However, Adventists evidently believe God sanctioned imitations of evil. Adventists are well-known for their substitute meats. My mother would spend hours in the kitchen making a gray, gelatinous mass of whole-wheat gluten as fake beef. My parents would drink a hot, black liquid substance called Postum, which kids would tease was “bad to the last drop.” Any jewelry dangling from your ear or wrist or neck was scandalous, but if it could be pinned onto your blouse it was endorsed.
Adventism, to me, was not only confusingly hypocritical but scary. Some Adventist doctrines are based on the visions supposedly given by an angel to a 19th-century prophetess and one of the founders of the Seventh-day Adventist church, Ellen White. According to my childhood church, heaven opened up to her a crucial new addition to the Gospel—called the “Everlasting Gospel.” In fact, White calls it the most important message of all time2. According to her Revelation 14 prophecy, Adventists are the sole remnant of God and the 144,000. They are then given the task of proclaiming the three angels’ message (vs. 6-12).
First and foremost, they must warn the world that Christ’s Second Coming is imminent (which they have been broadcasting since 1844.) After that, the Sabbath issue dominates their doctrines. Ellen White’s messages, affectionately dubbed “The Spirit of Prophecy,” teach that very soon laws will be enacted that will force a great crisis between those who only profess to be Christians and genuine Christians. God’s dramatic test between His false and true people pivots upon which day of the week you go to church. Those who fall prey to the antichrist’s strong delusion and receive the mark of the beast are those who worship on Sunday. Truly obedient Christians will become Seventh-day Adventists who attend church on the authentic Sabbath—Saturday.
The disturbing and bizarre twist to their prophecy is that Christians who attend church on Sunday3 will become the Whore of Babylon, seize national power, and enact laws that force all people to attend church on Sunday. Then in a drunken madness this spiritual prostitute will track down, torture, and kill Adventists who do not succumb to her demands of worshipping on the false Sabbath. Guess who the Adventist church claims will spearhead this coming barbarity against them? The Catholic Church. Adventists earnestly work and pray for the pitiful souls who have been deceived by Rome4.
Our SDA Bible teachers showed pictures of the pope and pointed out the “pagan-inspired, Devil’s horns of his mitre.” Using only denominationally published theology books, they warned of the dangers of stepping outside of the church. When I finally was old enough to ask a coherent question about our doctrines, I received no biblically backed answers that made sense without quoting Ellen White.
Once, on a rainy day, my neighborhood non-Adventists (but Christian) friends invited me to go bowling with them. Excited, I naively asked my mother if I could go. She shot my dad a deflecting glance, “well, ask your father.” Giving the same answer I am sure my dad was given by his parents, he responded, “I don’t think that is something we want to do.” To my inquiry of why, his answer was typical, “Ellen White speaks against it.” That was no real answer, but I had been taught to respect, or at least obey, anything she wrote. Even if my dad had personal concerns himself, which I doubt he did, he would never have breathed them aloud. He was the principal of the SDA church school I attended and not only would spend thirty years of his life as a teacher, principal and eventually an Educational Superintendent, he also would become an ordained minister of the Adventist gospel.
With my upbringing, I could easily have become like many of my SDA friends: bitter and angry. I had a total lack of spiritual intimacy with God or a church. Although I had never gotten an accurate description of who God was, in my heart I was holding out for a God of love.
Our Blessed Lord decided to teach me about selfless, passionate, intense love when I met my stunning wife in an Adventist boarding school in south Texas. He gave me the love of my life to teach me of His love for me. But it was going to take a while for God to get through. The beginning of marriage was tough. I was unbelievably selfish. But the Lord worked through my patient wife who was the consummate pantomime of the Lord’s sacrificing love. Yet still remaining in spiritual confusion, one Saturday I just stopped going to church. In fact for a while I told my wife I did not know if I could even believe in God.
In my thirties, I finally came to my own personal age of enlightenment. I had gotten to the point that I wanted some answers, not just for myself but for my young children that were looking to me as their father and priest of the family. And, like before, I received none through the SDA church.
My uncle David founded a Biblical Research Institute that recorded eschatology studies on audio tape. At the time I was doing sales on the road and would listen to several of the tapes each week. Some of his research was truly profound and listening to these tapes showed me that there might be another way of reading the Bible. Ellen White just may not have known what she was talking about. In one tape, “The Law,” David’s systematic explanation of God’s law in Scripture was the first time I realized it was based in love. God’s law was not a tool to kill you with but a tool He fulfilled to save you. I was struck like a lightning bolt. I had to pull over to the side of the road because I was weeping so profusely.
After this lightning bolt, I started to read C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity and A.W. Tozer’s The Pursuit of Man. I never knew that there was flesh on those old dry bones of religion. For the first time, between my uncle David, Lewis, and Tozer I earnestly studied spirituality. It was like these writers poured the wine of the Eucharist upon my tortured mind and it exploded to life. As God’s grace was transforming me, my wife had reached the same point but from a completely different direction.
Teresa
It was as if, until that moment, I had been a merry, floral-crowned damsel tossing rose petals through the air as I skipped through my Pre-Raphaelite, bucolic life—when I was hit by a Mack truck. In shock, with my emotions plowed into the ground, I pondered how my whole life had been a lie. But then the thoughts turned even darker; my parents’ lives had also been based in fiction. Then the circle grew wider—my grandparents, my teachers, my pastors. Oh, it was just too painful to even think about.
You see, I loved serving my precious Jesus through the Seventh-day Adventist Church. My family had been part of this church for so many generations we were not sure when they had been converted. In fact, we had become cultural Adventists or cafeteria Adventists—who would pick and choose the doctrines and rules we personally believed and roll our eyes at the rest.
Our family were the “cool” Adventists. We openly drank Dr. Pepper to the gasps of the orthodox, and watched Disney movies—in the movie theaters. (I was told by my teachers that I would be in trouble if I mentioned that fact in school.) You would see our family eating out at a restaurant every Sabbath. Though we wouldn’t have thought of leaving the church, our family had proudly thrown off the shackles of what we considered silly, hypocritical teachings. Oh, I don’t want to mislead you. I still believed that Jesus was coming soon and looked for evidence of it in every newscast. Sincerely and earnestly I had wanted to be obedient to Christ and I assumed keeping Saturday as Sabbath was keeping His commandments. With all its blemishes, I was proud to be one of God’s chosen people, part of the remnant spoken of in Revelation. After all, it made one feel special to know that one’s denomination was God’s elite.
Because I was an “enlightened” Adventist, I saw myself as the future of the church and was devotedly active. I sang in the choirs, wrote for its publications, taught in its schools and Sabbath morning study groups. Then, in the mid 1990’s, life had become busy as a homeschooling mother of three and time with the Lord in prayer and Bible study had dwindled. For the first time in my life, new temptations doggedly pursued me. I felt God calling me back to Scripture, but once there, the illusion of my life and my worldview of truth was shattered. There wasn’t a shred of biblical evidence to support Adventist unique doctrines. Adventists had woven texts into Ellen White’s prophecies, rather than build doctrine upon the Bible alone. It wasn’t that I hadn’t read the Bible before; indeed, I could win any biblical trivia game I played. It was confusing. I stomped the ground in a tantrum to God and reminded Him that as a good Protestant I knew Scripture by heart. I knew Scripture… I knew Jesus, He was my best friend! “Don’t change the rules on me now.” Yet knowing my yearning for truth, God lifted the veil from my eyes and showed me that I had been living in delusion. I could see for the first time how Adventist doctrine was not just wrong, but even spiritually dangerous.
No matter how painful it was to tear myself from my culture and indoctrination, I knew I could no longer support a church—as sweet and well-meaning as it was—that taught beliefs that were not based in authentic history or Scripture, that taught spiritual fear and elitism. So, I went to my husband to break what I thought would be horrifying news.
Arthur and Teresa
Sitting staring at each other, we both were thinking the same thing, “How do I say: ‘Honey, I don’t think I’m an Adventist anymore.’” God gave us the grace to tear off our religious facade and words began to pour. We had never spoken so candidly about our spiritual life. We went from parallel paths to one miraculously united with Christ.
In 2001 we formally placed our resignation letter on the desk of our pastor. As we left his church office, Arthur’s hand steadied me for I felt a bit faint. My life had just fizzled away quietly like a wet fire cracker. There was no wake, no funeral, and no public grieving for my loss. Yet, in that moment Christ ignited a new spark that would later turn into a bonfire of joy.
Arthur felt pleased we had made a gracious and respectful break. Even more, he was startled at his feelings of exhilaration—like fleeing a dry desert for the ocean. Since we lived in an Adventist community Arthur did detect some guilt thrust in his direction by the condemning gaze of Ellen White in the eyes of some church members. He missed by inches the brushes that were attempting to paint a “scarlet A” (in this case meaning “apostasy”) on his chest. In apologetic desperation, I stayed close to my family and friends vainly attempting to prove to them we had a basis for leaving.
Soon we were eagerly worshipping and studying with other Protestant denominations, so happy to be awash in our newfound brothers and sisters in Christ. Within a few months we began to discover a real problem in choosing our own church. Oh, it’s easy if all you are looking for is an inspirational service. There are so many wonderful, joyful, and fulfilling communities of Christ to which you can feel like you belong. (I just left one!) The problem comes when you want your church to be based in biblical truth. We had spent a lifetime dedicated to a church who had indoctrinated us into fiction, so we were understandably hesitant to repeat that same mistake. Fearing deception, we spent years grilling pastors about their doctrine.
Every single denomination out there claims its beliefs are the most Bible-based. One pastor proof-texts infant baptism, while the pastor down the road proof-texts adult baptism—quite confusing. Theologians dueled with the original languages claiming that really, if we could read Greek, the Once-Saved-Always-Saved position would be ridiculously clear or just ridiculous—depending on which scholar we asked. One pastor with two Ph.D.’s in theology insisted that if we could, “acquiesce to neo-orthodoxy’s ontological and soteriological exegesis of justification through the feminist theological worldview we would become at peace with our post-modern epistemological quest.”
I looked at Arthur and whimpered, “what?” Then we went home and sent off for applications to all the different US seminaries. We decided, in order not to be deceived we had to be able to read the Scriptures in their original form. Arthur and I became consumed with theology. It seemed the more we knew, the more we realized that it would take every second of every waking hour in theological study for the rest of our lives to begin to know all this stuff. …Wait… I had to take a shower …and fix dinner… and phone my mother…I was running out of time! It was devastating to realize that to really avoid deception and know truth, we would have to be… God.
The thought terrified us. My Protestant friends all told us to relax, all we needed to understand Scripture was the Holy Spirit. Yet, we knew there were false prophets (Ellen White!). As sincere Christians, how could we guarantee that we would not fall prey to false doctrine again? Had God abandoned us to correctly, infallibly interpret Scriptures with nothing but our average IQs?
God sent a Catholic friend to introduce a revolutionary idea. He cut through our despairing cloud of confusion with a new inquiry. “Perhaps you are asking the wrong question. Maybe, just maybe, instead of finding what you think is perfect theology, try looking for the church God set up as His authority.” That haunting statement changed our lives as we took it to Christ in prayer and study.
For years, we had watched an online Catholic-Protestant discussion group, but we had dismissed the Catholics’ defense of their faith because it was too biblical. We thought it was just another plot of deception. We had been warned about online Jesuit plants—tricky papist spiders—drawing the web into their ultimate antichrist designs. We purchased a Catechism to find out if the tricky papists were lying about what Catholics believe. After all, what they were saying wasn’t what we had been taught they believed. Yet there they were! Catholic beliefs! Just as the Catholics claimed—in the Catechism, the Catholic Encyclopedia, history books, and everything else we could get our hands on to read. So Arthur and I immersed ourselves in our new quest of discovering real Catholicism.
As my husband and I began reading the early Church Fathers, we were shocked at how Catholic they were. Could it be Catholic corruption had already been trickling in before the Apostles died? But that cannot be right, can it? These early writings were not just by any convert; these were writings by bishops who had been taught by, anointed by, and chosen by the Apostles themselves to lead the churches they started. That just didn’t seem to make sense that they would have become apostate so soon. If God had abandoned His Church so quickly after its inception, then we really have a problem because we can’t trust the Trinity doctrine, the canon of Scripture, or the divinity of Christ because these were the men (and later Fathers) who defined these doctrines and who attested to which writings were by the apostles and which were forgeries.
So we either had to believe God protected His Church’s theology, or we have to cut the Church off right after its birth. Is it possible that these godly men, who were martyred for their faith, could have gotten it that wrong? In the end, we had to admit, that their writings didn’t actually conflict with Scripture; their writings were in conflict with our personal interpretation of Scripture, or rather I should say, the way we had been taught to interpret it.
After acknowledging Adventists had disseminated error about Protestants, it was not impossible to accept the idea that Protestants disseminated error about Catholics. Christ was now opening up a frightening, exciting, new worldview of Christianity for us.
It was about this time that Arthur and I published a book called, It’s Okay Not to be a Seventh-day Adventist (Amazon.com). It lays out the history and doctrine of the Adventist Church, comparing and contrasting it with Scripture and supporting former SDAs in transitioning into mainstream Christianity. After leaving that church, we had been contacted by numerous hurting Adventists who needed someone to whom they could talk. Many were terrified of Ellen White’s last-day prophecies and were afraid to go to other churches for fear of being deceived. Since we had been down that same road, we could sympathize. So God handed us a ministry for them.
As the book was announcing to the SDA world that we had left Adventism, we had a new announcement they would find even more horrifying. We had finished the RCIA program and now, after intense study, we were entering the Catholic Church. Not that we understood the doctrines perfectly, but we began using an acronym, BEAU, believing that if every other doctrine within Catholicism wasn’t true, it just didn’t matter if they got these things right. (Now, we are discovering all the other doctrines, including Marian Dogmas are not only breathtakingly true, but biblical.)
BEAU (the French male form for “beautiful”—apropos for Christ):
BIBLE: We were shocked to discover that for 1600 years the Bible was more extensive; that Reformers took out unwanted books. Contrary to Protestant teaching, the Catholic Church protected Scripture with her life, copied, translated and transmitted it. We realized that Sola Scriptura was not biblical but was a Protestant tradition and that the Bible actually points to the apostles and the Church as the foundation of truth (Eph. 2:20, I Tim. 3:15).
EUCHARIST: We eagerly embraced the clearest scriptural meaning that God’s body was actually miraculously present in the Holy Communion endowing us with special grace. Coming before Him at mass, experiencing the love at the cross, becoming one with Christ through the Eucharist, we delighted in knowing these things are not figurative, not just a symbol, but really living the Kingdom of God.
AUTHORITY: As we analyzed our culture, we saw the crumbling of western society because of the lack of authority. The rebelliousness of children, divorce, sexual promiscuity, abortion—at the root, all are a rejection of God’s sovereignty. Nature attests to a hierarchy of leadership; Israel was structured around their appointed authorities; is it possible we had missed this in the New Testament? Again, we had been blind to an obvious part of Scripture. Repeatedly the apostles command Christians to submit to God’s appointed authorities even when they were less than perfect.
UNITY: Finally, as we read Jesus’ fervent desire that His disciples remain unified, we recognized there was something distinctly unscriptural about all the different denominations. Scriptures did not allow for sects. Christ stresses unity more than many doctrines Protestants deem “essentials.” Indeed, unity is an essential of faith. We had to ask ourselves if Protestants had a biblical basis to break with the Church. The answer was no.
It is difficult to express our duality of grief and exhilaration in the first two years of being Catholic. We have learned obedience to Christ brings unfathomable joys. There is no honor in heaven or earth like giving undying fealty and faithful love to the Savior and His Bride. It is thrilling to be a part of this historical, triumphant Church.
God has given us many surprises. Becoming Catholic has improved our marriage. Through participating in the Eucharist, we have gained a penetrating insight of the privilege of sacrificing for our spouses. As Christ broke Himself for us, we then also give of ourselves, fully, unreservedly, tenderly to our spouses. Our rights fade away in the glory of offering ourselves to each other.
We have understood our own irreplaceable importance to God as we study the Catholic Church’s doctrines on life and birth control. No longer are we, as we felt in Protestantism, an army of one. We find great relief as we drink from a vast two-thousand year reserve of living water from the immovable Rock that Christ founded upon Peter and the Apostles. We relish the safety of the Church’s treasury of faith and Communion of Saints. We delight in knowing that God is changing us from glory to glory and erasing the original sin that stained our souls. Pain no longer elicits confusing questions of offending God: now we lift up our sorrows in redemptive suffering. We no longer fear other Christians nor do we see ourselves pridefully as God’s elite.
And yet our decision to follow Christ into the Catholic Church has left our Adventist families heart-broken, fearing for our sanity and with some, even worse, believing we are traitorous to the Gospel. We humbly ask your prayers that one day our families’ hearts will be open to this blessed of all faiths. For truth heals the deep pains of false beliefs. We thank each one of you who faithfully prays for unity and for little straying lambs, like we were, to find our way home into the Roman Catholic Church.
Oh my Goodness! What a conversion story! God bless you for your courage and complete trust in Christ. Welcome to the Church! Your faith and trust inspires, and enriches my faith as a cradle Catholic. Thank you so much. I will definitely pray for you daily and during Adoration to have healing and peace with your family, and God willing, they will have a change of heart as well. Thank you again! Welcome again!
As the 42 y/o daughter of an SDA minister, I find this story to be very sad. I grew up with the same restrictions but never felt any bitterness or dissatisfaction with our SDA doctrines. I remain strong in the faith despite my new marriage to a Catholic. I don’t care what my church thinks of it but I will never convert. Particularly to Catholicism. I don’t see how the authors of this article were converted to it but I wish them well.
Thanks Robert!
Anita, both Arthur and I left Adventism because of scripture. The SDA beliefs cannot be supported by the Bible or Christian tradition. Catholics can find support in both the Bible and Christian history. We wish you well too! God bless.
I was born in the Battle Creek Sanitarium. My family had worked for the denomination when it was started in Battle Creek. I attended school through Battle Creek Academy, Cedar Lake Academy, Emanuel Missionary College and taught church school….. passed through Armstrong’s World Tomorrow in Pasadena where my husband attended. Horrible and hateful place…. escaped to Florida where my mother was living…. to Tampa: Methodist, Episcopalian and now Roman Catholic… I need to write a book…….
I am glad that all the SDA Pastors I had were never extremist as the one you describe , I went to both Spanish & English speaking Churches what i did see was in the english speaking congregations a few fanatics (not all) who were/are as extreme in thier ideas as those in Waco with thier end time delusions & in the spanish a few who were really puffed up,I never was much into the spirit of prophecy aka Ellen White, I did not like the fact that when they spoke of her they make it seem like she was present & living ” Mrs. White say’s in…blah blah blah”, often when I went to the english I felt that it was all about the Sabbath almost to the point of worship ” not to offend anyone but thats how it felt to me it was everything Sabbath oh then you have thier Daniel/ Revelation Seminar which is the Whole Bible message in 24 day seminar , if you watch 3ABN you get the same thing I ended up ripping out my Patriot Dish ( Danny never convinced me his fixing broken people message when he did not even care to fix his own marriage with Linda ),another thing I can’t stand is thier everything power point presentations every sermon felt more like a seminar than a sermon, I voice my opinion about it once & was told someone did a study that with visuals people grasp more of the topic & it sticks to thier brain , hey whatever cant stand it I dont go to Church to be in a conference or theatre , the spanish is thus far more old school which is strait preaching I can appricate that! the english is more verbale about the health message by 1000% ,the spanish has it but it does not pound it , its more like this is what we believe learn it, live it, all in all they are very good people but what really has gotten me to seperate myself was the abortion issue, I was like how can they claim to be those who keep the commandments of God & have the Faith of Jesus, when they allow abortion they allow the murder of innocent babies no one has been given the right to take a life from conception to the grave our bodies belong to God as the scripture say we are not our own we have been purchased by the blood of Christ,abortion opens the door to broken morals away from Gods plan of a healthy family focused lifestyle to one of abuse of ones own bodies mental physical & spiritual . The SDA has failed in it mission & stands accused of being a law breaker since they promote the culture of death & need to reconize thier failings its not enough to Focus on the Sabbath its a whole package you break one is to break them all you cant pick & choose to your organizations benefit thats hypocrisy In Jerimiah 1:5 God says before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born i sanctified you”…… How special is every baby to our Creator that He already has a vision of us even before our conception, so who are we to think we have authority to take that life as I can see Psalms 106:35-39 is directed at all Churches who hold on to the pro choice stance but especially the SDA Church who say the are the keepers of Gods 10 Commandments I read a SDA article about this where the SDA Hospital justfied it as “well women are always going to have abortions we might as well cater/profit from this need” basically they are providing a service in the end its all about financial gain! At present Im not attending any Church but am seriously looking into the RCC Ive had a strong leading in this direction but due to certain circumstances its been difficult but im praying about it my question for the Beems are thier any future plans to be on the Journey Home , ???
: ” God Bless
Anita – I am Catholic and my husband is SDA. We are discussing the Sabbath and the eighth day fulfillment in Christ. Have you and your husband ever studied this? Have you ever compared your doctrines based entirely on scripture? I compared soul sleep with the communion of saints, I found much more evidence for the saints. My husband has been SDA for 3 years, I joined the Catholic church 2 years ago coming from Methodism. We have been married 28 years and have two beautiful children.
”
In silent horror, I listened to my Seventh-day Adventist pastor’s mini-sermon as I watched blood trickle down the little Boy Scout’s leg . . .
“Saturday is the Sabbath,” the pastor said with an enlightened smile and began a short homily explaining why the fourth1commandment kept us from helping him ”
I find your opening story really does not support what Adventists teach about the Sabbath. I think one will have to go very far indeed to find an Adventist pastor like the one you describe. For many years I worked and offered consultations at a Mission station in Malawi – Adventist doctors and nurses there not only worked on the Sabbath – they also did the same for the Catholic mission priests who lived and worked above and within the Shire Valley (Rift Valley in Malawi) and would often be treated by the SDA doctors at Malamulo. In fact many of those doctors would work through the nights to help someone in need – whatever the day or the hour. I think you will find them doing the same all over the world – whether in the USA or Nepal.I have recently converted to the Catholic church after being an adventist mission worker for the past eleven years – in total I spent thirty-two years as an Adventist. After considerable study over the years I find the Catholic church is far more Biblical than the SDA church. But really! SDA pastors giving such homilies . . .
Having read all the comments on this page, it is obvious that not a single one of you really understand the gospel message as found in the Bible, Sure their are some fanatics in the SDA church, But the message is completely Bible based. The fact is you guys simple do not under stand the Bible or the plan of salvation and I am not talking about what Eleen G.. White said, I’m talking about what the Bible says. The fact that you would even consider becoming a Roman Catholic speaks loud and clear that you do not understand the Bible. I hope and pray that you find out before it’s to late. As concerning Teresa and Arthur Beem, there are many of their type connected to the church today, who have gone through the SDA school system and come out knowing nothing because the schools themselves have become corrupt and it has all been foretold, The very positions that you folks are taking is just a fulfillment of prophecy and proof that Ellen G. White was indeed a prophet and inspired by God to write as she did.I could say more, but I will stop here.
Moses Mason
I don’t rely on human prophets that pick and choose scripture to back up personal preferences. I would rather believe in Jesus Christ who passed the key to St Peter to hold until he returned. Unlike people like Ellen White, King Henry VIII, Tony Alamo, or Joseph Smith, I’m pretty sure Jesus Christ wasn’t motivated by personal gain when he gave it to St Peter to pass down for 2000 years. Unless you don’t want to believe he was the son of God, anyway.
History and Jesus Christ’s infallibility supports the Catholic Church. Nothing backs up Ellen White except paranoia and hatred against others- two things that Christ never taught.
Just study basic and unfiltered history, and you’ll be amazed at how far the world tends to fall when it turns on the Catholic Church and the Biblical principles that come from His teachings.
I apologize for my previous comment if I offended anyone. I was much too tired to be writing about such important things!
hello anyone can help me guide a family member who joined the sda church come back to the Catholic
Church
Jon, you are welcome to contact the Coming Home Network directly at [email protected] and we would be happy to assist you in any way we can.
Teresa, Your story really seems to mirror my experience growing up SDA. My husband of 11 years is a cradle Catholic. In short, I just did the Rite of Acceptance last Sunday. I will have to look for your book. It was comforting to read your story. I too have really questioned so much of what I was raised to believe. I will need to look for someone like yourselves in the town I am in. Blessings,
I had a sister in law who became an adventist. Her child became sick one saturday. I had a drug store at the time and i remember that they would not come to get medecine for the child until after sun down.
There are a lot of good people that are seven day adventist, but i truly believe that they build their
Faith on the sabath and dislike of the Catholic Church
If SDA doctors are so great why did mine cheat me out of knee replacements in 2004? He denied me a referral to an Orthopedic surgeon as he said “You need to lose 6 more pounds.” An Orthopedic surgeon heard this 5 years later and physically leaned over an examining table while groaning. I was still in my wheelchair and am to this day due to complications which did not exist in 2004. Why did this doctor confess things to me from his personal life even up to admitting he was treating himself for atrial fibrillation by showing his new wife where to give him the injection? Why did he have the nerve to caress my cheek and tell me what a pretty face I had then say “But THAT body!” Why did he keep giving me narcotics for the pain when the new biological medications came on the market while I was his patient? I could have taken them then and prevented all the deformities to my knees and back. I contracted MRSA in a hospital in 2008 and have been prone to severe infections ever since–MRSA is methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, caused by doctors handing out unnecessary antibiotics for decades.
I don’t believe you have any right to criticize anything Arthur & Teresa Beem have written or said about this fictionalized religion. They are helping folks with vacancy in their souls due to the total deceit of Ellen Gould White’s so-called prophecy. Are you really enthusiastically converted to the most beautiful and holy Faith on the face of the earth? The true Church founded by Our Lord himself and passed down through the Catholic Church for the past 2,000 years? Contemplative prayer and the Holy Rosary may help you rid yourself of the last shreds of that unholy SDA church. And yes, I have to learn to forgive all that has been done to me by that SDA doctor plus the insults I have received by having to go to the 2 Loma Linda hospitals in this area. At the hospitals you are always asked what religion you are even if you are not being admitted. After I say “Catholic” then the problems begin immediately.
Oh come on MaryKay! You quote an SDA doctor who did not treat you well – I could quote many a priest who has disgraced the Catholic church – hardly an argument for or against a church in either case . . .
I was raised between the RCC (Father) & SDA (Mother) seems like Ive always been back and forth, its only been recent (last 4yrs within a journey of 14yrs) that Ive been moved to really study & divide between the 2 & as I look back at SDA falls way short of what it says it represents , thiers the godlike treatment of the Sabbath & its highly exalted /untouchable prophetess Ellen G White her word is bond dispite the few corrrections made on her writings hehe, thier acceptance of abortion which is an abomination to God allowing the sacrife of the unborn has no place amongst Gods people who are they kidding??? But what also made me look toward the True foundation the Roman Catholic Church was thier detailed & most reverent way they celibrate thier Communion Service all they need is insence , just kidding but that made me wonder hmmmmm if its only symbolic they sure go through alot covering thier meal & wearing white gloves yup it gets the white glove treatment, perhaps the Catholic Church is correct today I am convince, it might be odd when I say this but 4 yrs ago I had what could be considered a reaccuring dream every night all night for 5 days needless to say I woke up exausted but felt good strange I know , it was a conversation between God & I where I asked him question on the whys & in those dreams he convince me on the Catholic Church I never looked back but have been studying on the Church & getting all the info I could & know Im more than convinced , God Bless!!!
Better run for the hills Sunday Laws a coming , like the Pope has the need to agitate or harass a small sect let alone persecute them over a day of worship , fact is the Roman Catholic Church celibrates Mass daily including on the Sabbath!!!! Simple fact is like most sects / cults/ protestant / evangelicals the sda church uses scare tatics to keep its members in line especially against Christs established Church. Its a no brainer if you notice back a few yrs ago it was typical for stores & businesses to remain closed on Sunday,today not so, but you dont see the Church going after governments to re-establish Sunday Sacredness, what we do see is the governments attempts at forcing laws upon the Church that violates the Churches moral teachings truth is the RCC is the persecuted Church, generally speaking the world does not really looks towards any denomination for religeous leading or instruction why ??? They lack true authority though they may come up with something meaningful it is obvious when the Pope speaks people listen. Moses the gospel message you understand is the SDA VERSION Go down the street you will find the Baptist version another block a penticostal,methodist & nondenominational all say they have the true gospel message but all different even conflictive as if the HOLY SPIRIT where the author of confusion, sitting back laughing at the mess he has made, fact is even though it varies ,some the Watchtower doctrines are kin to the SDA. The fact is you hate without understanding to be deep into History is to cease to be protestant, do youself a favor & study church history from not just from a selective 24 day seminar learn it from the Church Fathers, I left the SDA Church because it lacked in the end Abortion was a big issue, since the church allows for it, it can not possibly be the commandment keeping church it claims to be , to break one is to bresk all , which brings me to the conclusion ,which is more important to God a day or His creatures , scripture says that the Sabbath was established for the benefit of man & not man for the Sabbath,may the Lord richly bless you !!!!
Anita, I agree with you 100%. I am your age with your exact scenario, dad is a pastor, hubby is Catholic. I too will never convert or quite understand what this dear couple, who are obviously sincere, were thinking when they converted to Catholicism. But if they can live with their SDA knowledge and still follow a completely opposite path, more power to them. I hope they do not come to regret their decision one day.
I am seriously considering either Eastern Orthodoxy or Catholicism. Presently am Episcopelian/Anglican (depending on which country we are in). The idea of an unbroken line of apostolic succession really appeals to me. I already love just a straight liturgy with little or no sermon. Sola Scriptura sucks. It has NEVER created unity, but 33,000 different denominations based on a subjectively attractive reading of the scriptures. SDA’s refinement on that technique is to have a crazy, obviously mentally-ill, brain-damaged woman interpret scripture. To put a spin on objectively false time setting in 1844.
Now THAT is not a good idea!
I have no doubt whatsoever that Eastern Orthodox/Roman C trace their roots straight back to the apostles, and their liturgy is pretty much the same as what came out of the Apostle’s mouths. It has changed, little if at all. I am totally turned off by Bible reading: Its just never-ending fruitless battles, with 50,000 different opinions.
I am done.
My mother was raised Catholic and had some nuns as aunts. After church searching she found truth in the Bible and the church that closest represented that truth, the Seventh Day Adventist. I have been out in the world for 30+ years and feel I was protected by misguided, sincere people who have denounced Truth. I am now very at peace in my life and realize that the biggest stumbling block to any Christian/Religious thinking is believing that people are your example and way to Salvation. Interesting sidenote: I am also an alcoholic and have spent much time in the rooms of AA. A LOT of them say I am _____ and I am a recovering alcoholic and Catholic. Hmmmm
Sparky, You were right on with your comments.
Ellen White encouraged the proceeds of her writings to go to the furthering of the Gospel, not for self gain. If her writings were read a person would know this.
I would not trust any “prophet/ess that would pick and choose scripture either. Very Biblical counsel to be followed. That is why I choose to follow the guidelines from the Bible for verification of a prophet, which Ellen White does indeed meet the qualifications for. The Bible also tells us that there will be prophets, so it was either her or someone else that answered God’s call that would be attacked .
Did you read the ending of my long post? The insults by SDA doctors, dentists and hospitals has just gone on and on. The SDAs even abbreviate my religion as “Cat” instead as others do as “Cath.” The new Loma Linda in Murrieta is even built inside like a cathedral, with extremely high ceilings and columns. The nurses are all in full make-up and are all tall and look like models.
Now there is an SDA commercial on TV here in So. Calif. that mixes the SDA religion with all the great medical work they do. And yes, SDA doctors have done remarkable things. But, your religion is not proclaiming the Gospel, but simply their achievements. SDA efforts cannot hold a candle to all the good priests, brothers and nuns have done in the long centuries behind us.
what religion have your children? are you two religious married?
Taino, your recurring dream was from God himself. I’m happy you are studying the riches in our great treasure house of truth & wisdom. The Holy Spirit is showing you the true path. God be with you always, my sister in Christ.
Mason, as a life-long fourth generation Adventist, I find it deplorable that your views represent a vast majority of the Adventist faithful. It is difficult to realize, and much more so to admit that one has been brainwashed and misled. Being a victim of circular thinking gets one nowhere beyond a starting place, Being enslaved to a “prophet” whose inspiration consists primarily of claiming authorship to pirated material is not an enviable position. I applaud the Beems for their courage to break out of their prison and to emerge with no malice. I can only pray that you and many others may be anointed with the eyesalve of grace toward those perceived as adversaries. In the mean time, I have come to appreciate Catholics as faithful guardians of the faith of Jesus and the apostles. Without them, Christianity would not exist. I see them as true Christian brothers and sisters and as a 1.2 billion soul bulwark against the forces of antichrist militating on the earth.
With amazement I have read
your stories. It’s all about people, mistakes people made, wrongs that you
project on the SDA church. But ask yourself the question: what would Jesus do?
Would He have said the same to the Boy Scout? I don’t think so!! What about all
the thousands of Catholic pastors that sexually abused children – what,
babies!!! All the nuns that got pregnant by the pastors and when the babies
were born they were thrown into pits…. Now do we judge the Lord on these
people? If we do we are the most pitiful people on the face of the earth. What
about
forgiveness, what about the story Jesus writing with his finger in the sand…
I am sorry Teresa that you grew up in America and that you have had such bad
experiences with SDA’s. I
grew up in the Dutch Reformed Church (South Africa) and became a SDA – a copy
of your story but then the other way. Yet it is all about the Bible and the
Bible alone. Your
Bible tells you about the Sabbath and your Bible tells you very clearly in
revelation that Rome is not the place to be. Forget about Ellen White, read the
Bible.
If all fails I always ask myself the question “what did Jesus do?” He
went to the synagogue on Sabbath. He kept the Sabbath – even in the grave. So,
people come and go and come with all their own human interpretations but the
fact remains – what did
Jesus do?
Last week Saturday I walked up the Mountain of Olives, through Gethsemane up
the mountain. When I looked down from the mountain onto the old city, I looked
onto the west wall and from where I was standing I could very clearly see the
temple. It must have been the same spot where Jesus stood when He looked to the
temple and spoke the words that the temple would be destroyed and not a stone
would be left on top of each other. The city was very busy – lots of traffic
and merchandising going on in
the old city. No rest at all… My thoughts went to the scene where Jesus got
angry and chased people out of the temple. Why did He do so?
The people that disappointed Jesus the most were the people around Him. The
ones that betrayed Him were the ones closest to Him. The most pain was caused
by His friends, not His enemies.
Teresa, I can give you a thousand reasons why I should run away from the SDA
church. I can give you thousand reasons why the Catholic Church is not the
place to be. But it’s not about you and me; it’s all about Jesus and His word.
Personally I can’t stand to be in a church where Jesus is still hanging on a cross.
The Jesus I worship has resurrected from the dead and is living – the cross is
empty!!
Think about it!
Just one more thing, what would you believe if you take away all your negative
human experiences? If it’s all about just you and your Bible? If it’s not about Ellen
G. White or the pastors from the past. When Jesus comes I cannot say because of
so and so – then it’s what did I do – did I follow Him, did I keep His
commandments? Remember that we try to keep the commandments because we love
Jesus and not the other way round.
Have you watched videos of
David Asscherick? If not, please do – I am sure that you will enjoy him and see
that there is another side to the story – otherwise I would not stay!!
By the way, why do all the
ex-SDA always keep on groaning and moaning about where day came from? They even have time to spend on making websites about it – please people move along. Stop your bitterness and move on in live. Grow up and get over it!!
Remember, nobody has been successful in undertaking something new by talking about the past all the time.
Louis van Leeuwen
The Netherlands
I am a happy (and well adjusted) member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church. I have never experienced anything like what the Beem’s have presented…but I know these experiences have happened. An Elder in my church told me recently “If this was still the same church I grew up in I doubt we’d have a single member left!” I hope in the thirteen years the Beem’s have been gone that we’ve become a more loving, accepting church than the one they remember. As for theology, we’ll have to agree to disagree. Now, I also know a number of people who have converted from the Catholic church to the SDA and not one of them rants against the Pope or that church, they converted because they looked at theology and concluded that the Adventist faith was closest to the Bible. I have also heard sad stories from these same people about the abuse they’ve received from those they’ve left behind in the “one true church.” Now, to some of what I’ve read, any SDA Pastor who would turn away a bleeding child who is lost is an absolute idiot! Did Jesus not heal on the Sabbath? The Sabbath is a time to replenish our relationship with God and each other. It is also a time to help others…simple as that! It’s not about sitting around on park benches lecturing hurt children about the Sabbath…or monitoring how fast we walk or how hard we toss a football. Sabbath is a gift from God and deserves the utmost respect and that respect includes helping those in need. I do respect the Beem’s decision to leave, that’s never an easy choice…and we each find our path in a different way. Myself, the writings of Ellen G White brought the Bible to life for me. I have never felt closer to God or my fellow Christians than I do in the SDA Church. Amen.
Ken-
Thank you for this heartfelt and honest response. I think that anyone who has grown up in any religious context, surrounded by fellow sinners, can relate more than a few stories when they weren’t treated in a Christlike manner.
As you indicate, sometimes those those mistreatments come as a result of the backing theology, but most of the time, they come from a misreading of that backing theology.
While you and I may agree to disagree on how to interpret the scriptures, I’ll take your approach as a loving brother in Christ praying for unity and seeking the truth over most of what passes for debate on the internet any day. God bless you.
wow! what a journey!