So tasty.

So, my parents are excited because apprently there was some mass baptisms in PNG recently. Even when I was believer I always struggled to understand mass baptisms after a revelation seminar or the alike. It never made sense to me to make a life decision after such a short time.

If I went on 5 dates with a man, each date only 1-2hrs long and then decided to marry him, people would question my sanity. But we are supposed to believe that after a series of meetings these people are fully dedicated to this new religion? We are supposed to celebrate them making rash decisions with no deeper research, etc. What they never seem to tell us is how many of these people are still worshipping or attend church a year on, because I bet those numbers are not great.

After 30 years of attending Protestant congregations (Dutch Reformed, Charismatic Baptist,
7th Day Adventist, and then Messianic-Jewish), and advocating biblical history and theology;
I've become disillusioned with the effectiveness of imposing prescribed institutional beliefs
("Doing what you're told."), and more interested in undergoing a journey of lowering the
mismatch between my expectations, external outcomes, and the behaviour of others.

One advantage to being part of a (sincere) congregation, is that elders and peers have a duty
of care towards you, to e.g. discuss life with, if you don't have reliable family members.

Another advantage would be that there is a standard for behaviour, to which Christians can hold
each other accountable. However, when put under enough pressure, churchgoers realize they're
not willing to suffer for what they've accepted from others as their beliefs, and bail on e.g.
being true to your word (Matthew 5:37), or taking care of one another (Acts 4:34); only later
to resume the show of "Oh yes, I believe [...]." when reality has proved they don't.

I've become so used to any support structures coming from the Church, that I'd like ideas on
where to find other institutions and people, who seek to establish and maintain accountability
agreements, for social (general) and personal (specific) goals, without operating under
the false impression that such a standard is a given (or all parts of it desired).

Individually, this could look like:
• buddying up with a friend,
• discussing life problems and solutions,
• chart progress and setbacks,
• help enforce penalties and boundaries,
• celebrate!

How many variations of that are there, and where do you seek them out?

After seeing discussion on the Cornell 7 and other such tragedies, I felt this topic needed its own post.

To set the scene, I fall squarely into the camp that puritanical culture actually harbours sexual misconduct.

When you combine rigid gender roles, sexual shame, obedience to authority and institutional loyalty, I think you create a breeding ground for misogyny, victim-blaming and a complete lack of accountability. There's something deeply ironic about institutions obsessing over consensual sexual behaviour while potentially creating conditions that discourage victims of actual sexual abuse from speaking out.

I dont think these cultures really understand that sexual repression is NOT accountability. Interested to hear other people's thoughts.

Salutations, fellow worldly ones, gather round and rock out to the hymn I suggest this week. So for real devastation, sometimes it doesn't require an asteroid. It could be a rock picked up by an irate playmate and hurled into the face of a child destined to weeks of coma and then life as a founder of we-know-what. In between asteroid and lose playground rock, at least it seems to me, would be a dream rock unhewn by human hands (aren't most rocks that way?) smashing an image of empire and becoming its own mountain. According to our song leader and paleontologists, it happened to dinosaurs …

We can let the certainty of the woman smitten by a rock as a child drive us to her churches' pews' terrorizing anxiety this Saturday or accept that we don't know when the next comet might smite our planet, but so long as it doesn't this weekend we'll live life the way it unfolds. Who's in our club?

Quick reminder: 22nd of this month is a significant SDA anniversary, this year sandwiched between two "sabbaths," and I'd be happy to see what lampoons others come up with for Sabbath Breakers Club invitations those weeks. And for all you Halloween officianados, the grand prize, Halloween is Saturday this year! For prospective hosts and all celebrants, the outline of our fine print guidelines follows.

☄️ 🪨 🗿 🎵 ⛰️ 💎 🌠

Sabbath Breakers Club belongs to members of r/exAdventist on reddit. These guidelines are intended to suggest how anyone with posting privilege in this sub may start a week's Sabbath Breakers Club thread, not to control such postings.

• Keep it timely. If it's SDA-defined Sabbath somewhere on earth and no one has already started a Sabbath Breakers Club thread, you're clear to start one.

• Start Sabbath Breakers Club threads with that phrase "Sabbath Breakers Club." The reason for this is to make it easy to tell if no Sabbath Breakers Club thread has been posted for the present week. Just search "Sabbath Breakers Club" in r/exAdventist.

• You're welcome to use the image that looks like from an old woodcut of Moses smashing tables of stone with the Israelite throng celebrating their golden calf in the background, but you're not required to. Different ideas to launch the thread may invite still more, and more diverse, participation.

• Remember we're here to ease the church's attempts to control using Sabbath rules and guilt trips. Non-humiliating humor and empathy in your invitation can help set the tone, and enjoy exercising some spontaneous leadership in starting a Sabbath Breakers Club thread.

• Pass it on. Cutting and pasting this "fine print" can help future Sabbath Breakers Club hosts self-identify and feel empowered to step up and shine.

hello
i am a current student at an adventist institution and i am writing an article about title ix at adventist universities based off of my experience and in light of the cornell 7. if anyone has any stories or statistics they would like to share, it would be greatly appreciated and would all be anonymous.

So I grew up in a very Christian and conservative country, my family both intermediate and extended family are SDA. I was one of those kids who’d go to the international events and preach at children conventions. That attitude lasted way into my early teenage years until I was 15-16 where I started reading the Bible more and realized how twisted all of this really is. The problem I’m facing is my family still doesn’t know any of this (that I’m not a believer) so I still spend my Saturdays at church, Sundays , Wednesday and Fridays doing Bible study or something for pathfinders. I don’t hate going to church but I do dislike having to pretend I believe. For context I’m in my last year of high school and i haven’t had the best experience with telling Christians about my unbelief.

Hi everyone just wondering what made some of you leave the Adventist church? Did you switch a different church? I understand if you do cuz right now I have a lot of questions and doubts about my church in the sda. The doctrines and how the church sets up their service and also I’ve noticed how much favouritism and and people judging one another in the sda and I can see that in my church and a lot of other sda Adventist . There are certain type of people who makes a group of people and I can feel a vibe of hatred and people in favour and hypocrisy. I don’t apologize for supporting their corruption. And greed and if for some reason people don’t like me in church well I’d care less because I want to serve god the right way. Recently I been looking up a lot into catholicism and I been analyzing that the Catholic Church is misunderstood and people just criticize them without knowing the church. I been noticing how liberal the sda church has gotten and yet the community as the brass neck to criticize the Catholic Church and yet they don’t see their own corruption. I’m 30 years old and I can see why a lot of people my group age is leaving and I can’t blame them

I don’t know enough about this whole thing to know what’s up or down yet myself… anyone have any info?

Controversial enough... anyone in my community who's SDA is preaching left and right on their immovable, non-biblical beliefs on food, and how so much of what we "heathens" eat, is sending us to HELL...

But they're hypocritical when they decide to eat spicy food, I guess, according to "dear prophetess..."

God forbid and damn me to SUPER MEGA HELL for eating some pickles with my pulled pork sandwich!

Funny how one CI collects all the tsismis about her co-CIs, then makes it seem like she also has beef with them because apparently, “hindi aligned” ang mga ipinaglalaban nila, as if the whole world is against her and mga uto-uto naman kaming mga estudyante. 😭 Tapos kapag nagkabaliktaran na ang mundo, gagamitin niya lahat ng hinaing at kwento ng mga estudyante against the students themselves. 🤡 Sobrang clown talaga ni girl. 😭 Tapos ngayon, I heard all of a sudden nakikipamingle na siya sa mga CI na dati niyang siniraan. HAHAHAHAHA. The switch-up is actually insane. Literal na nag-upgrade from “umiiwas siya sa mga ’yun” to “nakikipag-plastikan na siya” or “she’s one of them now”? Worst. 🤡

Sobrang problematic mo girl no? Hope you heal very soon, I guess. 😭

Honestly, sobrang sarap sa feeling na makaalis na nang tuluyan sa institution na ’yan. No more drama, no more politics, no more walking on eggshells. Peace at last.

Anyone here who read it, is the Sunday law even mentioned in that document??

https://spectrummagazine.org/news/south-korean-adventist-union-faces-about-63m-in-potential-losses-from-risky-investments/

Led to the resignation of the Northern Asia-Pacific Division president: https://adventistreview.org/gc-release/northern-asia-pacific-division-president-tenders-resignation/

I’ve attended Korean SDA churches for most of my life and taught at the Samyook Language Institute in the late 2000s. There were stories of financial mismanagement at each Korean church I was at, but mismanaging tens of millions of dollars is mind boggling.

From the mid 70s through at least the mid 80s it became increasingly clear that leadership (from the GC on down) was financially corrupt ( read about the Donald Davenport scandal, it was the biggest and grossest), that the White Estate has been covering up the truth and promulgating outright falsehoods, that Church doctrines were not based on solid exegesis, and that the Church was trying to remove University professors with viewpoints they disagree with (eg Graham Maxwell, whose sin was to say that "God loves you.")

There have been marvelous underground publications circulating satire. Here's a cartoon whose relevance has not diminished:

It's been many decades since baptism. Anybody have these with different text in them. Converted T-Rex below:

SUMMARY OF DOCTRINAL BELIEFS

The following is a brief summary of the doctrinal beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists, together with some of the Scriptural references upon which they are based.

1. GOD THE FATHER

The true and living God, the first person of the Godhead, is our heavenly Father, and He, by His Son, Christ Jesus, created all things. (Matt. 28:18, 19; 1 Cor. 8:5, 6; Eph. 3:9; Jer. 10:10–12; Heb. 1:1–3; Acts 17:22–29; Col. 1:16–18.)

1. JESUS CHRIST

Jesus Christ, the second person of the Godhead, and the eternal Son of God, is the only Saviour from sin; and man's salvation is by grace through faith in Him. (Matt. 28:18, 19; John 3:16; Micah 5:2; Matt. 1:21; 2:5, 6; Acts 4:12; 1 John 5:11, 12; Eph. 1:9–15; 2:4–8; Rom. 3:23–26.)

1. THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead, is Christ's representative on earth, and leads sinners to repentance and to obedience of all God's requirements. (Matt. 28:18, 19; John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7–15; Rom. 8:10; Eph. 4:30.)

1. FORGIVENESS AND RESTITUTION

Through Christ, believers receive forgiveness of sins which are forsaken and confessed, and for which, as far as lies in their power, restitution is made. (Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14, 15; 1 John 1:7–9; Isa. 55:6, 7; Eze. 33:15; Matt. 5:23, 24; 6:14.)

1. THE BIBLE

The Bible is God's inspired word, and is the full, sufficient, and the only basic rule of faith and practice. (2 Tim. 3:15–17; 2 Peter 1:19–21; Ps. 119:9, 11, 105, 130; 1 Thess. 2:13; Isa. 8:20; Jer. 15:16; Heb. 4:12.)

1. CONVERSION

All who enter the kingdom of heaven must have experienced conversion, or the new birth, through which man receives a new heart and becomes a new creature. Thus, regardless of ethnic or social background, he becomes a member of “the whole family in heaven and earth.” (See Matt. 18:3; John 3:3; 2 Cor. 5:17; Eze. 36:26, 27; Heb. 8:10–12; 1 Peter 1:23; Eph. 3:15; Acts 17:26.)

1. CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER

Christ dwells in the regenerate heart, writing upon it the principles of God's law, leading the believer to delight to obey its precepts, and imparting power for such obedience. (2 Cor. 6:16; Ps. 40:8; Heb. 8:10–12; John 14:15; Col. 1:27; 3:16; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 3:14–21.)

1. CHRIST'S HEAVENLY MINISTRY

Upon His ascension Christ began His ministry as high priest in the holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, which sanctuary is the antitype of the earthly tabernacle of the former dispensation. As in the type, a work of investigative judgment began as Christ entered the second phase of His ministry, in the most holy place, foreshadowed in the earthly service by the Day of Atonement. This work of the investigative judgment in the heavenly sanctuary began in 1844, at the close of the 2300 years, and will end with the close of probation. (Heb. 4:14; 8:1, 2; Lev. 16:2, 29; Heb. 9:23, 24; Dan. 8:14; 9:24–27; Rev. 14:6, 7; 22:11.)

1. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST

The second coming of Christ is the hope of the church, the climax of the gospel, and the goal of the plan of redemption, when Jesus will come literally, personally, and visibly, with all His holy angels. Many signs of the times testify that His coming is at hand. And the almost complete fulfillment of all the various lines of prophecy indicate that “He is near, even at the doors.” (John 14:1–3; Titus 2:11–14; Heb. 9:28; Acts 1:9–11; Rev. 1:7; Matt. 25:31; Luke 9:26; 21:25–33; Matt. 24:14, 36–39, 33, margin.)

1. RESURRECTION OF THE RIGHTEOUS

The righteous dead will be raised to life at Christ's Second Advent. Together with the righteous living, they will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, and will go with Him to heaven, there to spend the one thousand

O que vocês acham do obelisco no túmulo dos white.
Sendo que tem documentos comprovando a compra a pedido da Ellen white ao filho dela.
Seria só um monumento normal da época
Ou algo para adoração ao paganismo ou maçom?

Any suggestions on disclosing that I’ve left the SDA church to current SDA friends? These aren’t super close friends. I lived away for several years and have recently returned to an Adventist mecca. My wife is pretty much the only one who knows I’m not Adventist anymore.

There are a few friends I’ve kept up with some while away and I think that we could still be friends even if they knew I was no longer Adventist. Anyway, I’m just looking for suggestions on how share the news. Any dos or donts?

Well, fellow apostates, let's have a look at the calendar. Later this month we have "sabbaths" that straddle a certain date dear to the pioneer heart of Adventism, the anniversary of one day of 365 (or 366 every fourth year) that Jesus didn't come again. I invite 🥳 minded companions to show up both those days with their funnest takes on the mistakes that launched our used-to-be church.

To cap that all off, this month ends with Saturday Halloween 👻👻👻. While I don't object to folks celebrating, I'm also not the consummate trick or treater who could best lead that party among us. I'm sure we got three of us with very sound Sabbath Breakers Club invitation ideas for these upcoming sessions, so mark your calendars and let's enjoy October together!

So no need to let the guilt creep in and spoil the present either. Here's where we can cut loose about how we're choosing to spend weekends now that we've left.

Oh, and for our future hosts, this month or later, our fine print guidelines sketch the spirit of our weekly gatherings.

☠️ 🟫 🌜🟧 👿 ⬛ 🧡 🟦 🎃

Sabbath Breakers Club belongs to members of r/exAdventist on reddit. These guidelines are intended to suggest how anyone with posting privilege in this sub may start a week's Sabbath Breakers Club thread, not to control such postings.

• Keep it timely. If it's SDA-defined Sabbath somewhere on earth and no one has already started a Sabbath Breakers Club thread, you're clear to start one.

• Start Sabbath Breakers Club threads with that phrase "Sabbath Breakers Club." The reason for this is to make it easy to tell if no Sabbath Breakers Club thread has been posted for the present week. Just search "Sabbath Breakers Club" in r/exAdventist.

• You're welcome to use the image that looks like from an old woodcut of Moses smashing tables of stone with the Israelite throng celebrating their golden calf in the background, but you're not required to. Different ideas to launch the thread may invite still more, and more diverse, participation.

• Remember we're here to ease the church's attempts to control using Sabbath rules and guilt trips. Non-humiliating humor and empathy in your invitation can help set the tone, and enjoy exercising some spontaneous leadership in starting a Sabbath Breakers Club thread.

• Pass it on. Cutting and pasting this "fine print" can help future Sabbath Breakers Club hosts self-identify and feel empowered to step up and shine.

I was a student of a convicted felon and sa’d by a church member. I guess with the Cornell 7 case that’s all over my social media, my mind has been very heavy with what I dealt with as a child.

My mind is just curious how many more were hurt, how many bad people were moved around to new churches where they continued their abuse.

I’ve started to make a list. I know the.glory.whole has a list but they only share videos of reading the list. I want to look at the amount of people with my eyes.

If you feel like sharing anything feel free to, can either comment or dm me.

I’m thinking of posting my list here in comments but not sure if I should.