"The Adventists" - Program on Public TV right now....

by ziddina 37 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • steve2
    steve2

    Thanks Barry for bringing such helpful perspective to the discussion. The additional information about trends in the religion is very interesting. I may have said so in earlier threads, but my closest childhood friend was a SDA, although he later left. He was such a sensible, reasonable man and I used to enjoy my chats with him. I learnt a lot from him but most of all, his humility shone through (despite having a witch for a mother - but that's another story!)

    Ziddina, I think how rebuking is done may vary from place to place among SDAs. Locally, I know a SDA man who started up his own house group and refused to comply with requests that he not proslytize among members of the SDA. He was rebuked within the church on a number of occasions (so his family informed him). But the overall impression I got was the local SDAs were "all over the place" about what to do, but the body representing the SDA church in New Zealand were more clear cut: He was to be "de-frocked" with loss of his role within the church.

    One overall conclusion I have come to about the SDAs is they struggle to have consensus about what to do when there are dissenting views and it ends up looking very murky and equivocal. I got that very same impression from listening to the admittedly well-reasoned video above: It's a little bit like, if you have the gift of the gab, you can end up talking yourself into anything - and yet it still doesn't sound right (if that makes sense).

    The tension within the SDAs is not unlike the tension among different groups within the Episcopalian/Anglican and Presbyterian churches.

  • barry
    barry

    Gday Zidinna and Steve,

    I was a bit confused about the reference to sinning when the good professors main thrust of his talk was apostasy.

    Willful sins such as breaking the commandments are delt with by talking to the pastor or in very bad cases a person may be disfellowshiped until they are repentant. Of course we all sin everyday.

    Apostasy is different it only amounts to a difference of opinion. My opinions may be closer to the evangelical end of the spectrum and I would be regarded as apostate to someone from the traditional sector and visa versa. A pastor in the church has to be more carefull as he is paid by the church he may be fired if he was to upset people with his personal opinions. It has been said a pastor can beleive anything and as long as he doesn't upset people but if he was to question 1844 and the investigative judgement [an Adventist fundamental teaching] he would be fired.

    An ordinary parishioner such as myself can take issue with something you may dissagree on at church or in a bible study without any consequence I have done it many times. We go to the Anglican churrch now and I just hope they are the same.

    Of course shunning doesn't exist in the SDAs.

    Barry

  • Heaven
    Heaven

    Obedience to these laws means abstinence from pork, shellfish, and other foods proscribed as "unclean".

    Well that settles it. I could never be an Adventist. "I'm out!"

    Interesting how food seems to enter into some of these ideals...

  • designs
    designs

    My daughter's MIL was raised SDA and left for similar reasons many young JW people leave- being considered odd with religious practices, shunning.

  • barry
    barry

    gday designs, The SDAs don't shun, beleive me. I have never seen it happen. Barry

  • designs
    designs

    That may be but according to the MIL her family was shunned by the local SDA church so ?

  • barry
    barry

    Gday Designs, There are differences in SDA policy from one congeration to another so you could be right but I can say there is no official poIicy on shunning. Barry

  • barry
    barry

    Heaven , I love prawns shelfish and crabs and have never been a vegetarian. Barry

Share this

Google+
Pinterest
Reddit