Name : Kim
Date : 09.12.04
City : Sydney
Country : Australia
Message : Hey Ed, Whilst searching the net for some info for an assignment that I'm doing, I came across what you wrote concerning what an adventist sent to you. I read your comments and I'm saddened by ywhat you wrote concerning the Bible. Throughout history people have died for the Bible and what it stands for, currently there are people that are persecuted for beliveing in God. This isn't because all these people think that it's fun to be different from the rest of the world, but because within the world, a loving God is revealed. I won't go through point by point an rebuff what you wrote, all I simply ask is that you repsect others. You don't have to believe in what I believe in as an SDA, but all that I think a lot of people in this world as is respect for who we are. I hope that you are searching for truth in this world, and that in your journey of life you live with a beautiful peace. KimDear Kim,
Thanks for writing, I also wish you the best in your own search. I am not sure which of my pieces may have elicited your response, but I know I have replied before to people who point out that Christians are persecuted. Persecution is a ubiquitious phenomenon, as is "dying for a cause." People have suffered at the hands of other people (regardless of the relative sizes of their hearts and minds) over more political and religious squabbles than anyone can possibly count. Of course, if Christians don't want persecution, why be so insistent about dropping Bibles from planes or smuggling them into countries or dragging your wife and kids along with you to lands were it remains perilous to try and seek converts? You can't have your cake of seeking to actively spread your beliefs in perilous lands, and also eat it, by complaining how "persecuted" you are.
Even more importantly, martyrdom does not prove the truthfulness of anyone's beliefs, and the Christian church itself has martyred, or actively tried to hinder and inhibit "unorthodox" believers from spreading their beliefs, ever since Constantine's day. Later, during the Reformation, John Calvin prosecuted Servetus, and even tossed out everyone but Calvinists from Geneva. Then there's Luther's prononcements against the Anabaptists, and against the Jews, and against the Catholic church and lending his rhetorical skills and plans for changing all churches into Lutheran ones via political decree of the rulers that Luther and his beliefs were able to influence. Later, even the followers of Protestantism couldn't get along with one another, Lutherans rioted against Calvinists in some places in Germany after Calvinism had begun moving into Luther's homeland. In fact, laws against "blasphemy" and against profaning "The Sabbath" were still in effect not too long ago even in America. One of the last blasphemy trials in America was held around 1912, though the "blasphemer" in that case was allowed to go free. So as I said, religious persecution proves nothing. The religious have been persecuting unorthodox versions of their own religion, or persecuting those of other religions, or no religion, for millennian, and will probably continue to do so for millennia to come, what with "God" being in the balance according to them, and that includes breaking up their own families over differing religious views.
As for Seventh-Day Adventist beliefs, maybe you should consider getting a hold of a book titled, THE WHITE LIE, to discover out what a plaigarist the Seventh-Day Adventist "prophet," Ellen G. White was. Prophetic inspired utterances? Hardly. Simple plaigarism. I also read in the news about ten years ago, about how some Adventist missionaries in Africa, who couldn't swim, tried walking on water in a river. They got out of a boat in the middle of a river, and drowned. And it was more than one SDA minister who got out of the boat and drowned! I have the newspaper piece on file at home. Just an interesting piece in the news that I had read, I'm not saying that you or anyone in your particular church would try such a stunt.
Best, Ed
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