Seventh-day Adventist Q&A

[sheltiez]

Hello, everyone! I am a Seventh-day Adventist and love it! If you have any questions about the church, SDA doctrine, Ellen White, or anything else related to us, feel free to ask it here.

[John Chrysostom]

What can you tell me about Ellen White and how the Seventh Day Adventist view her?

How often do you take communion? And is it only a symbol or more?

Can you explain the doctrine of Investigative judgment?

Can you talk about your holistic approach to living especially as it relates to diet?

Do you confess any Creeds?

Do you practice infant or believer baptism?

[Vic]

What is your opinion of Jesus Christ?

[Christian A.]

Is meeting on Saturdays rather than Sundays necessary for salvation? Is God more pleased with those who congregate on Saturdays?

[sheltiez]

Wow! Lots of questions!

What can you tell me about Ellen White and how the Seventh Day Adventist view her?

How often do you take communion? And is it only a symbol or more?

Can you explain the doctrine of Investigative judgment?

Can you talk about your holistic approach to living especially as it relates to diet?

Do you confess any Creeds?

Do you practice infant or believer baptism?

I could go on for hours about Ellen White, but basically we believe she was a prophetess of God. Could you maybe be more specific about what you want to know about her?

Communion is taken every 13th Sabbath. It is a symbol of Jesus' body and blood.

Basically, the investigative judgment is the doctrine that Jesus is acting as our high priest in the heavenly sanctuary and has entered the Most Holy Place to cleanse it, as did the earthly high priest on the Day of Atonement. I know it sounds kind of weird, but Jesus is going through every person living or dead and is making them as His or not His. Can someone ask Jesus to forgive their sins and then go on living sinfully? No. If they did, they are not really a Christian. Jesus marks those who truly in their hearts believe Him as his and those who just say it without it having any meaning as the ones he will say, "I never knew you". This is much more complicated than that, but that's the basics of it.

The health message is an important part of church doctrine, sadly some do not follow it anymore. Once again, I could go on for hours, but the health message is from one of Ellen White's visions and verses in the Bible that agree with it. Our diet is to be primarily fruit, vegetables, grains, and nuts. No snacking or meals late at night. Two large or three small meals a day, whichever one works for you. Limited sugar and salt, but they are still to be used. Other parts of the health reform are lots of exercise outdoors, letting the light and fresh air into the house, and our holistic approaches to healing the sick such as through diet, exercise, water therapy, and message. Science is on our side too as Adventists live six to eight years longer than others. Loma Linda, a city in California that is almost 100% Adventist, is the only blue zone in America. That means that it is the one area where the life expectancy is over 90. Most Adventists live to be 98, 99, or even 100. I knew one Adventist woman who lived to be 92.

I don't think we profess any creeds and believer baptism only. We do dedicate our babies though.

Our opinion of Jesus Christ is that He is fully God and fully human and that He died for the sins of the world and is our Savior. We believe He is coming soon to save the world and end sin.

Meeting on Saturdays (which we call Sabbath) is not a part of salvation. We believe that there are true sincere Christians in every denomination. We do it because God said to and never said not to. Constantine changed the day from Sabbath to Sunday, so that's why other Christians go to church on Sunday. Well, I think that's it for now. Keep the questions coming!

[John Chrysostom]

You believe Ellen White is a prophetess of God. Would that mean her teachings are equal to the Apostle's teachings? Also have there been any other authoritative teachers like Ellen White in the history of the Church?

So with investigative judgement does that mean that we could have already been judged since Christ has already entered the Most Holy Place?

What is your churches view on the Nicene Creed?

[sheltiez]

No, her teachings are not equal with the Bible. The Bible is above all else and is the final word on all doctrine. There have been others like her. The one that comes to mind is William Foy who was another early Adventist.
No, final judgment is on Judgment Day when Christ returns.
I looked at the creed and everything in it agrees with the church. No one ever talks of the creeds so I do not know if the church even has an offical opinion on them.

I also wanted to say how impressed I am that you guys know so much about who we are already. Usually when I say I'm an Adventist, this is the conversation:

"Oh, your the people who go door-to-door."
"No, that's Jehovah's Witness."
"Oh, then your the people on bicycles."
"No, that's the Mormons."
"Then your the doomsday people."
"No, that's Harold Camping."

[John Chrysostom]

As far as the Nicene Creed could you comment on how Adventist would view the line "I believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church." I am always interested in how different denominations view this line and also their view of Church history.

On the issue of Church history would you say that Ellen White's teachings reflect a fullness of doctrine that was not present in the Early Church?

Also could there be prophets in the future who would again add to the doctrines of the Church?

wow, I would never want to be confused with Harold Camping

[Vic]

Do you believe in predestination? And do you have a confession of sins in your worship service?

[sheltiez]

With the Nicene Creed, I think that Adventists would be perfectly fine with it. I'm guessing that you are directing my attention to the word catholic. What does catholic mean? I looked it up in the diccionary and it means universal, one, whole. That phrase now says "I believe in one, holy, universal, and apostolic church." We do believe in one church, so it is fine.

I thought the early church did have fullness of doctrine?

Yes, there could be prophets in the future. GOd still uses the gift of prophecy. Plus, we believe in a progressive light. Studying the Scripture might show something new again. It's all up to God.

No, we do not believe in predestination. We believe it is a choice: God or evil.

What exactly do you mean by confession of sins in services? We believe that that is between you and God.

[John Chrysostom]

I thought the early church did have fullness of doctrine?

That's what I was wondering, however the idea of progressive light seems to say it didn't have all the correct doctrines if Ellen White was needed. Could you maybe expand on the idea of progressive light and explain some of the supports for this doctrine? For example, where do you see the idea of progressive light in the early Church? And how do Adventist view denominations that came before them given their belief in continuing revelation of essential doctrines?

[Astronomer]

What is the reason for the name 'Seventh-Day Adventists'?

[sheltiez]

The Adventist movement has been compared to a "back to the basics" kind of thing: Going back to the doctrines of the early church. As for Ellen white being needed, she said herself that she would not be needed if we read our Bibles closely enough and sought God with all of our hearts. Everything that she said or wrote is in the Bible. If you look at her books, she references the Bible everywhere.
The idea of progressive light is that we have strayed away ffrom our rootsand we have slowly come back to them. OUr view of how the light has progressed is this: it started with the Protestant Reformation which was the first step back to our roots, then Anglicanism, then Methodism, then Adventism. Does that explain it?

"Seventh-day Adventists" comes from our two basic doctrines that differentiate us from others. We proclaim Christ's second coming, or second advent, as being in the very near future and it is a focus in the church. We believe very differently about Revolation that others and we preach it. We started being called "Adventist" because of this. The 7th day part is because we keep the Sabbath on the Biblical 7th day. Thus, you get "Seventh-day Adventist Church".

[Dr. Watson]

Do you believe Ellen G. White contradicted the Bible in any way?

[John Chrysostom]

At what point in time do you think the Church strayed from it's roots? Are there any writings from the Early Church before this straying?

What from Anglicanism do you see in Adventism?

On the Protestant Reformation are there any of the reformers you identify more closely with than others? Generally but also specifically as it relates to communion just being a symbol.

[sheltiez]

No, I do not believe Ellen White contradicted the Bible ever.

I think the straying started in A.D. 312 when Constitine adopted Christianity. He caused many pagan rituals and beliefs to come into the church. Obviously, there are many writings from the early church before the year 312.

Many years have past since Anglicanism was the "new light". Doctrine has been changed and changed again since then as the Bible was studied. Some of the things that have been carried down from them are the doctrines of the Trinity, the Bible, free will, baptism, and communion among many other things.

I don't think we could choose one reformer that we agree with more than others.

[John Chrysostom]

What are some of the pagan rituals and beliefs Constantine brought into the Church?

How does the new light decide what to keep and what to reject from the old light?

[American Eagle]

sheltiez, you deserve a lot of credit for knowing your beliefs and expressing them in a civil manner. I once tried to witness to a lady who turned out to be a Seventh-day Adventist, and she in turn said I wasn't saved because I didn't observe the Sabbath. She said no one can be saved who fails to actively do so.

I'm curious. Do you do anything work-related on Saturday? I'm thinking of the man from Numbers 15:32-36 who was stoned for collecting sticks on the Sabbath. If your family member was caught collecting wood for a fire, or fixing a broken pipe, or sweeping the kitchen floor, do you think they deserve death? Why or why not? Have times changed?

If you don't have time to reply anymore, don't worry about it. Just wondering.

[sheltiez]

Ayn Rand, you are really making me think with your questions. Constitine brought in things such as "changing" the Sabbath to Sunday so the Sun worshippers would feel more at home and would join the Christians, putting Christian events such as Christ's birth and reserrection to pagan feasts and still celebrating them with pagan traditions (these are now what we now as Easter, which was originally a feast to the godess of fertility, and Christmas, which was a feast to the god, Thor), and rituals such as chanting, "holy water", and prayers for the dead.
Only through God does the new light show what to keep and what to reject as revealed in the Bible.
Thank you, Joker. That was very nice for you to say. I know the type of Adventists you mentioned. They are not real Adventists, but ones who think that they are saved because of what they do. They do not truly know God. It's very sad to see.
Adventists are not strict like ultra-Orthodox Jews, but we do still keep the Sabbath. We do things like spend time with friends and family, maybe go to a nursing home to visit the people, or go for a walk or hike out in nature. We can do things, but the day is dedicated to God and everything is about Him that day. I love the Sabbath because it is a day to be with God and to forget the worries of the world. It is a day to relax and even cetch up on some sleep if needed. I do not think someone deserves death for doing those things you mentioned, but they should wait until that night or Sunday to do them. They do not deserve death becuase Jesus has already died for all of thier sins, so death because of a pipe is not neccisary. I will always be ready to answer anny questions anyone has, so do not hesitate to ask!

[John Chrysostom]

Do Seventh-day Adventist not celebrate Easter and Christmas then?

If God is showing through the new light the proper reading of the Bible what is the need for a newer light? i.e how did the new light of the Reformation get it wrong leading to the need for the new light of Anglicanism?

And what would you say about Jude 1:3? "Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints."