Why I left the Adventist Church after 37 years. By Robert K. Sanders, founder of Truth and Fables (in French Vérité et fables). In the following text, Robert describes how he uncovers the truth about the doctrinal fallacies of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Once his beliefs were solidified, he signed his letter of resignation and left the denomination. It was later that he realized that even the Sabbath was no longer a law for the Christian born again in Christ Jesus.
The original of this testimony is available in English at: http://www.truthorfables.com/My_Testimony.htm. This translation is of Amour de Christ from 'Children of Paradise' on www.amourdechrist.canalblog.com.
We hope you enjoy reading it and God bless you. My wife and I were baptized at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Decatur, 1958. After correspondence courses in 'Voice Prophecy Bible' and a series of studies with an Adventist pastor, I became a representative of the foundation ' Christian Record Braille Foundation ', which is an Adventist work for the blind. I left the foundation in 1962 because I no longer wanted to be satisfied with seeing my family only on weekends. I then worked for Purdue University for 31 years and retired in 1994. I was employed as a Technical Assistant for Aeronautics and Nuclear Engineering.
Why I left the Adventist Church:
I was the third generation of Adventists before I left it. Those who leave any church do so for several reasons. Many give up for human reasons such as emotional wounds caused by other members, others because of pressure from parents and loved ones, others because of doctrine. My wife and I left for the latter. We could no longer be true with the Word of God and accept the biblical contradictions of Ellen G. White.
I was an Adventist for 37 years. Until 1994 (withdrawal date), I was an Elder, Sabbath School teacher, builder manager, etc. I volunteered for the Indiana Conference and held a conference on 'How to Conduct Bible Studies'. I have taught several people who have been baptized into the church. My son and my grandsons went to Adventist schools. I am sharing this information
with you so that you will understand how familiar I am with Adventist beliefs. I was deeply convinced that I was in the true 'surviving church'. We had 'The Spirit of Prophecy' and 'The Testimony of Jesus' which are taken from the writings of Ellen G. White (EGW). With these elements, I assimilated the biblical interpretation of EGW. After all, I thought to myself that she was a prophetess of God in the church of the last days. It was around 1985 that I began to question EGW's works. I was told that she had only had elementary grade school and that her excellent books were from God, that her teachings were inspired just like those of the prophets of the Bible.
In 1985, I learned of the plagiarism of Ellen G. White from Adventist pastor Walter Rea. In his book The White Lie, Rea showed that EGW had used the works of little-known authors and given them no respect, while EGW claimed that his works were shown to him by an angel or the throne of God. With these words EGW was a liar who never publicly repented of her sins. Not long before, Adventist pastor Dr. Desmond Ford had demonstrated that Ellen's sanctuary and investigative judgment doctrine was unfounded. Most Adventist scholars agree with Ford that there is nothing biblical about it. No non-Adventist Bible scholar has been able to find a biblical basis for EGW sanctuary doctrine.
This prompted me to research to see if EGW's teachings were truly compatible with the Bible and history. I realized that EGW often contradicted the Bible and history, which I found unacceptable. I realized that EGW was wrong on the redemption date. She had predicted October 22, 1844 and the effective date of redemption according to history was September 23, 1844. I even realized that the redemption was complete at Calvary and did not begin in 1844 with the Judgment of 'Investigation.
Because of EGW's unbiblical teachings, I stopped believing the Adventist Church as the true church of God on earth. Concretely, the Bible does not specifically designate a denomination as the true church or as the surviving church. I remembered that Jesus and the apostles warned Christians against false prophets.
It was disappointing that EGW and Adventist leaders had led me astray with their claims of owning 'the truth'. After all, I now rejoice to be detached from the unbiblical baggage of Ellen G White. I found it difficult to deal with the biblical contradictions of EGW in the Sabbath Schools where I taught. Some could quote it as they would the Bible, without any allusion to the obvious biblical contradictions in its doctrine. Here's an example: A classmate might say that 'children and saints will have wings in the resurrection'. And then I could say, 'the Bible says we'll have Christlike bodies and I don't see where in the Bible it talks about the wings.' They could also quote EGW saying, 'We cannot say that we are saved'.
The pastor continually cited EGW in his sermons as an authority with the Bible and mixed EGW's writings with biblical writings. Sometimes he would quote Ellen without specifying her name as the source. An example: 'Peter pushed Mary Magdalene into sin'. After the service, I could ask, 'Can you elaborate on the biblical proofs of what you said?' And I couldn't get an answer. Gradually, I couldn't bear to sit in church and listen to the Word of God associated with the myths of Ellen G. White. In fact, it was after two years of leaving the Adventist Church that I really understood the clear difference between the Bible and the writings of EGW. During this time my wife might ask me at times, 'Is this teaching from Ellen G. White or from the Bible?
I lived my last Sabbath in October 1994. The denomination was celebrating the 150th anniversary of the prophetic Sanctuary fiasco of October 23, 1844. On this occasion, the local church invited an Adventist pastor to give a sermon on the Sanctuary. He dressed in the robe of a High Priest, and a great model of a sanctuary was built on a table. I looked inside the Sanctuary after Sabbath School and wondered why was I going to sit and listen for over an hour to all this trash? I left the church and went away, so as not to undergo further indoctrination.
So I realized that staying to listen would be like sitting in a room of Jehovah's Witnesses or in a Mormon cult. I have only returned there twice as a tribute to the funeral. I am my Brother's Guardian and cannot see anyone go astray without being able to help them. This is the sole purpose of the Truth and Fables site. The information is available if you want to find it. Do not be afraid to confront Adventist teachings with the Word of God. If I could be of any assistance to you, please feel free to ask me questions. So after being a member of the Adventist Church for 37 years (ministering as an Elder, Sabbath School teacher, etc.), I decided to retire. Revelation 19:10 tells us that 'the testimony of Jesus' is “the spirit of prophecy”. According to the Bible, neither Ellen G. White nor her writings are “the Spirit of Prophecy”.
“The Spirit of Prophecy” is the name the Adventist Church has given EGW; it is not from God. Think about it, if what Adventists say were true, it would mean that for 2,000 years, that is, before the founding of the Adventist Church in the 1860s, there was no true church, and readers of this period must not have understood their Bibles; even as Jesus had promised the Holy Spirit to lead them into all truth (John 16:13). I'm sure you can't believe the Spirit of prophecy waited until Ellen White was born to manifest. 1Thessalonians 5:21 tells us to judge all things and I invite you to do so. even as Jesus had promised the Holy Spirit to lead them into all truth (John 16:13).
I'm sure you can't believe the Spirit of prophecy waited until Ellen White was born to manifest. 1Thessalonians 5:21 tells us to judge all things and I invite you to do so. even as Jesus had promised the Holy Spirit to lead them into all truth (John 16:13). I'm sure you can't believe the Spirit of prophecy waited until Ellen White was born to manifest. 1Thessalonians 5:21 tells us to judge all things and I invite you to do so.
My letter of resignation.
November 07, 1994.
Please notify the church executive that I would like to withdraw from the Lafayette Seventh-day Adventist Church. I no longer agree with Adventist doctrines. Some points of disagreement:
The surviving church: I do not believe that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is the only remnant of God's people. The people of God that endure to this day, as in ages past, are all who worship them in spirit and in truth, regardless of denomination.
The Spirit of Prophecy: I do not believe that Ellen G. White was a prophetess, nor even that her writings are “the Spirit of Prophecy” because they contradict the scriptures.
The Sanctuary doctrine that Christ began His work of Investigative Judgment in 1844. I believe that when He ascended into Heaven He sat at the right hand of His Father in the Most Holy Place and that His mediation in our favor started at that time.
The Judgment of Investigation of 1844. I don't believe this judgment is biblical. According to Paul, the Saints of Hebrews 11 were already assured of salvation nearly 2000 years before 1844. For example, God presents Abel as a 'righteous man' and did not wait until 1844 to justify him.
The tithe: In the Bible, the tithe was used to support the Priests and the Levites. I believe that there are no Priests or Levites in the Adventist church, and nowhere in the Bible do I see an example of a Christian church that supports ministry by tithe. I would like to receive a letter from you confirming that my name has been removed from the Adventist Church register.
My best Christian wishes to each of you. Robert K. Sanders. I received a letter dated December 23, 1994 from Pastor Forss stating that I was 'kicked out' and that my membership was withdrawn. Note: I have received emails asking why I did not mention the Sabbath in my letter of resignation.
Here is the answer: At that time I still observed the Sabbath. It was ten years later that I gave up the Sabbath. I discovered that on this point, I had also been abused. The Sabbath was a law for Israel in the old covenant and ended at Calvary. There is no obligation in the New Testament that orders the observance of the Sabbath. Sources: http://www.truthorfables.com/My_Testimony.htm
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