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Table of Contents
- All quotes of Ellen White in video
are from official sources. False. Some quotes just don't exist at
all, or don't exist in the form portrayed on the video.
- Adventism is based around the
teachings and philosophies of Ellen White. False. Most
Seventh-day Adventist doctrines had been
discovered in the Bible and accepted before she wrote them out.
- Ellen White was the founder of the Adventist Church. She was not the sole founder.
- William Miller was a powerful
preacher. Oversimplification. Miller was a Baptist preacher, and but one of 200
preachers and 500 lecturers from many denominations all preaching
about the same thing.
- Miller taught that Christ would
return in 1843. Oversimplification. His major point of difference with the theology of
the times was not the date, but his conviction that Christ would come
visibly and literally before the millennium instead of after.
- Miller taught that Christ would
return on October 22, 1844. False. As of October 21, he had not
yet accepted the date of October 22, much less taught it.
- October 22 was not the Day of
Atonement in 1844 False. Biblically speaking, it was the Day of Atonement
for that year.
- Miller's meetings were marked by
emotionalism and hysteria. False. Miller and his associates suppressed
all such things.
- Picture depicts radical fanaticism
of Miller's meetings. False. Picture is actually of a critic's
description of a post-1844 meeting that Miller was not present at.
- When Christ did not return, Ellen
White said she was in a "hopeless condition for months."
She said no such thing.
- Ellen White was depressed when
Christ did not return on October 22. False. The record indicates that she
was not.
- Ellen White could not admit her
mistake of expecting Christ to return in 1843 or 1844. False. She first
admitted what she thought was a mistake, and then admitted that she
had made a mistake in identifying the wrong mistake.
- Miller admitted his mistake of
expecting Christ to return in 1843 or 1844. Oversimplification. He did not admit a
mistake in his interpretations of the prophecies. Rather, he thought
there must be a mistake in the chronologies used by historians, which
might throw his calculations off a little.
- Ellen White's first vision said
that the 1843 chart should not be altered. False. Her first vision was in
December 1844. This one was on September 23, 1850.
- Ellen White claimed God hid the
mistake. Bad quotation. The last clause that was omitted explains
that her words meant that God was not revealing the mistake to the
people, rather than hiding it.
- Ellen White claimed God had made
the mistake. False. She made no such claim.
- Ellen White's vision was
controversial. False. There was nothing controversial about it.
- Ellen White's vision forced
readjustment of many Adventist dates and doctrines. False. Many dates and
doctrines were not readjusted as the result of either her first vision
or the vision of 1850.
- Ellen White's vision readjusted
the 1843 date to 1844. False. It was already readjusted months before she
had her first vision.
- The 1844 date was still an error.
Cannot be presently proven. No better interpretation of the prophecies in question has ever been
found.
- Ellen White became the absolute
authority figure. False. She never has been the absolute authority
figure.
- Her writings grew to be
seventeen times larger than the Bible. So? Luther, Wesley,
and Spurgeon wrote a lot too.
- Adventists view her writings as
inspired as the Bible. So? Adventists believe in degrees of authority,
but not in degrees of inspiration. One prophet is not more inspired
than another, but the prophets of the Bible have the final say.
- Church publications use her
writings as the last word on doctrine. False. The Bible is the last word.
- Twenty-seven Fundamental beliefs
say that the Bible is a source of authority. False. They state
that the Bible is the source of authority.
- Ellen White's writings are an
authoritative source of truth. So? The Adventist quote referred to ends
by saying that the Bible is to be the standard by which
Ellen White's writings are tested.
- Some of Ellen White's writings are
unavailable, locked in a vault. False. All published writings are
available on CD-ROM. Unpublished writings are available at 15
locations, and are only locked away after hours.
- Her more embarrassing writings are
unavailable. Oversimplification. What makes them embarrassing is that sometimes she
had to rebuke people's problems, like adultery.
- She claimed an angel stood by her
bed. So? Angels came to visit Bible writers too.
- History shows that Ellen White's
prophecies did not come true. Not one sound, clear-cut example is given.
- She said Jerusalem would never be
built up. The phrase "built up" had a different meaning
at times back then.
- Ellen White said she would be
alive and would be caught up in the air to meet Jesus. This
undermines faith in the Bible, for the apostle
Paul said the same thing.
- She said the second coming was
only months away. False. She said no such thing.
- At a conference in
1856, she said that some present would be food for
worms and that some would be alive when Jesus came.
Oversimplification. The video omits an immediate fulfillment in which
a woman actually present at the conference was impressed that she
would "food for worms." She was dead within three
days.
- Ellen White would have been stoned
in Bible times for being a false prophet. Then so would the
biblical prophets Jonah and
Huldah. Some prophecies are conditional, as Jeremiah tells us.
- She predicted the downfall of the
United States. False. She predicted defeat if certain
conditions didn't change.
- She made false predictions during
the Civil War. This quotation from Ellen White has been rearranged.
- Ellen White predicted England
would declare war on the United States. False. She never said England would
declare war.
- She predicted world war during the
Civil War. False. She never said there would be world war
at that time.
- Ellen White predicted the humbling
of the United States in defeat. False. She predicted the nation's
humbling, which came to pass, but she never said the nation would be
defeated.
- She claimed to travel to other
planets in vision. So? John, Ezekiel, and Paul as well tell us
about their supernatural journeys in the Bible.
- Ellen White said animals and
people crossed sexually. False. She said no such thing.
- The picture indicates that Ellen
White believed that the crossing of people and animals
produced the black race. Ellen White never said if she was talking
about Blacks, Whites, or Asians.
There is no basis for the use of such a picture.
- Her visions are unbiblical.
This begs the question, for not one unbiblical aspect of her visions
has been shown.
- Adventists say her writings are as
inspired as the Bible. This straw man is answered already under
#23.
The Documentation Package's documentation for this point makes it
clear that Adventists believe the Bible is the final authority, not
Ellen White.
- The investigative judgment
doctrine was a reinterpretation. Not really, for Miller had been
teaching for over a decade prior to 1844 that the judgment was about
to begin.
- Miller's prediction of October 22,
1844, failed. As mentioned under #6, Miller
didn't make this prediction or even accept it. As far as his
calculations go, his most learned opponents, like Dr. George Bush,
could find no fault in them, and the greatest scholars of several
centuries had come to similar conclusions.
- Adventists believed that the door
of mercy was shut on October 22. It's not hard to see why they
believed this for a short time.
- Adventists believed that the door
of mercy was shut on October 22. Peter and the apostles thought
the door of mercy was closed to the Gentiles. Should we reject them as
being part of a cult?
- With prophetic authority Ellen
White supported the shut-door-of-mercy doctrine. False. She never did.
- Her first vision taught the
shut-door-of-mercy doctrine. False. Her first vision taught that there
would have to be a lot of evangelism yet before Christ returned.
- The preface to the reprinting of
her first vision said there was no change in idea or sentiment. It
said no such thing. Instead, the preface said that a portion was left
out.
- The other shut-door-of-mercy
passages were dropped after 1851. False. There were no other shut-door
passages.
- The other shut-door-of-mercy
passages were reinterpreted after 1851. False. Besides there being no other shut-door passages, the
"reinterpretations" came well
before 1851.
- Adventists never admitted their
error regarding expecting Jesus to come in 1844. False. Adventists freely
admitted their error.
- Ellen White immediately put God's
endorsement on Edson and Crosier's conclusions.
Oversimplification. She put God's
endorsement on their conclusions before she had heard about them.
- All doctrines were soon
adjusted to fit the cleansing of the sanctuary and the investigative
judgment doctrines. The
doctrines identified do not fit this description.
- The shut door was opened.
Oversimplification. As
in the apostolic church, God opened the door of opportunity to reach
others with the truths of His Word. This had nothing to do with the
cleansing of the sanctuary and the investigative judgment doctrines.
- Soul sleep was introduced because
of the investigative judgment doctrine. False. Soul sleep was introduced before
October 22, 1844, while the investigative judgment was formulated
afterwards.
- The prophecies of Daniel and
Revelation were reinterpreted to fit the investigative judgment.
The basic interpretations of Daniel and Revelation were already worked
out before Edson and Crosier published their findings on the cleansing
of the sanctuary in 1846, and before the doctrine of the investigative
judgment was crystallized in 1857.
- It was a time of doctrinal
reversal. Neither the video nor its documentation provides
evidence that that time was characterized by doctrinal reversal.
- The idea that an angel is
recording everything we do, and that we will be judged by
such a record, is harsh. But that's what the Bible clearly teaches
in Matthew, Revelation, Daniel, and Ecclesiastes.
- Ellen White taught that we would
be judged for trying to have some leisure time. False. She taught
that we must have leisure time in order to be balanced people.
- The investigative judgment
doctrine is unique to Seventh-day Adventists. Not quite. Nearly
every basic aspect of this doctrine has been taught by prominent
scholars of other faiths.
- The investigative judgment
doctrine cannot be supported by the Scriptures. False. It can be
supported by the Scriptures.
- The investigative judgment
doctrine states that a believer's works determines their salvation.
Not quite. The investigative judgment doctrine does not teach that the
believer's works determine his salvation in the sense meant by the
typical evangelical when he says, "I'm saved."
- The investigative judgment
doctrine is blatantly unbiblical. False. This point is similar to #65,
but more Scriptures are added under this number to show that it is
biblical.
- Seventh-day Adventism is not a
legitimate Christian denomination. This point plainly begs the
question, for it assumes what must be proven.
- The investigative judgment
doctrine teaches that believers will be lost if they have unconfessed
sins. The Bible says that we can only be forgiven if we confess
our sins. Is the video saying that the Bible is wrong?
- The investigative judgment
doctrine teaches that believers will be lost if they have forgotten sins. Not even the Documentation Package could
find a quotation to substantiate this wild charge.
- The investigative judgment
doctrine requires perfect obedience to the Ten Commandments. But
the New Testament plainly says that adulterers, fornicators, thieves,
and murderers cannot enter heaven.
- The investigative judgment
doctrine teaches that all believers will be lost if they do not keep
the Fourth Commandment. False. Both Ellen White and the New
Testament teach that God does not hold what we do not know and could
not know against us.
- The investigative judgment
doctrine is diametrically opposed to the gospel of grace. The
points being objected to by the video are the very essence of the
gospel and of the New Covenant.
- Seventh-day Adventism is a man-made religion. This is another point
that begs the question, that assumes what needs to be proven.
- Seventh-day
Adventists have their own version of the Bible. Not so. Jack Blanco's paraphrase
is not in any sense an official Seventh-day Adventist version. I do not own a copy and have no
present intention to get one.
- This Seventh-day Adventist
version is known as The Clear Word
Bible. Not any more. Quite a few quickly realized that something
like this might come up one day, so the second edition carries only the
title, The Clear Word. The contributors to the video knew
this.
- In The Clear Word, the
words and
ideas of Ellen White are inserted into the biblical text. False. The words and ideas of theologian and college professor Jack Blanco, not
Ellen White, are inserted.
- 300 words have been added to
Daniel 9 in The Clear Word. Straw man. As the video admits,
it's an expanded paraphrase, and the interpretations utilized have
been held for centuries.
- Daniel 8:14 is a blatant
example of alteration of the biblical text. Straw man. Paraphrases
by their very nature insert interpretations into the text.
- It's called The Clear Word
Version. Why did the makers of the video change the title of
Jack Blanco's paraphrase? It's not called The Clear Word Version.
- The Clear Word was
written to support their prophetess. The Clear
Word contains the words and ideas of
Jack Blanco, not Ellen White, and was not written to support
"their prophetess."
- The Clear Word
manipulates and distorts
Scripture. Again,
paraphrases contain, by their very nature, the inclusion of
interpretations into the text.
- Seventh-day Adventists have
also published their Study Bible. Contradictory argument. If The
Clear Word is the Seventh-day Adventist version, why is the Study
Bible a King James Version instead of The Clear Word?
- The Study Bible is
"theirs." False. It was published by a private
organization, not the denomination, so it cannot be said to be
"theirs."
- The Study Bible of
Seventh-day Adventists contains Ellen White quotes. So? Lots of Bibles contain footnotes and study helps.
- Adventists teach that Christ's
atonement on the cross was incomplete. This is blatantly false.
Christ's atonement on the cross was complete.
- Adventists teach the heresy
that Michael is Christ. This charge makes Charles Spurgeon and
Matthew Henry heretics. And the 1599 Geneva Bible must have
been put out by heretics too.
- Adventists teach that there is
no hell. This is blatantly false. Adventists consistently teach
that there is a hell.
- Adventists taught doctrines
contrary to tradition. So has every other Protestant group. The
Bible, not tradition, is (supposed to be) the authority of
Protestants.
- Many of the doctrines of
Adventists are similar to Jehovah's Witnesses. This is no more
true than the statement that "many" doctrines of other
denominations are similar to Jehovah's Witnesses.
- N. H. Barbour was an early
Adventist. False. The impression is left that Barbour was a
Seventh-day Adventist, and there is no evidence that he ever was.
- Both Jehovah's Witnesses and
Seventh-day Adventists teach the heresy of soul sleep. Guess that
makes Martin Luther, John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, and a host of
Baptists, Methodists, Anglicans, and Presbyterians all heretics. Guess
that even makes the apostle Peter himself a heretic.
- Both Jehovah's Witnesses and
Seventh-day Adventists teach the heresy that Michael is Christ.
The Bible clearly teaches that there is an "angel" sent from
God who Himself is called God. If it isn't Christ, who is it? If it
isn't Christ, must we conclude that the Bible endorses polytheism,
that there is a mere angel who is God as well as the Father, Son, and
Spirit?
- Uriah Smith and James White
denied the deity of Christ like the Jehovah's Witnesses. False.
They were always firm believers in the deity of Christ.
- Both Jehovah's Witnesses and
Seventh-day Adventists have produced altered versions of the Bible.
False. The New World Translation is a translation produced by
the Watchtower Society. The Clear
Word is an expanded paraphrase put out by a private individual.
- Both Jehovah's Witnesses and
Seventh-day Adventists have set dates for Christ's return. False.
Jehovah's Witnesses have set dates, but not for Christ's return. And Sabbatarian Adventists early on took a strong stand against
date-setting. Ellen White opposed such as early as 1845, even before
becoming a Sabbatarian. Seventh-day Adventists as such did not exist in
1844.
- Both Jehovah's Witnesses and
Seventh-day Adventists claim to be the only remnant church. False.
Jehovah's Witnesses claim that, as of 1991, 99.9169% of Jehovah's
Witnesses are not the remnant.
- Both Jehovah's Witnesses and
Seventh-day Adventists plagiarized. No attempt is made by the
video or Documentation Package to prove that Russell or any
Jehovah's Witness ever read J. A. Brown's book.
- Both Jehovah's Witnesses and
Seventh-day Adventists were "guilty" of plagiarism. J.
A. Brown published his book in Britain. Since there was no copyright
in America at the time on British books, neither Russell nor anyone
else could be said to be "guilty," even if they had copied
it.
- Walter Rea's The White Lie was dedicated to those who
would rather believe a bitter truth than a sweet lie.
Oversimplification. The bitter "truth" both declared and
implied by The White
Lie is totally repugnant to
evangelicals who believe in the final authority of Scripture.
- Ellen White's inspiration was borrowed from others without credit. This
argument directly undermines the authority of the Scriptures, for the
Bible writers did the same.
-
Ellen White's major books contained
"stolen" material. What she did cannot be called
"stealing" since the words she took did not belong to the
original writers.
-
Sketches from the Life of Paul
was plagiarized in its entirety. False. The books are different, as
anyone who peruses them can plainly see.
-
This resulted in a lawsuit.
False. Such a lawsuit would have been a legal impossibility.
-
Because of this, the book was
quickly taken out of print. False. Published in 1883, the book was
promoted in Signs of the Times through 1885, advertised in Great
Controversy through 1887, and included on the title page of Great
Controversy until 1907 in England, homeland of the authors who were
"stolen" from.
-
The evidence is irrefutable that
Ellen White "stole" her inspiration from others. False. It
has already been demonstrated in this critique that the evidence is
anything but irrefutable.
-
The main line of defense in the book
The White Truth is that there were no copyright laws back then.
False. Out of the six chapters in this 98-page book, one deals with
plagiarism. Out of 16 pages in that chapter, only 4 deal with what
copyright laws were like back then.
-
The White Truth
says
that there were no copyright laws back then. False. Page 32 says
that the first American copyright law was passed in 1790.
-
The White Truth sidestepped
the issue by concentrating on the legal question. False. The video
is confusing the two allegations: 1) Ellen White was "guilty"
of theft. 2) Ellen White got her inspiration from others. The White
Truth deals with both allegations, as well as other points.
- The Adventist
hierarchy has been unable to respond to Rea's challenge: Prove that 20%
of Ellen White's writings are original. False. The
"hierarchy" responded to his challenge 31 years before his
book was written.
-
Prove that 20% of Ellen White's
writings are original. Such a challenge doesn't make sense, for it
would require infinite knowledge to prove that 20% of her writings are
original. It makes more sense to say, Prove that 80% of her writings
are not original.
-
Her visions which she claimed came
from God were shaky. One thing the video doesn't touch with a
ten-foot pole is the fact that she didn't breathe and had supernatural
strength during her public visions.
-
The Seventh-day Adventist ministry
is not a Christian ministry. This begs the question, assuming what
must be proved. Besides, Dan Snyder admits under #232 that he was a
Christian while being an Adventist minister!
-
Ellen White's early health documents
produce a rude awakening because of their fixation on moral issues.
A minor portion of her early health documents dealt with moral issues.
-
Most of her health advice dealt with
suppressing the male sexual urge. Absolutely ludicrous(!), as anyone
who has read her books knows.
-
Most of her health advice dealt with
suppressing the male sexual urge, which she thought was excessive.
Technically, she was against the excessive indulgence of sexual
urges by both men and women.
-
[Not in all
editions of the video.] Mrs. White felt she had been given special light on
the subject of masturbation. That this was the opinion of her
grandson the Documentation Package proves, but no evidence is
ever given to substantiate that Ellen White herself felt she had
been given special light.
-
[Not in all editions
of the video.] Mrs. White (apparently) gives a
list of diseases caused by masturbation. Actually, the quotation is
not accurate. The video combines a statement by Mrs. Gove with the views
of Dr. Deslandes. The video adds words, and omits words and quotation
marks without using an ellipsis.
-
[Not in all
editions of the video.] Mrs. White (apparently) said kids
who masturbate will get green skin.
These are the words of Dr. E. P. Miller,
not Ellen White.
-
Ellen
White said that meat inflames the passions. The quotation
leaves this impression only because it is out of context.
-
Ellen
White said rich and highly seasoned foods act as aphrodisiacs.
Medical science has neither proven nor disproven what she said. It's like
when she said that cancer is caused by a germ. She said this five years
before a maverick scientist proposed the idea. After being
ridiculed by the scientific community, this scientist years later
won the Nobel Prize for being right.
-
Ellen White (apparently) said,
"Sip no more the
beverage of China, no more the drinks of Java." These are the
words of Professor O. S. Fowler, not the words of Ellen G. White.
-
Ellen White advised skipping all
suppers in order to bring the male sexual appetites under control. False. Professor Fowler said this, not Ellen White. She consistently
said that some people need a third meal (though two meals are better for
most), and even called for Avondale College to begin to serve suppers.
-
[Not in all
editions of the video.] Ellen White (apparently) said
the use of feather beds led to masturbation.
False. Dr. E. P.
Miller, not Ellen White, is quoted. He was against sleeping on
feather beds in small, unventilated rooms, not against
sleeping on feather beds per se.
-
[Not in all editions
of the video.] Ellen White used a feather bed against her
own advice.
False. There is no evidence that she ever used a feather
bed in an unventilated, small room, which would have been against Dr. E.
P. Miller's advice, not her own. She was strongly opposed to
unventilated rooms.
-
[Not in all
editions of the video.] The Battle Creek Sanitarium
used hydrotherapy to treat secret vice. Actually, hydrotherapy
treatments stimulate the immune system and increase the white blood
cell count. They have been used successfully to treat a variety of
ailments.
-
[Not in all editions
of the video.] The picture illustrating the last point,
showing a shivering man with his feet in boiling water over a camp fire,
depicts Battle Creek's hydrotherapy treatment. False. The quote the
picture is illustrating says that you must not get chilled. Also, the
heat source for a hot foot bath is never under the basin of water, which
is never boiling. The picture is totally inaccurate.
-
Ellen
White controlled her female followers through directives on dress.
False. She was opposed to anyone forcing convictions about dress on
people.
-
Ellen
White was against wearing any kind of wig. False. The context of her
statement clearly shows that she was not talking about simple wigs. Her
published and released writings do not contain the word "wig"
at all.
-
The
picture of a skeleton looking through a window at a woman who is
presumably putting on a simple wig. The picture doesn't illustrate
at all the heavy monstrosities Ellen White was talking about.
-
After
Ellen White dealt with wigs, she introduced the reform dress.
False.
The reform dress was introduced more than six years before her counsel
against heavy hairpieces.
-
Ellen
White tried to force the reform dress on people. False. As pointed
out under #128, she was against forcing the reform
dress on anyone.
-
The
reform dress was hot. False. Far from being hot, it was
comparatively light. The dress was designed as a healthful alternative
to the too-heavy, too-long, multiple skirts typically worn by women in
those days.
-
The
reform dress was uncomfortable. False. This light dress was designed
for comfort as well as for health.
-
The
reform dress was bulky. False. Nor was this light dress bulky.
-
The
reform dress was long. False. It was not long. Besides being called
the "reform dress," it was also called
the "short dress."
-
Faithful sisters struggled with the
reform dress. False. Problems arose when these so-called
"faithful sisters" did one of the following: a) wouldn't quit complaining about not
being fashionable, b) pushed the dress on others contrary to Ellen
White's expressed counsel, or c) constructed it distastefully.
-
The reform dress was cumbersome.
False. This light dress was not
cumbersome.
-
Ellen White gave no explanation for
why she quit wearing her reform dress. False. She explained the
matter well.
-
Ellen White said those who aren't
vegetarians when Jesus comes can't go to heaven. False. She never
made such an extreme statement.
-
Ellen White taught that you have to
keep the letter of the law to put yourself on the road to salvation.
False. She taught that you are totally incapable of obeying God's
commandments until you have come to Christ.
-
Ellen White had no patience with
those who say, I am saved. The quotation has been rearranged and has
had the context removed.
-
Ellen White had no patience with
Christians who say, I am saved. Ellen White was not denouncing the
doctrines of justification and righteousness by faith. The first
quotation is not talking about those who mean, "I have been justified."
The second quotation is referring to those who believe they can continue to
murder and steal and sell dope, and still go to heaven.
-
Adventists believe that Jesus made
the down payment for our salvation. Thus the speaker contradicts the
point he made under #141. If Jesus made the down
payment, then we don't have to work to put ourselves on the road to
salvation.
-
Adventists believe that Jesus made
the down payment for our salvation, but we must make the monthly installments.
Thus it is suggested that Adventists believe we partially earn our
salvation. This is false.
-
Adventists do not rely upon the
grace of God alone. Ellen White repeatedly said we must rely upon
the grace of God alone.
-
Adventists are striving to be
rigidly obedient. False. Many Adventists will tell you that the
Adventist Church has grown a bit lax.
- Adventists are inflexible, guilt-ridden legalists.
False. While it is true that every faith has its legalists, the vast
majority of Adventists are
opposed to legalistic concepts. Legalism is generally not the cause of
guilt but a faulty method of trying to get rid of the guilt brought on
by a conviction of sin. Therefore the discovery of a genuinely
guilt-ridden legalist would indeed be a rare find, regardless of his
or her religious affiliation.
- Ellen White was wrong when
she said that believers must keep the law of God. Thus the video
condemns not only Ellen White, but Paul, John, Peter, Jude, James, and
Jesus.
- We don't have to worry about
obeying the law, since we are under the New Covenant now, not the Old
Covenant. A popular antinomian argument, this doesn't really make sense in the light of the
only New
Testament passage describing the New Covenant.
- We don't have to worry about
obeying the law, since Christ is the end of the law. Since James
5:11 talks about the "end of the Lord," we know that
sometimes "end" must mean something other than a cessation
of existence. Christ is "the end of the law" because the law leads
sinners to Christ for release from guilt (Gal. 3:24), not because the
Ten Commandments don't exist anymore.
- We are not under the
tutorship of the law, so we don't have to worry about obeying the law.
This inaccuracy ignores what Paul meant by the phrase
"under the law."
- Christians will keep God's
commandments out of love. Thus Mr. Martin destroys the force of
much of his whole argument thus far: We don't have to keep God's law, but
if we love God we
will gladly keep His law. The simple conclusion from his words is that if we
don't keep God's law, it shows that we don't really love God.
- Being under the law leads to
sin. Actually, according to the New Testament, it seems more
natural to say that sinning leads to being under the law, rather than
that being under the law leads to sinning.
- Being under grace leads to
holiness. Mr. Martin contradicts himself again, for if we don't
have to obey the law, why would the grace of God lead to holiness?
- A pre-advent judgment of
works is incompatible with the gospel of grace. But this makes the
apostle Paul contradict Revelation 14:6, 7.
- Soul sleep was introduced
because of the investigative judgment doctrine. False. Soul sleep
was introduced before 1844, and the video makes it clear that
the investigative judgment doctrine came after 1844.
- The doctrine of soul sleep is
unbiblical. Not so. Tyndale, Luther, Wycliffe, and many others
came up with this idea just from studying the Bible. Besides, saying
that our souls are immortal undermines the necessity of 1) the gospel,
2) the resurrection, and 3) the second coming.
- Conditional immortality flies in the face of two Scriptures.
Actually, it doesn't, unless we want to say that the Bible contradicts
itself. Martin's interpretation of these two texts in actuality flies
in the face of hundreds of Bible texts from Genesis to Revelation.
- Adventists do not teach
the biblical doctrine of hell. Actually, Seventh-day Adventists do teach the biblical doctrine of hell, and always have.
- The
Adventist view that Sabbath keeping is a mark of true loyalty to God
is severe. But the speaker basically already admitted that Sabbath
keeping is a mark of true loyalty to God.
- Ellen
White obliged by conveniently
having a vision.
Ellen White could not pretend to have a vision. Because of the definitely supernatural
characteristics of her visions, they
could not be faked.
- Her
vision about the Sabbath introduced the Sabbath to her followers.
The Sabbath was already well introduced among Millerites before this
vision of April 3, 1847.
- Adventists
weren't following what the Bible says about beginning the Sabbath at
sunset. The Bible "says" to keep the Sabbath from
"even to even." It doesn't "say" to keep
the Sabbath from sunset to sunset. Therefore these Adventists were not
blatantly disregarding the Bible during the time they were unclear
about the true meaning of "even."
- Ellen
White decided to have another vision. As mentioned before, for her
to decide to have a vision was an absolute impossibility.
- The
vision was intended to settle the matter with the dissenters.
According to one account, there were only two dissenters:
Joseph Bates and Ellen White. Does it not sound a bit preposterous
that since Ellen White wanted to convince herself, she decided to have another
vision? And this vision didn't mention sunset at all or anything not
contained in the previous vision, except that they should study the
Bible to find out what "even" really meant.
- A delegate reported that
"After the conference, November 20th, the vision was given, establishing those undecided on the sunset
time." The use of this quotation is devastating to these
criticisms, for it comes
from a pamphlet that demolishes every argument in this part of the
video.
- Adventists continued to ask questions.
False. It wasn't Seventh-day Adventists per se who were asking questions.
It was their opponents.
- Mrs.
White had visions saying that the Sabbath should be kept from 6pm to
6pm. False. Ellen White never had a single vision saying to
commence the Sabbath at 6pm, or at any other time than the biblical
"even unto even."
- It
required another vision. False. The vision quoted from is not even
another vision. It's the same November 20, 1855, vision.
- In
her vision Ellen White promised to question the angel. False. It
was the angel that made a promise, not Ellen White.
- According
to Spiritual Gifts, Ellen White promised that they would find
out why the visions had first said to keep the Sabbath from 6pm to
6pm. Out of context big time. Only two sentences after the
quotation used, Ellen White denies ever seeing in vision that the
Sabbath should begin at 6pm!
- Ellen White died without ever giving the promised explanation.
This charge implies that Ellen White was supposed to, but she was never told by the angel
who would give the promised explanation. The angel never
said who.
- The promised
explanation was never given. Actually, the promised explanation was
given by 1868,
47 years before Ellen White's death.
- After the change of time for keeping
the Sabbath, the Sabbath came to be understood as the seal. False. The
Sabbath was understood to be the seal at least six years before the change
to sunset time.
- The Sabbath was seen to be of prime
importance in determining who would be saved and who wouldn't. The
average viewer, uninformed about Adventist beliefs, will think that
Adventists believe Sunday keepers now have the mark of the beast while
Sabbath keepers have the seal. This is false.
- The Great Controversy supports
the idea that people have already gotten the mark of the beast by keeping
Sunday. The viewer tends to arrive at this conclusion because of the
speaker's choice of verb tenses, and the missing context of the quotation.
- Adventists believe that failing to
keep the Sabbath resulted in one's receiving the mark of the beast
and losing one's eternal life. False. Adventists do not believe that
this is a present reality. The use of the past tense verb "resulted"
in describing a future event is
an error.
- The Adventist view today about the
mark of the beast is severe. How can it be severe to believe that Christians
ought to obey the commandments of God? What does this say about what Jesus
said: "If ye love me, keep my commandments"?
- Adventists teach
that Sunday keeping is a mark of rebellion. Gross oversimplification.
Given the standard Protestant interpretations about the beast at the time
Adventism arose, and given some of the strong statements Catholics have made
about Sunday keeping, it's no wonder that Adventism arrived at the
interpretations that it did.
- Even today, Seventh-day Adventists have made salvation ultimately dependent on
which day of the week one worships. False. Adventists for the last
century and a half have taught that there are Sunday keepers who are bound
for heaven and Sabbath keepers who are bound for hell.
- Even today, Seventh-day Adventists have made salvation ultimately dependent on which day of the week one
worships. False. Adventists for the last
century and a half have taught that the reception of the mark of the beast
is a future event, not a present reality. And again, the use of the present tense for
"worship" is an error.
- The New Testament says that the seal
of God is the work of the Holy Spirit, not the keeping of the Sabbath.
It isn't that simple. The New Testament indicates that the last-day seal
does have something to do with the fourth commandment.
- Ellen White has no support at all for
identifying the Sabbath as the seal of God. False. She has all kinds of
support . . . from the Bible.
- Christ's resurrection day is the
Lord's Day. False. The Bible is crystal clear that 1) Jesus rose on the
first day of the week, and 2) the Lord's Day is the seventh day of the week.
One must wait over a hundred years after the resurrection before one finds a
document calling the resurrection day the Lord's Day.
- Christ's followers met
regularly on the resurrection day for their worship. There is no Bible
evidence for this statement. In all the New
Testament, we
have only one explicit instance of the disciples meeting on the first day of
the week for worship. In that one instance, they met on what we call
Saturday night.
- Christ's followers did not meet
regularly on the Sabbath for worship. False. This statement disagrees
with the book of Acts.
- The resurrection day was when the
disciples usually broke bread. False. Acts 2:46 says that they broke
bread daily,
not just on Sabbath or on Sunday.
- They did not break bread on the
Sabbath. False. If they broke bread daily, they must have done it on the
Sabbath as well.
- The Sabbath is Jewish. False.
Jesus Himself said that He made the Sabbath for both Adam and all his
descendents.
- Adventists teach that Satan becomes
the sin-bearer. False. Ellen White taught, and Adventists teach, that
Jesus is our only sin-bearer.
- Thus, Adventists differ from the plain
teaching of Scripture that Christ bore our sins on the cross. Straw man.
A Bible verse referring to the cross is used here to prove who the scapegoat
can and cannot be after the atonement is finished.
- Adventists strive to be included as
mainline evangelical Protestant Christians. Not really. We don't have to
strive. The largest church in the world says that we are the most
fundamental of the fundamentalists, and "the only consistent
Protestant."
- An Adventist pastor supplied the following five marks of a cult.
But the letter these five marks came from says that the co-producers and
script writer of the video have been supplying false information about
Seventh-day Adventists for 14 years! The video's credibility is thus called
into question.
- There is a "total reliance"
by Seventh-day Adventists on Ellen White. False. For Seventh-day
Adventists, the Bible is the final authority.
- Ellen White is revered by all
Seventh-day Adventists. False. This is far from the case, as the video
later admits.
- Ellen White's comments overshadow the
teachings of the Bible. False, and the Documentation Package proves
it.
- Adventists consider Ellen White's
comments on the Scriptures to be more authoritative than tradition. Of
course! We are Protestants, and for Protestants tradition is supposed to be
subordinated to the Holy Scriptures. An inspired prophet would be next in
line in authority to the Bible, and tradition would have to be less
authoritative than that.
- Ellen White pressured people into
submission. False. She was against pressuring people into submission.
- Ellen White publicly aired reproofs
sent to people. False. When some of them were printed for the benefit of
individuals having similar problems, she almost always left out the name and
address of the guilty.
- Usually the person conformed under
the pressure. Oversimplification. One instance being cited in the Documentation
Package essentially makes a joke out of this whole section in the video.
- Usually the person conformed under the
pressure. The incident just cited reveals a lack of
pressure on Ellen White's part.
- The type of pressure Ellen White used
is one of the marks of a cult. Rather ludicrous. If such an idea be
true, then the prophets of the Bible were just as cultic as Ellen White.
- Acceptance and fellowship are very often withheld today. The
evidence indicates that this is false.
- Withholding of acceptance and
fellowship for questioning doctrine is a characteristic of a cult. Questioning
is one thing. Attacking is another. Biblically, the church must deal with
members who practice grievous sins and teach false doctrines.
- Adventists originally denied the deity of Christ. False. An 1853 Advent
Review said, "Warn those who deny the divinity of the only Saviour, that they must perish everlastingly if they go on rejecting him, for it is fearful and blasphemous to reject him."
- Adventists must discontinue the doctrine that Michael is a name for
Christ. This can't be done while remaining true to Scripture.
- "Michael" being a name for Christ contradicts Hebrews 1:13.
False. Scripture uses the term "angel" in a number of ways. Sometimes
it refers to the uncreated Being who is simultaneously called the "Angel of the LORD,"
God, and Yahweh, and sometimes it refers just to the created angelic beings,
as in Hebrews 1:13. There is no biblical justification whatsoever for insisting that
Michael cannot be the divine "Angel of the LORD" and must
therefore be a created being.
- Adventists can't discontinue the doctrine that "Michael" is a
name for Christ without admitting that Ellen White made a mistake.
Oversimplification. Adventists would have to admit that Charles Spurgeon,
Matthew Henry, John Gill, and a host of others made a mistake too.
- It is impossible to accommodate both doctrines, that Christ is divine, and
that Michael is Christ. False, as can be seen from #93.
- Adventists have added the investigative judgment to salvation by
grace through faith in Christ alone. False. According to the New Testament,
to omit the judgment would be to delete it from the gospel.
- Adventists have added Sabbath keeping to salvation by grace through
faith in Christ alone. False. Omitting Sabbath keeping from the New Covenant
is to delete it from Christ's will. It is illegal to alter a will
after the one who made the will dies.
- Adventists have added obedience to the Ten Commandments as
requirements for salvation. False. Obedience is not a requirement for
justification or conversion. To omit obedience from requirements for
glorification is to effectively preach another gospel than the gospel Paul
and Jesus preached.
-
Adventists have added obedience to other Old Testament laws as
requirements for salvation. But both the New Testament and Old
Testament prophecies
about New Testament times indicate that believers should still abstain from
blood and unclean animals, and should return the tenth to God.
- Adventists believe that the world's sins have been placed upon Satan.
False. Adventists believe that no sins have been placed upon Satan.
- Adventists believe that the world's sins have been placed upon Satan rather than
upon Christ. False. Adventists do not believe that Satan bears our sins
instead of Christ. Christ is the only Sin-bearer.
- Adventists believe that Christians must stand before God without Christ as their mediator.
Straw man. Every Bible-believing Christian who has studied the matter knows
that Christ's mediatorial work must cease just before He returns.
- This contradicts Hebrews 7:25. Straw man. Hebrews 7:25 is talking about
the present. It is not talking about eternity, when we will no longer need a
mediator.
- Adventists believe that salvation comes by placing sin upon Satan. Utterly
false. Adventists believe that salvation comes through our Sin-bearer, Jesus
Christ. The sins are only placed upon Satan after salvation is
completely finished. That event is future.
- The Adventist view of salvation, placing sin upon Satan, is not the salvation taught in the
Bible. Straw man. Since this is not the Adventist view of salvation, the
point is totally irrelevant.
- Four of the five marks of a cult apply to Seventh-day Adventists. False.
None of the five marks apply to Seventh-day Adventists.
- These five marks of a cult are very important. If Jeremiah Films really
believes this, why don't they make a video about a much
larger church
that clearly does fit these marks?
- Adventist leaders deceptively espoused the view of salvation
by grace alone in the 1950's. False. Adventists had been teaching "grace
alone" long before the 1950's. For instance, Ellen White wrote that "by grace alone can they be
saved" in 1890. And in 1869 she wrote, "It is through his grace alone that Satan can be successfully
repulsed."
- Many followers felt betrayed by such an espousal of salvation by grace
alone. False. Some conservative members felt betrayed because M. L. Andreason, a prominent theologian, said
that the book Questions on Doctrine contained capitulations on some finer points of Adventist
theology.
- Those who felt betrayed began searching for themselves, and made lurid
discoveries. False. The conservative element who felt betrayed did not do
the searching referred to. The liberal element who did not feel betrayed
engaged in "searching" into other issues, and in consequence ultimately abandoned a number of crucial teachings found
in Scripture, including the teaching that Scripture must be the final authority!
- "The Adventist Church had deceived me." If the (mis)information the
preacher told you was anything like what is on this video, then it was he
who deceived you, not the Adventist Church. At least, he didn't know what he
was talking about.
- "I was never presented with
[Ellen White's copying] in the [elementary] school system." Seems like 1st or 5th grade might be a bit early
to deal with Peter or Jude copying from each other. Though these are obviously not issues for
elementary school students to grapple with, I wouldn't be surprised if some 7th or 8th grades do touch on it.
- ". . . all these writings she had
. . . plagiarized, . . . I felt . . . lied
to." Do you feel lied to
because between Matthew, Mark, and Luke, two copied from the other? Do you
feel lied to because John copied from others when he put together the book of
Revelation? Even though they copied, can you prove that Ellen White, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John,
Peter, and Jude are guilty of "plagiarism"?
- ". . . the [Adventist] Church was
inconsistent theologically and politically." Straw man. Jesus said it
would be this way.
- ". . . the [ Adventist] Church
was inconsistent theologically and politically." This argument is what
many use to excuse themselves from becoming Christians. The Bible characters
were woefully inconsistent too. Does that make them members of a cult?
- "When expedient, they . . . contradicted Ellen
G. White. . . ." The truth is out! Adventists don't follow Ellen White after
all.
- "The last three years have been the most spiritually rewarding of my thirty-one years as a Christian."
This key witness thus declares that he was both a Christian and an Adventist
for 28 years, part of which time he was an Adventist minister as well. Despite all what the video says,
according to this speaker, Adventists are Christians, and
Adventist ministers are Christian ministers.
- The Adventist Church does not uphold the Bible as the sole authority of both faith and practice.
If this is true, which it isn't, why does everyone who becomes a member of
the Adventist Church have to vow before God that they "believe that the Bible is the
inspired Word of God, and that it constitutes the only rule of faith and
practice for the Christian"?
- "Jesus saves us not by our deeds.
. . ." Straw man, since this is
precisely what Seventh-day Adventists believe.
- "Because you're not going to be able to get this information from your
church." It would be a rare church that could produce this much
misinformation single-handed.
- The Documentation Package substantiates the information contained
in the video. The Documentation Package substantiates hardly
anything. Sometimes it proves that the information on the video is
erroneous.
- A number of former high-ranking Adventist Church leaders are featured on
the video. Based on the information in the video, not one former
high-ranking leader is featured.
- The video contains answers based on the best scholarship. If this video
contains answers based on the best scholarship, what would the worst
scholarship be like?
- The video contains answers based on firm adherence to the truths of God's
Word. In actuality, the video undermines faith in the authority and
teachings of God's Word in a number of subtle ways.
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