Hi all…
I’m sorry you’ve had a bad experience with SDA’s. Just like any other denominations i’m sure there are loving ones, and while others are hard headed, and out to just judge how wrong the rest of the world is.
I’m an SDA, but the bible teaches us not to be legalist, but to be humble, loving, caring and most importantly not be judgemental to anyone. Why we position ourselves toward Catholicism, bible, history have been misunderstood by the Catholics.
Say regarding our diets, we believe that we’re responsible for our health as everyone is. thru healthy body outcomes healthy mind, thus healthy character can easily be built upon it. Our teaching includes being vegetarian, living healthy lifestyle avoiding coffee, cigarettes, we suggest complete holistic care of the Lord’s temple because we’ve been bought with a High Price on the cross. We respond it with love and full understanding that God wants us to be perfect, just like our Father. If one still cannot leave meaty diet, there are selections which God himself prescribed for us since the beginning of time, that’s He gives guidelines what’s clean and unclean. Though impossible to follow for some, Holy Spirit will guide us through wisdom and love in selecting what’s good for us and what’s not good.
Regarding the sabbath, discussed in this thread, in Romans 14… Let’s look at the book Romans itself whom it’s addressed to: Romans, at the time to be converted to christians, yet there are jewish christians who still kept many of the OT jewish sabbaths (seven annual jewish holidays) in their christian lives. But Paul says not to take considerations when jewish christians chose to follow their ancestors’ ways, let them. But the roman christians don’t have to. But Paul didn’t refer to the Moral Sabbath, the seventh day sabbath, because he himself was acustomed to go into synagoge on sabbaths as in Acts 17:2, 18:4.
What Romans 14 means, we shouldn’t judge anyone wth what they eat and what they drink and days they observe, it still holds true that those things will never save sinful souls, only through Jesus and our acknowledgement of His plan of salvation through baptism, just like Jesus did, we can all see the glory of His coming. Keeping his commandments can only be made possible through complete surrender to Him and taking up His cross. God bless…