Yes, I was baptized Catholic 1/1/81. There is not a day that goes by that I do not thank God that He led me to His Church. THe odds against a cradle SDA being able to see past SDA beliefs and to recognize the Truth of God’s One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church are so great as to take my breath away. I feel so much like a brand snatched from the burning.Marsha,
You say you were an SDA for 31 years…I assume you are a Catholic now?
The only thing I would ask you to do for me is remember me and my family and friends in your prayers and I will remember you and yours in mine!
God bless you!
Your probably right as regards “invincible ignorance.” I’m surprised you know of former Adventists in the priesthood/religious life! Do you still keep in touch with them?Patrick:
A few years back I went looking for SDA converts to Catholicism. I found roughly a dozen, one of which was a priest and another a Discalced Carmelite. There aren’t too many of us. You have heard the phrase “invincible ignorance”? It is a technical term for people who for one reason or another are literally incapable of recognizing the truth when they here it. I believe that many SDAs fall into that category. At the risk of repeating myself, it is such a miracle that we few did not fall into that category.
Marsha
Unfortunately the Carmalite Sister had a stroke and subsequently died. I did not know the priest personally, but I spoke with his mother. I, myself, lived with the SIsters of the Resurrection for six months pursuing a vocation, only to find that I did not have one.Your probably right as regards “invincible ignorance.” I’m surprised you know of former Adventists in the priesthood/religious life! Do you still keep in touch with them?
Yes, they love Jesus. BUT they have been indoctrinated from day one against the Church and all that she teaches. You can read John 6 to most of them until you are blue in the face and your KJV falls to shreds and they will stedfastly tell you that My Flesh is Meat indeed, does not mean what it says. You can even point out that Jesus provided the proof of what He says by telling of His own ascension in that chapter and they will tell you He does not mean what He says. You can show them that when Paul speaks of people dying from receiving communion unworthily, would God kill people over a symbol? It must be really Christ’s body and blood, for them to dying from unworthily receiving and they will find some reason to refuse to accept it. That is why I say they are invincibly ignorant. IF Jesus himself were to come to them, or better yet raise up EGW to speak to them, most would find a way to deny the truth. It is very sad. How we came to be so blessed as to be given the grace to recognize and accept the truth surpasses all understanding.So many I knew, sincerely love Jesus. What a grand and glorious and rich fulfillment of their faith, understanding the Eucharist would be!!!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Taze_RussellHowdy friend and thanks for the reply. From everything I have heard over the years from credible sources, Russell was a student of Ellen White for quite some time before leaving and heading up the Witnesses. One similar teaching that comes to mind would be that Jesus is Michael the archangel which is a view held by the SDA and the witnesses as well as there concept of hell and the resurrection (state of the dead). I will dig around for some more info on that though. I appreciate your willingness to dialouge and be kind about it. I feel the SDA is a cult for several reasons. I have seen the affects up close and personal for lack of a better term. My wife and I have a good friend who is just a blessed woman and we love her to death. We have known each other for close to ten years and shared many spiritual experiences. Yet I must say when my wife and I converted to the Catholic church we experienced a side of her that was altogether different. I did not realize the depth of fear, paranioa and end times madness that was going on inside (fully) until we became Catholic. She is now in deep counseling and trying to work through this. She goes in and out of the church yet there are triggers that seem to always pull her back. I use to be a bit more tolerant of SDA but now as a Catholic I am taking a second look. Don’t get me wrong, sincere SDA’s can know Jesus and be saved, but the depth of mind control that ex-members talk about is frightening. One gal who left the church experienced terrible nightmares for years that Catholics would one day kill her because she did not adhere to a Sunday law. I also feel that the orgins of the SDA are swept under the rug. we can talk more about that later. If you are willing to look at some of these things maturely and honestly that’s cool. In my conversion process from the Protestant church to Roman Catholic I pulled everything out from the past from the most blessed and beautiful things to the most ugly and hideous things so that down the road if I did convert there would be no suprises. I feel that every SDA, Mormon, Witness, Protestant should always do the same. But we’ll talk more later. Peace in Christ!