X-Delivery-Notice:  SMTP MAIL FROM does not correspond to sender.
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.christia
Date:         Thu, 3 Sep 1992 09:31:00 EST
From:         "DRCV06::GRAHAM" <GRAHAM%DRCV06.decnet@DRCVAX.AF.MIL>
Subject:      Some thoughts on US religious history.
X-To:         christia <christia@asuvm.inre.asu.edu>

The post on the Jehovah's Wittnesses mentioned William Miller and the
Adventist movement of the 1830-s and 1840-s as influencing Russell, founder
of the Wittnesses.

It is interesting to see how relatively local events can have a national
and, often, worldwide impact.  The William Miller phenomanon began in the
1820's when he, after making an exhaustive study of the books of Daniel and
Revelation, decided that the Second Coming could be reckoned to a specific
time.

After the great Leonid meteor shower  of November, 1833, which was
particularly splendid in the Northeastern US, Miller was convinced, along
with Sylvester Bliss, Joshua Himes and many others that the Second Coming
was around the corner.   After  a couple of false starts, he settled on the
day of the Parousia being October 22, 1844.  He said that the Day of
Atonement fell on that day in 1844 and that Jesus would come on a Day of
Atonement.

As the other post mentioned, the date was arrived at from the 2300 day
prophecy of Daniel eight.  Since that had no starting time, Miller looked
to the next chapter, chapter nine, for a starting place.  There were more
than 50,000 who listened to Miller's tent meetings in the early 1840's and
accepted his claims about the Second Coming.  Many were saiting on October
22, 1844 for the event to happen.  Lots of them had either sold their farms
or homes, or had left crops in the fields, unharvested, because they felt
they wouldn't be around to care.  The "Adventists" or "Millerites" as they
were both called, gathered in groups in homes waiting for the end of the
world.

Obviously, it didn't come, but it did start several movements.  This
situation was limited, more or less, to the Northeastern US.  From the
disappointed Millerites came three churches of significance and a dozen
very small ones.  There were the Advent Christians, who still exist and are
a fine group of people.  There were the Adventist Reformed, which still
exist, but are dwindling, and the third group, which has grown rather
remarkably, the Seventh-day Adventists.

A few of the Millerite Adventists couldn't dismiss the date in 1844 as
inconsequential.  One of them, whilst passing through his cornfield,
claimed to have seen a vision showing that the Second Coming was never
supposed to happen then, but that was the date Christ went into the Most
Holy place of the heavenly sanctuary to begin what they called the
"Investigative Judgement."  This group matured into the Seventh-day
Adventist church.  Like the Jehovah's Wittnesses, they are a worldwide
organization with over six million members, huge printing and educational
outreaches are characteristic of their presence.

Both the Wittnesses and the Seventh-day Adventists have had major
influences on American religious thought.  Of course, Miller seems to have
ignored what Jesus said about only the Father knowing the day of His
coming.  He later renounced his work, but the Seventh-day Adventists held
to their own interpretation of the date and event.  Another interesting
anomily is the fact that, in the year 1844, the Day of Atonement fell on
September 23, not October 22.  Sometimes, religious fervor does have a
tendancy to efface facts.

This is not particularly relevant to any current discussions, I just
thought you might be interested.  If not, beat me with wet noodles and take
away my nonexistant credit cards.

Blessings,

Dan Graham
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU