Seventh-day Adventism

{{bronze}}{{christianity}}
'''Seventh-day Adventism''' is a [[cult]]ish [[denomination]] of [[Christianity]] which holds that [[Jesus]]' return is ''imminent'' (though conveniently never setting a specific date for his return). Its largest organized [[church]], the '''Seventh-day Adventist Church''', boasts nearly 22 million members worldwide.<ref>[https://www.adventist.org/statistics/ Official Church stats]</ref>

Seventh-day Adventism ''necessitates'' a belief in [[young Earth creationism]]. The "seventh-day" is a reference to the seventh day of the [[Bible|biblical]] [[creation myth|creation story]]: [[YHWH|God]] ''literally'' made the world in six 24-hour days, and then on the seventh, he rested.<ref>{{refquote|In six days the Lord made 'the heaven and the earth' and all living things upon the earth, and rested on the seventh day of that first week. Thus He established the Sabbath as a perpetual memorial of His completed creative work.}} — Official Seventh-day Adventist Church [http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/statements/main-stat54.html Affirmation of Creation].</ref> In fact, one of the founding movers and shakers of the creationist movement, Adventist George McCready Price,<ref>{{wpa|George McCready Price}}</ref> peddled "[[flood geology]]" a generation before the Baptist zealot [[Henry M. Morris]] turned it into an industry.<ref>http://ncse.com/news/2006/03/henry-morris-dies-00918</ref> Price had already alerted the world to the many "predicaments" of [[evolution]] in the first decades of the 20th century<ref>[http://darrow.law.umn.edu/documents/Illogical_Geology_George_McCready_Price_CRR_Opt.pdf PDF copy] of ''Illogical Geology - The Weakest Point in the Evolution Theory'' by George McCready Price. Originally published in 1906.</ref><ref>[http://www.creationism.org/books/price/PredicmtEvol/Predicmt07.htm Chapter 7] of ''The Predicament of Evolution''
by George McCready Price, originally published in 1926.</ref> and would eventually join up with Morris later to preach against it.

That day of rest is why Seventh-day Adventists hold the true [[sabbath]] to be exclusively on the seventh day of the week (Saturday), as opposed to the majority of Christian sects, which mark the sabbath on Sundays. (The satanic-inspired secular ISO<ref>{{wpa|International Organization for Standardization}}</ref> calendar<ref>{{wpa|ISO 8601}}</ref> tries to confuse upright Western Christians by usurping [[Religion]]'s divinely-ordained and deeply traditional right to define [[time]], specifying Monday as the first day of the week — like good Russian Orthodox Christian folk.<ref>{{wpa|Names of the days of the week}}</ref>) Adventists take this difference ''very'' seriously, to the point that some buy into a [[conspiracy theory]] about [[National Sunday law]]s (wherein other Christian denominations gang up on Adventists to mandate a Sunday-only sabbath across the nation<ref>{{wpa|God's Own Country}}</ref> — and in inland parts of Madagascar too).

==Origins==

Seventh-day Adventism traces its roots back to a movement led by William Miller,<ref name=history/> a [[Baptist]] preacher who, during the early 1800s, preached that his research into [[Book of Revelation|biblical prophecy]] indicated that Jesus would return in 1843. When his set date and subsequent revised dates [[Failed biblical prophecies#The great disappointment|inevitably passed much like other supposed prophecies]], his movement fell apart, and its members fractured. Some, including Miller, renounced Baptist Christianity, while others continued to believe that the [[Second Coming]] was imminent, but this time (surprise, surprise) didn't set a date. These believers formed the core of what would eventually become the Adventist movement. (Another non-mainstream group said that Jesus ''had'' come and that his reign had begun; these are known as the [[Jehovah's Witnesses]].)

The modern SDA Church began to coalesce with the writings and teachings of [[Ellen G. White]], who claimed to see visions. She was hailed by her followers as a [[prophet]].<ref>{{refquote|One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy. This gift is an identifying mark of the remnant church and was manifested in the ministry of Ellen. G. White.}} —Official Seventh-day Adventist Church [http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/fundamental/ Fundamental Beliefs].</ref> She articulated many of the church's core beliefs, including the observance of the sabbath on Saturday. The church was officially established in Battle Creek, [[Michigan]], on May 23, 1863,<ref name=history>[http://www.adventist.org/information/history/article/go/0/united-for-mission-one-hundred-and-fifty-years/ United for Mission: One Hundred and Fifty Years], History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 2013.</ref> with a membership of 3,500. Membership grew with missionaries, who actively exported Seventh-day Adventism to developing nations in [[Asia]], [[Africa]], and [[South America]].

== The SDA Church ==

In addition to rejecting [[evolution]],<ref>{{refquote|[W]e believe that the biblical events recorded in Genesis 1-11, including the special creation of human beings, are historical and recent, that the seven days of creation were literal 24 hour days forming a literal week...}} —Official Seventh-day Adventist Church [http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/statements/bible-worldview.html Statement on Creation: The Bible's Worldview].</ref> the SDA church also opposes [[gay marriage]],<ref>Official Seventh-day Adventist Church [http://adventist.org/beliefs/statements/main-stat46.html Statement on Homosexuality].</ref><ref>Official Seventh-day Adventist Church [http://adventist.org/beliefs/statements/main-stat53.html Response to Same-Sex Unions — A Reaffirmation of Christian Marriage].</ref> [[trade union]]s,<ref>Official Seventh-day Adventist Church [https://www.adventist.org/en/information/official-statements/guidelines/article/go/-/employer-and-employee-relationships/ Guidelines for Employer and Employee Relationships].</ref> and [[abortion]]<ref name=abortion>Official Seventh-day Adventist Church [http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/guidelines/main-guide1.html Guidelines on Abortion].</ref> (though they make exceptions for cases of rape, incest, severe birth defects, or health risks for the mother and baby,<ref name=abortion/> which is more leeway than many other [[fundamentalist]] Christian denominations are willing to give).

The SDA church is officially [[Christian pacifism|pacifist]]<ref>Official Seventh-day Adventist Church [http://adventist.org/beliefs/statements/main-stat33.html Statement on Peace].</ref> and encourages [[vegetarianism]] as a way of [[environmentalist|caring for the environment]].<ref>Official Seventh-day Adventist Church document on [http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/statements/main-stat5.html Caring for Creation — A Statement on the Environment].</ref> Women are officially barred from being ordained into ministry,<ref> [https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_559ea058e4b05b1d028fdb9a/amp Seventh-Day Adventists Vote To Deny Women's Ordination]. HuffPost. 9 July 2015.</ref> although some of the church's divisions ordain female pastors, anyway.<ref>[https://www.adventistreview.org/church-news/story6496-women-clergy-retreat-creates-atmosphere-of-affirmation-and-healing Women Clergy Retreat Creates Atmosphere of Affirmation and Healing] ''Adventist Review''. 17 September 2018.</ref>

Although she was active in the [[Slavery|abolitionist]] movement, critics allege that a particular line in her book ''Spiritual Gifts'' shows that Ellen White, one of the denomination's founders, may have been racist (though this was common at the time):

{{cquote|"Since the flood there has been amalgamation of man and beast, as may be seen in the almost endless varieties of species of animals, and in certain races of men."<ref name = "SG3" >[http://www.gilead.net/egw/books/spiritual-gifts/Spiritual_Gifts._Volume_3/10_The_Flood.htm White, Ellen G. (1864). Spiritual Gifts. Volume 3. Chapter 10: The Flood. p. 75. Online Edition.]</ref>}} 

White also advocated for segregated churches in the South, due to the fact that racist whites would probably burn integrated churches. Her son Edson went down south to spread Adventism to newly freed slaves. He also taught them to read.<ref>A Brief History of Seventh-Day Adventists by George R. Knight, Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1999, Chapter 5, "Mission to Black America"</ref> Ellen herself would eventually go on to help found an industrial school for freedmen in northern Alabama, which would later become Oakwood University, the church's only {{wpl|HBCU}}.<ref>[https://oakwood.edu/our-story/mission-history/ Oakwood University: Mission & History]</ref>

White so strongly disapproved of [[masturbation]] she would never write the word, and would instead use euphemisms when she condemned it with scientifically-inaccurate Victorian medical literature.<ref>White's reference to [https://m.egwwritings.org/ro/book/6.14#16 "solitary vice"] in ''An Appeal To Mothers'' is generally believed to be a euphemism for masturbation. ([https://spectrummagazine.org/article/column/2008/08/06/revisiting-ellen-white-masturbation Revisiting Ellen White on Masturbation,] spectrummagazine.org, 6 August 2008.) Other euphemisms she used included [https://m.egwwritings.org/ro/book/122.607 "secret vice" and "self-abuse."]</ref>

== Notable Adventists ==

The [[Branch Davidians]] — infamous for the disastrous siege undertaken on their compound near Waco, Texas in 1993, where 81 people ended up dying due to rank incompetence on the part of the federal agents involved — were an offshoot ({{wpl|Davidian_Seventh-day_Adventist|of an offshoot}}) of Seventh-day Adventism.

In 1986, Colin Cook, founder of Homosexuals Anonymous, an Adventist ministry targeted at disaffected [[Gay|homosexuals]], was discovered to be engaging in sexual acts with his patients.<ref>Official Seventh-day Adventist Church statement on [http://www.gladventist.org/lead/blake_aware.htm Redeeming Our Sad Gay Situation: Awareness].</ref>

While not an official offshoot, "progressive Adventists" or "cultural Adventists" comprise a distinct segment of the overall church.<ref>[http://spectrummagazine.org/blog/2011/05/15/who-are-real-cultural-adventists Who Are the Real "Cultural Adventists"?]</ref><ref>[http://leavingsda.com/liberal-adventists/ What is a “Progressive” or a “Liberal” Seventh Day Adventist?]</ref>

[[2016 Republican Party presidential nomination|2016 Presidential candidate]] [[Ben Carson]] is a practicing Seventh-Day Adventist,<ref>[http://www.christianpost.com/news/seventh-day-adventist-church-warns-members-against-showing-institutional-favor-for-ben-carson-after-neurosurgeon-declares-presidential-bid-138817/ Seventh-Day Adventist Church Warns Members Against Showing Institutional Favor for Ben Carson After Neurosurgeon Declares Presidential Bid]</ref> though some Seventh-Day Adventists are wishing he wasn't.<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/geoffrey-nelsonblake/open-letter-to-ben-carson_b_8270374.html Open Letter to Ben Carson From Fellow Seventh-day Adventist: Stop the Islamophobia]</ref>

Desmond Doss is perhaps the best publicly known SDA. During the Battle of Okinawa in [[World War II]], Doss was a conscientious objector who never carried a gun or killed anyone. As a medic, he saved over 70 lives in Okinawa and was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Truman. In 2016, a movie was made about him called ''Hacksaw Ridge''.<ref> [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2119532/ ''Hacksaw Ridge''] on IMDb.</ref>

==Activities==

=== Publications ===

Seventh-day Adventism is the source of many inexpensive, mass distributed books. You might've seen them around: ''The Desire of Ages'', ''The Great Controversy'', ''America In Prophecy'', and ''National Sunday Law Crisis'' (the first three being heavily-edited reprints of books by SDA prophet [[Ellen G. White]]).

In 2011, the [http://greatcontroversyproject.org/index.html Great Controversy Project] began soliciting donations to enable the mass-mailing of the seminal Adventist text ''The Great Controversy'' to select U.S. zip codes. (The value of this effort is dubious, given that, being a book over 200 pages long,<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Great_Controversy_%28book%29&oldid=574266826 According to Wikipedia], ''The Great Controversy'' is 219 pages long.</ref> ''The Great Controversy'' would be the most unwieldy brick of unwanted mail ever stuffed in people's mailboxes.) Included with the book would be the warning "Time is running out! Obama just signed the hate crimes bill that might make it illegal to distribute this book". (Needless to say, this claim is not true.)

=== Education ===

To its credit, the Seventh-Day Adventist church owns and operates dozens of hospitals<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Seventh-day_Adventist_hospitals List of Seventh-day Adventist hospitals] on Wikipedia.</ref> and seven medical schools<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Seventh-day_Adventist_medical_schools List of Seventh-day Adventist medical schools] on Wikipedia.</ref> throughout the world, as well as a network of universities which ([[Patrick Henry College|unlike]] [[Bob Jones University|some]] [[Pensacola Christian College|places]] [[Regent University|we]] [[Liberty University|could]] [[Bryan College|mention]]) are actually regarded as viable learning venues in at least a few subjects. Students are given religious information, but their diplomas are at least worth something (an exception must be made when acting as a [[diploma mill]] - see below).

Of the American colleges listed at adventist.org, all but the Atlantic Union College are still listed as being accredited by the U.S. Department of Education.<ref>[http://education.gc.adventist.org/colleges.html Seventh-day Adventist AAA Accredited Colleges and Universities]</ref> Similarly accredited universities have been opened around the world.

There has actually been some controversy from within the Church itself about this level of education. For example, La Sierra University teaches evolution as part of their biology program,<ref>{{refquote|The student will demonstrate knowledge of Population Biology, Evolution, and Ecology including population genetics; natural selection; evolutionary processes; speciation...}} —page 110 of La Sierra University's [http://lasierra.edu/3d/bulletins/undergraduate2014/files/111.html List of undergraduate studies courses].</ref> and this sparked some controversy on an official mailing list in 2010.<ref>{{refquote|LSU has had several board meetings to discuss this issue. While they have reaffirmed their support of the fundamental SDA doctrine on a literal creation week, they have done nothing to address the active promotion of Darwinism and theistic evolution within LSU classrooms.}} —[http://archive.ph/wu86b [Caribsda<nowiki>]</nowiki> Teaching Evolution as Fact at La Sierra College?]</ref>

Student LGBT rights advocacy group {{wpl|Campus Pride}} listed two SDA universities on its list of "absolute worst, most unsafe campuses for LGBTQ youth" in the United States, namely Andrews University and La Sierra University.<ref>[https://www.campuspride.org/worstlist/ Worst List: The Absolute Worst Campuses for LGBTQ Youth] </ref>

=== Humanitarian work ===

The church is also involved in humanitarian activities, such as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventist_Development_and_Relief_Agency ADRA], which provides aid and relief to [[third world|third-world]] countries and areas hit by natural disasters. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maranatha_Volunteers_International Maranatha Volunteers International], a supporting ministry of the church, coordinates mission trips to third-world countries to build churches, schools, and dig water wells. The church also has a worldwide media presence. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventist_World_Radio Adventist World Radio] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Channel Hope Channel] are official media outlets of the church. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Angels_Broadcasting_Network Three Angels Broadcasting Network (3ABN)] is an independent family of television networks which teaches Seventh-Day Adventist doctrine 24/7.

==Seventh-Day Adventist schools==

The Seventh-Day Adventist Church has a school system with educational institutions ranging from primary education to higher education. Below is a (non-exhaustive) list of schools owned by the Church.

'''North America'''

*[[Loma Linda University]]: A religious medical college in Loma Linda, California.
*Andrews University: A high ranking university in Berrien Springs, Michigan.
*Pacific Union College: Liberal arts college in Angwin, California.
*Walla Walla University: Liberal arts university near Walla Walla, Washington.
*AdventHealth University: A school specializing in healthcare education in Orlando, Florida.
*[https://www.southern.edu/ Southern Adventist University]: A school in Collegedale, Tennessee. Known for its conservatism.<ref>[https://spectrummagazine.org/node/742 "Confronting the Challenges in Adventist Education"] by ''Spectrum Magazine''. 2 July 2008.</ref>
*Burman University: Not technically a Seventh-Day Adventist school but they are sponsored by the church. Located in Alberta, Canada.
*Oakwood University: A religious school in Huntsville, Alabama that is also an HBCU (Historically Black College/University).
*[https://www.um.edu.mx/ Universidad Adventista de Montemorelos]: Located in Montemorelos, Mexico.

'''South America'''

*[https://www.unasp.br/ Centro Universitário Adventista de São Paulo]: A university system consisting of 3 campuses located in São Paulo (state), Brazil.
*[http://uap.edu.ar Universidad Adventista del Plata]: A university located in Libertador San Martin, Argentina.
*[https://unach.cl Universidad Adventista de Chile]: A university located near Chillán, Chile.
*Universidad Adventista de Bolivia. A university located in Quillacollo: Bolivia.
*[http://www.upeu.edu.pe/en/ Universidad Peruana Union]: A university located near Lima, Peru.
*[http://iab.edu.ar Instituto Adventista Balcarce]: A high school located near Balcarce, Argentina.
*[http://isam.educacionadventista.com/ Instituto Superior Adventista de Misiones]: A high school and university located in Leonardo M. Alem, Misiones.
*[http://www.iau.edu.uy Instituto Adventista del Uruguay]: A high school located in Canelones, Uruguay.

'''Europe'''

*Newbold College: Binfield, England
*Adventist University of France: Collonges, France

'''Australia''' 

*[http://www.avondale.edu.au/ Avondale College]

==External links==

===Official SDA sites===
*[http://www.adventist.org Official website]
*[http://www.adra.org/site/PageServer Adventist Development and Relief Agency]
*[http://www.awr.org/en/home Adventist World Radio]
*[http://www.hopetv.org/ Hope Channel]

===Related sites===

*[http://www.3abn.org/ Three Angels Broadcasting Network]
*[http://kidswithamission.org/Template_Load.aspx?PageID=242 Maranatha Volunteers International]
*The ironically named [http://www.amazingfacts.org/ Amazing Facts]
*Offshoots in the SDA church [http://disruptingadventism.blogspot.com Disrupting Adventism]

===Other sites===
*[https://archive.ph/jNrIS Deconverting from the Seventh-Day Adventist Church]

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:American religions]]
[[Category:Christian denominations]]
[[Category:Cults]]
[[Category:Homophobia]]
[[Category:Sexism]]

Categories: American religions, Christian denominations, Cults, Homophobia, Sexism