I noticed a number of unusual overlaps with your story and mine, a pattern that also occurs in certain other Substacks that I subscribe to and participate in, although the specific overlaps differ with each author. This suggests to me some kind of relationship larger than the individual connections. I'm not sure what to make of that, but I welcome it.
Listening to this brought up quite a few questions, but I'll only mention two here. I located a recent post where you describe your Tampa Bay experiment, and that should answer this one. I attempted some trigonometric calculations a year or two ago (doesn't everybody at one time or another? 🤔) but didn't arrive at a useful result. My knowledge of trigonometry dates from 1967 but I use it sometimes in my work, most recently in 2016, and I've held on to at least some of it. Time to go through that post again.
The other question raised is regarding your concerns about the SDAs. I haven't been as successful with searching your Substack for that subject, although your comments during the interview were sufficient for pulling up all kinds of other material. Looks like I overlooked a few things. I would like to read your take, however, rather than relying what the search engines offer.
I attended and belonged to a local SDA congregation in 1996-8, and there were extra-biblical teachings and certain cultural issues, but it was better than where I was coming from (from a Walter Martin viewpoint, anyway) and the extra teachings were mentioned occasionally but were not dominant. Where I came from before that was really bad.
The SDA health information, while not strictly accurate, was quite possibly life-saving for me, and perhaps that is why I was there. With one other exception the rest of my churches have been into consuming whatever industry (not God) says is good, "with thanksgiving", and praying for miracles when the consequences roll in.
I had always looked back positively on that time with the SDAs, but I overlooked major details when I studied their history. Those details appear more important now than then, at a time when I was recovering from worse church problems than theirs, dating from childhood.
It makes me sick (sometimes literally) to have to dismantle and reframe my entire life story, but I guess I'd rather learn the truth than feel good about the lies. Thank you.
Thank you sister, there are no coincidences in the Kingdom.
"The other question raised is regarding your concerns about the SDAs. I haven't been as successful with searching your Substack for that subject, although your comments during the interview were sufficient for pulling up all kinds of other material. Looks like I overlooked a few things. I would like to read your take, however, rather than relying what the search engines offer."
I have not written on them yet but that is just a matter of time, bigger fish to fry and all that - not that their history isn't fascinating to me given my explorations into Masonry and the Church. My major concerns have to do with the founders' quite obvious affinity for Masonry, their Christology, as well the charismatic nature of the sect in general.
With the Destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, prophecy and vision were sealed up (Daniel 9:24), but regardless of one's views on what spiritual gifts are active right now and which have ceased, Ellen White clearly fits the definition of a false prophet after numerous failed predictions (Duet. 18:22). Much like the false prophet Darby, occult language and symbols dot her literature as well (see https://www.ellen-white-truth.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Photograph-from-Ellen-White-Estate-2013-August.jpg).
Very interesting. I don't think I was aware of any of this at the time. This particular congregation was very much evangelical, and orthodox in the essentials. The "extras" didn't appear to interfere with that.
They conducted fairly regular, well attended, multi-evening evangelical campaigns that brought in new people from the community that, like myself, had no SDA background. I was quite familiar with these events because I was a volunteer broadcast sound tech and recordist for the TV, radio, and cassette tape outreaches -- they trained me to run the sound booth, mixer and recorders -- and I also recorded the campaigns for them, although those were not broadcast.
My volunteer work within my various churches has offered a behind-the-scenes view of the goings-on, right up to the present. I didn't discover anything of great concern inside that one back then, but now that I'm discovering so many new things, it's a chore to try to assemble all the pieces, for all those churches.
I think you also mentioned the UUs. Nothing would surprise me about them now. I was a member of one of those congregations for 12 years later on. Learning about the SDAs, however, is a surprise.
In my last years of teaching Latin (ended Jan '21) I came to realize just how close was our USA situation to that of Rome in the last century B.C.
Really enjoyed your discussion on this podcast so I can imagine how fascinating your book must be!
Two of my favorite truthers and podcasters on this level plane ✈️ 👊💥💯
That was funny, your host and your pseudonym.
I noticed a number of unusual overlaps with your story and mine, a pattern that also occurs in certain other Substacks that I subscribe to and participate in, although the specific overlaps differ with each author. This suggests to me some kind of relationship larger than the individual connections. I'm not sure what to make of that, but I welcome it.
Listening to this brought up quite a few questions, but I'll only mention two here. I located a recent post where you describe your Tampa Bay experiment, and that should answer this one. I attempted some trigonometric calculations a year or two ago (doesn't everybody at one time or another? 🤔) but didn't arrive at a useful result. My knowledge of trigonometry dates from 1967 but I use it sometimes in my work, most recently in 2016, and I've held on to at least some of it. Time to go through that post again.
The other question raised is regarding your concerns about the SDAs. I haven't been as successful with searching your Substack for that subject, although your comments during the interview were sufficient for pulling up all kinds of other material. Looks like I overlooked a few things. I would like to read your take, however, rather than relying what the search engines offer.
I attended and belonged to a local SDA congregation in 1996-8, and there were extra-biblical teachings and certain cultural issues, but it was better than where I was coming from (from a Walter Martin viewpoint, anyway) and the extra teachings were mentioned occasionally but were not dominant. Where I came from before that was really bad.
The SDA health information, while not strictly accurate, was quite possibly life-saving for me, and perhaps that is why I was there. With one other exception the rest of my churches have been into consuming whatever industry (not God) says is good, "with thanksgiving", and praying for miracles when the consequences roll in.
I had always looked back positively on that time with the SDAs, but I overlooked major details when I studied their history. Those details appear more important now than then, at a time when I was recovering from worse church problems than theirs, dating from childhood.
It makes me sick (sometimes literally) to have to dismantle and reframe my entire life story, but I guess I'd rather learn the truth than feel good about the lies. Thank you.
Thank you sister, there are no coincidences in the Kingdom.
"The other question raised is regarding your concerns about the SDAs. I haven't been as successful with searching your Substack for that subject, although your comments during the interview were sufficient for pulling up all kinds of other material. Looks like I overlooked a few things. I would like to read your take, however, rather than relying what the search engines offer."
I have not written on them yet but that is just a matter of time, bigger fish to fry and all that - not that their history isn't fascinating to me given my explorations into Masonry and the Church. My major concerns have to do with the founders' quite obvious affinity for Masonry, their Christology, as well the charismatic nature of the sect in general.
With the Destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, prophecy and vision were sealed up (Daniel 9:24), but regardless of one's views on what spiritual gifts are active right now and which have ceased, Ellen White clearly fits the definition of a false prophet after numerous failed predictions (Duet. 18:22). Much like the false prophet Darby, occult language and symbols dot her literature as well (see https://www.ellen-white-truth.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Photograph-from-Ellen-White-Estate-2013-August.jpg).
Additionally, Ellen White's memorial pamphlet has the Knights Templar logo emblazoned on the 32nd page (https://archive.org/details/InMemoriam-Mrs.E.G.White/page/n33/mode/2up). In the York Rite, the Knights Templar degree is equivalent to a 32 degree in the Scottish Rite.
That might as well be a giant sign neon saying "I'm an Occultist!"
Very interesting. I don't think I was aware of any of this at the time. This particular congregation was very much evangelical, and orthodox in the essentials. The "extras" didn't appear to interfere with that.
They conducted fairly regular, well attended, multi-evening evangelical campaigns that brought in new people from the community that, like myself, had no SDA background. I was quite familiar with these events because I was a volunteer broadcast sound tech and recordist for the TV, radio, and cassette tape outreaches -- they trained me to run the sound booth, mixer and recorders -- and I also recorded the campaigns for them, although those were not broadcast.
My volunteer work within my various churches has offered a behind-the-scenes view of the goings-on, right up to the present. I didn't discover anything of great concern inside that one back then, but now that I'm discovering so many new things, it's a chore to try to assemble all the pieces, for all those churches.
I think you also mentioned the UUs. Nothing would surprise me about them now. I was a member of one of those congregations for 12 years later on. Learning about the SDAs, however, is a surprise.
Well done. Keep it up, brother!