Cults are Abusive
I was raised in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It started out in upstate New York, in the same area and time period when many other fringe groups started out. The Shakers had already made a big presence there for some time. The Latter-Day Saints, Spiritualism, and the Oneida group started up over there.
The SDA church started with William Miller, who was a lay preacher, farmer, and veteran of the War of 1812's Battle of Plattsburgh. William Miller studied his Bible and was especially intrigued by the book of Daniel. He felt that the world was going to come to an end in 1843. He spoke at various places around the northeast United States and gained around 50,000 followers. Later they were waiting for Christ to return on October 22, 1844. When that failed to happen, many members disbanded and went back to their previous churches. Some formed the Advent Christian Church, and some others formed the Seventh-day Adventists.
First, William Miller should have never started what he did. First, the Bible is adamant that nobody knows the day nor the hour when Christ will return (Matthew 24). Also Luke 21:8 states that many people will say "the end is nigh" and we are not to follow them. The damage Miller has done ruined many lives and is continuing to ruin many lives.
Growing up in the Seventh-day Adventist Church was difficult. It was hard to make friends outside the church because of all the rules we had to follow. For example, we never ate meat except on certain holidays when we would have turkey. The dietary restrictions caused social problems, especially in the 1980s and early 1990s when vegetarianism was less common and acceptable than it is now. We weren't allowed to dance or wear jewelry, all things that many girls loved to do. I missed out on my proms. Strict Sabbath observance was a must and from sunset Friday to sunset on Saturday we didn't listen to the radio, watch TV, go shopping, go swimming, or go to any secular events. That made us miss out on many things and also made friendship more difficult.
People around us were scrutinizing what we wore and what we ate. I wore a dress or skirt to church every Saturday, even in the dead of Winter. My mother told me that makeup was wrong, so I never wore it, even in high school. I was constantly being given health advice from Adventists. I was told things that "Don't you know those Skittles contain gelatin?".
I kept on hoping for a "nice Adventist guy" to come and sweep me off my feet. He never came around. Many thought I wasn't good enough for them for various reasons. I could have come from a "better" family (SDA big shots). I could be more conservative or less conservative. I could be a different ethnicity, I could like certain activities, etc. They all seemed to have some excuse as to why I never could make the cut. Some others preferred women who weren't Adventist because they felt that they couldn't find a SDA woman who was good enough. Go figure.
So after finally leaving the Adventist church for true Christianity, I am still trying to get over all the pain and damage that this group has caused me. I am trying to get better self-esteem, improve my social skills, and navigate this world. I know it's going to be difficult, but I know I can do it.
The SDA church started with William Miller, who was a lay preacher, farmer, and veteran of the War of 1812's Battle of Plattsburgh. William Miller studied his Bible and was especially intrigued by the book of Daniel. He felt that the world was going to come to an end in 1843. He spoke at various places around the northeast United States and gained around 50,000 followers. Later they were waiting for Christ to return on October 22, 1844. When that failed to happen, many members disbanded and went back to their previous churches. Some formed the Advent Christian Church, and some others formed the Seventh-day Adventists.
First, William Miller should have never started what he did. First, the Bible is adamant that nobody knows the day nor the hour when Christ will return (Matthew 24). Also Luke 21:8 states that many people will say "the end is nigh" and we are not to follow them. The damage Miller has done ruined many lives and is continuing to ruin many lives.
Growing up in the Seventh-day Adventist Church was difficult. It was hard to make friends outside the church because of all the rules we had to follow. For example, we never ate meat except on certain holidays when we would have turkey. The dietary restrictions caused social problems, especially in the 1980s and early 1990s when vegetarianism was less common and acceptable than it is now. We weren't allowed to dance or wear jewelry, all things that many girls loved to do. I missed out on my proms. Strict Sabbath observance was a must and from sunset Friday to sunset on Saturday we didn't listen to the radio, watch TV, go shopping, go swimming, or go to any secular events. That made us miss out on many things and also made friendship more difficult.
People around us were scrutinizing what we wore and what we ate. I wore a dress or skirt to church every Saturday, even in the dead of Winter. My mother told me that makeup was wrong, so I never wore it, even in high school. I was constantly being given health advice from Adventists. I was told things that "Don't you know those Skittles contain gelatin?".
I kept on hoping for a "nice Adventist guy" to come and sweep me off my feet. He never came around. Many thought I wasn't good enough for them for various reasons. I could have come from a "better" family (SDA big shots). I could be more conservative or less conservative. I could be a different ethnicity, I could like certain activities, etc. They all seemed to have some excuse as to why I never could make the cut. Some others preferred women who weren't Adventist because they felt that they couldn't find a SDA woman who was good enough. Go figure.
So after finally leaving the Adventist church for true Christianity, I am still trying to get over all the pain and damage that this group has caused me. I am trying to get better self-esteem, improve my social skills, and navigate this world. I know it's going to be difficult, but I know I can do it.
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