Guest Testimonials

Testimonies from guests of this web site

Encourage others with your personal testimony! E-mail your testimony to us at: nonsda.org@gmail.com


September, 2009

Dear Mr. Anderson

I’m now having the most wonderful experience which I must relate, for I’ve been made free! Just as the following text reads John 8:31-32 (KJV) “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

I’m a second generation Adventist of forty six years, my father is Roger Morneau, you may have heard of him, for he wrote five books for the SDA church, the first being A Trip into the Supernatural, then a set entitled Incredible Answers to Prayer, and the last Beware of Angels. Well guess what? I just got my own incredible answer to prayer; for the God of heaven has shown me, the true spirit behind Mrs. Ellen G. White, and it’s not the same spirit that I’ve been taught to worship. And so it turns out that this woman is a fraud of the worst kind, the worst of the worst a wolf in sheep clothes!!!

To be honest I never saw the answer to my prayer coming, it totally took me off guard to put it mildly. In fact I think I went into some kind of mental shock, I just couldn’t believe it, yet it was true, oh so true. And so for the first time in my life things are now starting to make sense, with regards to Mrs. White. You see I’m a man saved completely by the blood of my savior; it is He that has put me right with my heavenly Father, He and He alone. Yet somewhere in the back of my mind, in some dark corner there’s this room with Mrs. Whites name engraved upon it. To be honest this room has always bothered me for I’d always come up short every time I went inside. It’s hard to explain but no matter how clean I’d perceive myself to be by the blood of my God there was always something in that room that made me feel as if there was more that I could do, or should do, with regards to my salvation thus causing me to question my love for God and my true standing with Him. Now however I fully understand that this room is not the kingdom of heaven as it leads one to believe, but rather it’s the land of the enemy.

Well I’m so very glad to say that this room is forever gone!!! Thanks to the God of heaven, for He has taken it away forever. So let no one tell us what true worship is, for it comes from a heart full of joy, the joy that comes only from the Word of God. We’re told in His word that there are those who worship him with their mouths yet their hearts are far from Him, the reason for this is due to the fact that their hearts are void of the joy of His salvation, for it’s a heart full of joy that brings true worship to God!!! And this joy comes from His free gift of salvation, which is the grace of God, praise the Lord!!!

Here are the steps that brought me to understand that Mrs. White is a fraud of the worst kind. I love to study scripture for it feeds the soul, I also believe that we are in the very final moments before our Lord’s return and it’s our responsibility to understand as much as we can while we can. I need not tell you that he who seeks finds and my findings at times just wouldn’t fall in line with Mrs. White’s writings, or her visions. This was quite disturbing, and so I’d pray that the Lord would show me where I was in error, but the more I studied and prayed the more convinced I became that maybe it was Mrs. White that was in error, but how could this be, for she is a true prophet of God?

I have a SDA friend that sent me a clip from you-tube and it dealt with the problem of the sanctuary issue and Mrs. White, this led to watching the clips entitled SDA at the cross roads, with Des Ford, and Walter Rea. And so I bought Walter Ray’s book the White Lie, and that was it, the Lord opened my eyes and now I can see.

I have another dear friend who is a SDA she too has come to see the light, it is she that directed me to your web sight, which testifies once again that I’m truly on the right track, for you here address in the light of scripture many of Mrs. White’s bazaar and scripture opposing statements which have baffled and disturbed me greatly. You my friend are doing the work of God! May He bless you richly! Do not become discourage by those who refuse to see the light!!! I found the truth because I was looking for it and praying for it, however when it came it was not what I expected it to be and this is an understatement to be sure, but for those who rebuke and chastise you, it is they that believe they have it all, thus making themselves the Laodicean church.

There’s one more thing I need to say with regards to Mrs. White. It appears to me that she did for the devil a most wonderful work, for she being a false prophet put her stamp of approval both on true and erroneous doctrine, and by so doing created a ceiling within the church that none can ever rise above, and if they do, they’ll be shot down as sure as God lives. And so those inside become as fish in a bowl, depending on their prophet to answer their every question, thus saving them from studying their own Bibles with fasting and prayer, thus disrupting the connection that should exist between them and their God. This thinking of the church makes me mad!!! Are we not told in scripture that God will teach each one? Is it not our responsibility to understand scripture for ourselves? Even the hard questions! Let us thank the God of heaven that the ceiling been removed in our lives, by His Word with prayer!!! It appears however that the devil bought himself some time with the work of his false prophet, or so He thinks, truth however will prevail, it will be restored to its correct place just as we’re promised with the twenty three hundred day prophecy of Daniel eight.

Thanks for making a difference in my life, your web site is wonderful, keep up the good work your friend in Christ,

Daniel Morneau


March 2007

...the system of Adventist beliefs is so complicated. The jailer of Philippi was converted and baptized in one night, but to become an Adventist takes the equivalent of a college course. You have to be a (rather uncritical) historian and a mathematician as well as a theologian. ...

To read John William's entire testimony, CLICK HERE


January 2007

Hello Dirk,

I've been an Adventist from birth up until last summer when my journey out of this denomination began. It all started with the summer Sabbath school quarterly entitled "The Gospel, 1844 and the Judgement". For a number of years I had already established that the doctrine of an investigative judgement is entirely false but I simply hadn't the opportunity to examine it further. I don't exactly remember how, but I know it was God's hand that led me into a deeper, more careful investigation of Adventist teachings and ultimately to "nonegw.org" where the whole world of what lies beneath Adventism was opened before my eyes.

I asked difficult questions to Pastors and theologians regarding Adventist teachings in light of God's holy scriptures, but as you may well expect no one could give Biblically credible answers. I've held various positions in my local church amongst other things, but finally I said to myself that as a Christian I can only stand for the truth found only in God's word and not false, fanatical interpretations of scripture. Following this decision I effectively left the SDA Church about two months ago. It's not been an easy decision bearing in mind that both my parents and my brothers and sisters are still members, but I pray for them that they too will someday see the truth.

God Bless you,

Kim M.
United Kingdom


April 2006

Dear Dirk,

On December 30, 2004 I sent my Resignation letter to cancel my membership in SDA church Warrimoo, Australia. That letter is published on Former Adventist Fellowship. To make that Resignation more clear I want to tell your readers the complete story.

I was baptised into the SDA denomination in May 1981 to the great opposition from my wife, Christine. Her background was in the Pentecostal Church, with home Churches everywhere experiencing the working of the Holy Spirit in their life. Her story is absolutely amazing! The miracles in her life she experienced and witnessed are numerous. So you can understand the opposition and grief I have caused to her entering SDA movement.

At that time we had two lovely boys aged three and two and one was on the way. As many other sincere Christians I was also searching for many answers which remained unanswered by our parish Minister. This was a good opportunity for SDA`s to step in and "explain" very plausibly what I was searching for.

At the end of Bible study with them, I was convinced they have the truth and all others are in error. This opinion was with me for most of the time I was the SDA member.

For the sake of family unity my wife also got baptised about six months later without really believing many of the SDA doctrines and she totally rejected E.G. White as a prophet. (She told me this after we have left the church). In the mean time all my family members suffered my lack of mercy, compassion and flexibility when it came to relating to my children and my wife. I was so stern and brainwashed into church doctrines that I totally lost understanding of love and compassion. As Christine said I was little tyrant and commander of an army influenced by E.G.White`s teachings. Everything had to be the way Ellen said, after all she was God`s Prophetess an she knew what she was talking about.

During this time I was returning the tithes faithfully, I was contributing to any and every evangelical endeavour the church organised. I did not hesitate to give money for any literature evangelism etc.. I estimate my family contributed to SDA funds close to Au$ 200,000 which could buy a house in a middle class suburb.

In the mean time I was developing severe depression. For a whole seven years I was getting deeper and deeper into this insidious disease. The more depressed I was the more I looked into E.G. White books for the answer and I was getting even more depressed reading her instructions and prophecies, until I arrived to one particular utterance in "Great Controversy" where she said that at the end time trouble GOD will withdraw His Holy Spirit from the Earth and His followers will stand before GOD without Mediator, we will be on our own fighting the battle with Satan! You can imagine what statement like that can do to depressed person! Would not Lot`s wife tell him to curse GOD and die? Utter desperation come upon me and I have chosen to curse Ellen instead. From that time on I started to concentrate on reading more sensible books written by writers who uplifted me in my Christian belief.

Now I can say with conviction that even their so called 'Health message" has failed me miserably. I have discovered how inadequate their "health" teaching is. The depression I have suffered all these years was mainly caused by their poor vegetarian diet they promote. I was completely deficient of some basic nutrients and vitamins, namely vitamin B12 and overloaded with refined carbohydrates and cooked vegetables.

Thanks to the Lord Jesus I have discovered the Internet sites like Former Adventist Fellowship, Truth or Fables, Life assurance Ministries and others who helped me to make the decision to leave SDA and be free of their horrible depressing teachings.

I was so desperate to know the real truth that when our pastor separated the members to prayer groups in different houses across the Blue Mountains region to "evangelise" our neighbours and bring them to SDA fellowship, I offered our house for the weekly prayer meetings. Our group started with four couples consisting of my daughter with her husband, my son with his fiancée, some Dutch couple, my wife and myself. My son and his fiancée did not attend often as they worked late hours and could not always arrive on time. We have all agreed we will seek the truth and God’s guidance only trough Holy Spirit. We have prayed earnestly for HIS blessings and truth, we have prayed for other people and everyone who had any physical or health problem and miracles started to happen! The Dutch lady`s niece got pregnant and did not abort as was the case 3 times before. Another relative was healed of long standing disease and so on. As time went on we were experiencing the peace of GOD and discovering the real truth.

To cut the story short, all the regular members of that group left the SDA denomination and began worshiping in other Spirit and love filled churches. My wife and I have joined a little country town Pentecostal Church with vibrant fellowship.

If any of you reading this are still hesitating to leave the SDA Church my advice is pray like you never prayed before and ask GOD to show you if the truth you are following is the truth of GOD our Redeemer. Do it sincerely and GOD will never let you down.

God bless you all and your good works.

Ferdinand Rajcany
Australia


March 2006

... It wasn't long before I realized that, like it or not, I had to test the prophet. I was seeing a lot of major contradictions between Mrs. White and the Bible. Either I was majorly misunderstanding what the Bible was saying or she was not a prophet! I didn't want to be misled. It's a big issue to reject any true prophet of God. It's also a big issue to accept as a prophet someone who is not one - a false prophet. So I tested her carefully and prayerfully by the tests given in the Bible for true and false prophets. She failed every one. ...

To read Cherie Stark's entire compelling testimony about her 37 years in the SDA church, CLICK HERE


January 2006

Dear Mr. Anderson,

I am writing to tell you how useful your web-site has been to me. I am two years removed from the SDA church. I was a member for 15 years and was a staunch supporter of Ellen White. I held many positions within the church and would never have believed that I could leave. God placed it on my heart to study the writings of E.W. in light of the Gospel and also to begin a study of Galatians. Thus began a spiritual journey of a lifetime. Though I was a Christian, I for the first time, truly gave my life to Christ. I have not looked back. I have however continued to study and pray for my friends who are continuing to pledge allegiance to the SDA church. Without your web-site, I would not have known that there were others on the same journey as me. I do on occasion feel anger and sadness that the church leaders are able to lie and deceive so many people. I pray that this will soon change. With people such as yourself who are able to educate people on a larger scale, I am confident that truth will prevail and all of our friends and loved ones will also have the veil removed and finally be able to see Christ as we do. I also pray that Adventists will know that we are not being divisive, but that we are merely answering the call to spread the Gospel of Christ in a spirit of love. Thanks again and keep up the good work!

Missy
USA


August 2005

Dear Mr. Anderson,

I could not believe my eyes when I came across your web site. EVERYTHING is so true. I come from a long line of SDAs. My entire Mom's family, including aunts, uncles, etc., was brain washed. I am talking about my grandparents, their 12 sons and daughters plus my generation which was born into a rigid disciplinarianism. I continue to have a great deal of my family working for the SDA Church as Pastors, at the General Conference, in schools, faithful church goers, etc. But, for me, the brain damage done to an entire generation is inexcusable. This is my biggest pain.

With Many Thanks,
Essie
USA


February 2005

I was an Adventist for 50 years since birth. I went to all the schools. The whole nine yards worth. In fact I think there are three generations or more of Advenitists in my family.

Growing up an Adventist we were taught that our guardian angels were right there watching us and crying every time we did or thought a bad thing. We were taught that we must be perfect and every sin forgiven to be saved and therefore we lived on edge that Jesus might come right in the middle of an evil thought or action. As a result of this theology I lived my life in constant guilt and fear. I never felt saved or good enough to be a Christian. I was sure that God did not love me. Therefore, I spent most of my young adult life going in and out of the Church. I would leave because I could not measure up to the expected standards and then I would come back out from fear of hell and out of guilt. I have been baptized and rebaptized 4 times!!

Even though the following quote was the unrealized opinion that I had of God towards me growing up I still couldn’t believe my eyes when I read from Ellen White where she said,

"God loves honest-hearted, truthful children, but cannot love those who are dishonest. . . . When you feel tempted to speak impatient and fretful, remember the Lord sees you, and will not love you if you do wrong." (An Appeal to the Youth, pp. 42,62. Letter to W.C. White. Willie was six years old at this time. Emphasis supplied)

Today by the grace of God I realize that this statement and others like it, is very wrong if not downright blasphemous!!

Out of rebellion, frustration and the depression of a works-focused religion I stayed away from religion for about 15 years during the 80s and 90s. In my forties I decided that I was going to come back to “the Church” and follow the teachings all the way even if it killed me and I think it almost did, from depression.

I discovered the truth about God that the early pioneers believed and decided that the pioneers had the truth and Ellen White must be obeyed to the letter since she was believed to be a true prophetess. I got involved in the "historic" Adventists offshoot groups who stressed that we must overcome as Christ overcame. We must reach perfection. The Godhead movement in particular was the group I associated with. I began doing as they did. I wore silly long dresses and became a vegan vegetarian and secluded myself from the world. The legalistic rules kept getting worse and worse as I studied Ellen White and got into their historic ideas of holiness.

Examples of these rules were,

  • Wearing of only wool and cotton
  • Long dresses for women no shorter than 8 inches from the floor
  • Sleeves at least 3/4 length even in the summer
  • Long hair was encouraged and many rules for women’s appearance in particular
  • Some were teaching that women had to wear head coverings
  • The King James Version only was to be read, all other versions "are perverted"
  • No pictures of Jesus in the house
  • Christmas and Easter were pagan holidays and were not to be recognized but the feast days were observed by some instead
  • Some insisted on using the sacred names of God—Yahweh and Yahshua
  • Vegan diets that not only excluded eggs and dairy but did away with all additives, processed foods, mushrooms, sea weed, foods that were not organically grown and some were doing away with wheat and cashews!!
  • The food list kept going on and on and on to the point that the only safe thing to eat was RAW foods which you grew from your own organic garden even if it was of poor quality. Back to Eden was the philosophy.
  • Insurance and doctors and drugs were not of faith so these were avoided.
  • Water treatments were used instead from which I NEVER benefitted. Neither did my husband who suffered terrible headaches and would not take something to ease the pain.
  • The Sabbath became a drudgery of ceremonious routines and endless dos and don’ts.
  • Because of the paranoia of Jesuits and from false theology about end times and the new world order some were coming to the conclusion that we must give up all connections with the government so some gave up drivers license or social security numbers.
  • Computers and cell phones were means of spying on us so we could be rounded up during the time of trouble.
  • Even Walmart was owned by the papacy and put spyware in their clothing so don’t shop at Walmart!

Extremes of every sort are running rampant in the ranks of cultish Adventism and all of her hellish offshoot products.

I loved reading Jones' and Waggoner's material. They preached righteousness by faith. And one day I stumbled on some of Jones' and Waggoner's very last documents and realized the real reasons that they left Adventism. We were basically lied to about them. Jones questioned Ellen White's prophetic authority in some of her Tesitmonies and in doing so he was basically removed from the membership at Battlecreek. I began to question EGW myself.

Then I read the document of documents by E.J. Waggoner where he tells why he could not come back to Adventism as a preacher after being invited to do so. He rejected the sanctuary doctrine and 1844 and the interpretation of Daniel 8.

Anyway that is what got me studying and what eventually took me out of Adventism.

Since then I have been going through an identity crisis. I stopped going down to my home church group even though they saw the errors of EGW and 1844. I stopped going because we were all wallowing around in Adventist thinking and I was not learning or growing. So right now I am avoiding ex-SDA groups for that reason.

I thank Clay Peck of Grace Place in Berthoud, CO for his covenant studies on his web site for helping me to get a Biblical perspective on salvation through the light of the NEW covenant. I thank him also for his Sabbath studies along with Dale Ratzlaff's book, Sabbath in Christ. I think their studies are excellent and truthful. But I've been wrong for 50 years so the Lord will have to lead me.

I thank Dirk Anderson for his website for opening my eyes to a ton more garbage about EGW that I needed to know and for his link to the keys to understanding evelation which led me to other searches into Preterist thinking of Bible prophecy interpretation. I find them fascinating and Biblically sensible as it allows the apochraphaic language of the Bible to interpret itself.

But more than anything else, the understanding of grace by faith and Christ's righteousness that has been given to me as a free gift is the greatest understanding that anyone could have ever given me and I thank God that he is faithful who promised that he would finish the work he started in me. I look forward to growing in grace with my Lord Jesus Christ and the eternal life that is now mine.

LouAnne
USA


October 2004

Dear Dirk:

I have spent weeks in your site. I am continually amazed at the "new light" I have found with your help. I want to thank you for your time spent to guide others in searching for "the Truth."

I was amazed by the letter I found the other night about Ellen talking to James after he was dead. Very Interesting....

I found the testimony from the guy that was in the vault and Dr. B showed him where EGW wrote about women being with apes. Well, I wanted to tell you back in the early 1980s my husband had a good friend that went to Andrews. He told my husband about seeing this writing while doing research in the vault. We wondered all these years about it. I was pleased to confirm it with that part of your site. We suspect he was kicked out of school, as bearing that statement he began preaching to kids on campus about what he had found, referring to black people as monkeys.

Just a word on the abortion issue. I really appreciate you sending me that link. We have long suspected the church stance. Again, back in the early 1980s we had a big SDA meeting here in KC at a large downtown arena with President Neil Wilson among others. We had just started our new family and this issue was prevalent on our minds at the time. Just so happened, we heard there would be a Q/A time after they stopped patting their selves on the back for all the great and wonderful things they had done in the medical field. My husband was first to the microphone to ask his question.(just picture the arena filled with proud and puffed up Adventists that had just got a glowing pep talk from the top brass about how fabulous we were) Wilson called on him and he asked into the microphone broadcast clearly throughout the hall,"could you tell me how many abortions do our hospitals due each year?" There was a literal gasp by many in the audience. As if to say, we are here glorifying us, how could you ask such a thing? He stammered a bit and said he would refer that question to some other hospital guy on stage. He came and said (as best I remember) pretty much he didn't know either.

It's beginning to seem that the stacks of Ellen White books were more demonic than the albums I threw away in an effort to "clean our house." Isn't it interesting to think you can be sssoooo right and be DEAD WRONG!!!!!

Thanks Dirk,
D.
USA


August 2004

Mr. Anderson,

I just wanted to tell you thank you for providing the web site and information that you do! You are helping so many people!

About 6 months ago I stumbled across your site...entirely by accident. I was raised very conservative SDA, in a fourth generation pastors family. My grandparents and great grandparents and great, great...etc all were missionaries and helped start the schools and missions in Africa. Anyway. I had no inclinications to even wonder that I didn't know every aspect of "truth". And when I saw your site and what was posted, I set out to prove you wrong. It only took a week for me to see that I was wrong, and that the problems with EGW are enormous!

Anyway... to make a long story short, in the past 6 months God has led us so amazingly. After reading what was on your site, I crashed and burned as you can imagine. But then I went to my Bible and started studying. Everything I thought I knew, has changed. My husband and I are leaving the church, and we're studying with a growing group of people in our area who were also open to the Holy Spirit's leading. More and more people are joinging our little band, and we can see God's amazing hand in everything. We started with the book of Galatians (or Adventists), and I have been in touch with Mr. Ratzlaff as well.

I thank God for leading me to your site, and you for providing it.

God Bless you always!
Esther Aust
Michigan, USA


May 2004

I stumbled upon your website today by accident. After a brief surf through the site I say "congratulations." You are performing a valuable service.

I was a fourth generation Adventist on both sides of my family. There are many pioneers of the Adventist church among my ancestors. Several of my family knew Ellen White, and my grandparents lived close to Elmshaven and Willie White attended my parent's wedding. I went to Adventist schools from kindergarten through college. (PUC) I continued my education by completing a masters degree and a Ph.D. in Sociology. I taught at Andrews University for twelve years and Pacific Union College for two. I also worked for the Adventist Health System for several years.

I have always been serious about spiritual things and lived a life of fear for many years. The brand of Christianity I was socialized in as I grew up in California has very little in common with the verities of the Christian faith found in Scripture and practiced by the saints of God through nearly two thousand years of history.

Fortunately for me my interest in spiritual matters led me to read extensively from Christian writers outside of Adventism. I read myself out of the Adventist church with the leading of the Holy Spirit. The emotionally and spiritually abusive doctrine, beliefs and practices of the church no longer have me in their grasp. I am free at last from Adventism, fundamentalism, and smug evangelicalism. While I have not believed in core Adventist doctrines (Sabbath, EGW, Investigative Judgement, State of the Dead) since the early 80's, I did not leave the church until 1996. I stayed for family and social reasons, but finally had to make the break to cease being a marginal man in my church, and also so that I could lead others to Christianity without introducing them to the cultic doctrines and judgemental atmosphere of Adventism.

I have joined a main line Christian church and have found a profound difference in my Christian life. I belong to a church where we are all one in Christ, supporting and nurturing each other, serving Christ in the church and the community. Gone is the judgmentalism, the legalism, the salvation by correct belief, the triumphalism, the spiritual arrogance, the petty back-stabbing and majoring in minors. The giant pillars of Christian faith are the bulwarks of my new church. We spend our time deepening our relationship with God, finding ways to serve him in our community and in our world, celebrating through litergy the marvelous grace of Christ. It is like a different religion from what I knew before. I indeed have peace that passes all understanding, and for the first time in my life total lack of fear of death and an ever-increasing love for God. What a joy it is to be a Christian.

I went through a time of being bitter with the church, but I know that was wrong. I now feel sorry for my Adventist friends who are still caught in the grasps of a pseudo-christian religion that distorts the image of God. Total peace and contentment is difficult to achieve as an Adventist. The only Adventists who achieve peace are either ignorant or have cast aside many of the doctrines and beliefs. I pray daily that those with seeking hearts will escape Adventism.

Frankly, I now have no interest in the kind of things that your website addresses, however there was a time when I could have used the information it provides. It provides a valuable service to those seeking truth.

I was at Andrews as a professor during the Ford trial and the purge of the clergy in California. Many of the heretics of the past twenty years are friend of mine. Smuts Van Rooyan, Des Ford, Calvin Edwards, and many pastors who have left the church are people who I count as friends. We had a network of Andrews, PUC students and professors that generated a lot of the information that you have on your website, but it would have been great to have so much information at our fingertips.

I was on the board of Spectrum and active in Adventist Forum for years. That organization performed a valuable function, but never went far enough.

God bless you in your work.

D., USA


February 2004

Hi My name is Andy Hall I just wanted to share with you my story and journey since June last year.

I started on an investigation to prove everything I believed in as an SDA was completely Bible based and rock solid. I went about commencing my search for truth, even though at the time I really believed that I was just going to find out pretty quickly that what I believed in was correct and that these arguments would be destroyed by the truth that the Bible has revealed to our church. When I started looking I realised pretty quickly the enormity of the arguments against our church. And at first I just brushed it off as being a difference of interpretation and a matter of opinion. So I turned it off and pretty much just got really angry that there were so many lies against our church.

I eventually couldn't help myself and I really felt like God was telling me that it was important to know whether or not what I believed in was actual truth, so I jumped back online and started to look back at the plethora of material. I also started to speak to other Adventists about certain beliefs, and mentioned Bible texts that these websites were using, to find out what they believed and if they had a suitable answer. It surprised me completely that when I asked them they either agreed with the argument against our church's doctrine or didn't give a satisfactory answer. This only started to make me more skeptical and question my beliefs even further.

The first topic was Revelation and immediatly the sabbath became a hot topic for discussion but with prayer and bible study we all worked together to clearly show that saturday is indeed the sabbath. The way some people think you should keep the sabbath is where I get angry and about the way the church has heightened the importance of the Sabbath to that of a salvation pre-requisite. This led us to the next question of the seal of God. We were pointed to Ephesians 1:13-14 and 4:30 which clearly states the Holy Spirit being the Seal of God. We all agreed on this and continued our study of Revelation.

At this point I started to ask as many people in our church, as I could, if they also believed this. I was surprised that nearly everyone that I spoke to believed the same thing or hadn't heard of the text and when they read it were also convinced. I found that there were many websites that had been set up to refute our beliefs. I read and read and read and read and read. I found that the majority of websites were saying that everything I believed in was built on a lie. At first I got very angry and very defensive and after being completely immersed in the subject matter I got completely depressed and decided I had read enough and came to the conclusion that most of the websites were built on difference of opinion and interpretation and bitterness that comes from being an ex-adventist. I turned the computer off and placed my head back into the sand. Even though I thought at the time that I was truly right and these people writing these websites were truly wrong.

We then continued our bible study of Revelation. We still could not in any way prove from the Bible the sanctuary doctrine or whether Ellen white was a true prophet. As God's timing is perfect a study arrived just in time. The adult lesson study in July and August was on the Sanctuary and Hebrews. You might say conincidence but I believe in providence. I had many questions concerning this doctrine but none of them were answered. The opposite occured. The more I looked into this particular doctrine I would come up with more questions. Some had weak answers but most could not be answered adequatly. And any time an answer was provided it created so many more questions it was not funny. These answers came from ministers I know or from websites that are in favour of the SDA doctrine. I am still yet to be given an defintive answer. Call me strict but I believe that a doctrinal teaching should be defintive. There should be no grey area.

I now returned to the Internet as this was the only the only place where I could compare both sides and then come back to the Bible and check and pray over what I was looking at. I began to discover that Ellen White made alot of contradictions with the Bible. 1500 in fact. After comparing, reading every argument for and against, and re-reading again I sat down and compiled questions that I felt were fair that I could ask my minister to explain. So far the only answer to my question about the contradiction that Ellen White made was that the Bible has contradiction and error. So if the Bible has these problems then it is quite allright for Ellen White to contain similar problems. For me this answer is not good enough and I find insulting. Unfortunately I knew this would be his answer before he stated it because this is the excuse the church uses time and time again to validate these doctrines.

One of the biggest arguments to support the (IJ) is that it demontrates Gods fairness in judging to the Universe. But how can this be when it only takes in the Good? That along with the fact that the date Oct 22 1844 was not the the right date for the day of Atonement which is what this doctrine is built on you can start to see some cracks emerging. The date for the day of Atonement was Sept 23 1844.

The final blow came when I bought a bible sold by our ABC that was originally entitled "The Adventist Clear Word Bible" It has now been changed to just "The Clear Word" It is a bible that adds words and ideas to support our beliefs as a church and is really an interesting read. It is meant to be a paraphrased bible but paraphrasing does not include placing your own ideas into the text as if it was always there.

Since I decided to leave the SDA church God has confirmed to me that this is the direction in which he wants me to go. Since then a group of about 15 of us have been meeting every Sabbath to pray, study, worship, and listen to Gods leading for us as a group. It has also been a time of healing from any ill feeling we had towards the SDA church. After about a month of this it became obvious through scripture that was given to us, dreams people had and certain things that happened to us that God really wanted us to start a church. We met and decided the new church should be called Calvary Community Church. It has focus that is primarily seeker based and at the moment we are still seeking God's guidance for the direction of this church. All we want is to bring people to Christ.

The last thing is: challenge your beliefs. Make sure what you believe in as an SDA is truth. Don't believe what you were taught. Find out for yourself, so if someone comes up to you and questions your belief you can answer them with Bible truth.

God Bless and thank-you for your very imformative Website.

Andy Hall
Australia


September 2003

THANK YOU, SO MUCH, for the information on your web site!!! All I can say is, “I KNEW IT!!”

My parents joined the Adventist Church when I was 9 years old. I recall the “Mrs. White says” rebukings to become a daily part of our lives while Bible verses were rarely mentioned. I knew, at an early age, that something was wrong but was taught that the elders of the church knew more than mere ordinary people and therefore must be respected and obeyed. After all, most of them were also doctors at the local Adventist hospital and obviously their education meant they did know everything.

Although my sister and I were allowed to ride bikes, it was forbidden on the Sabbath. Because of “The Sabbath Don’ts”, my sister sustained a serious, large scarring injury to one of her ankles as a result of this “Don’t.” In her innocent 7-year-old mind, she thought if she rode on the back of someone else’s bike while they did the work of pedaling, it wouldn’t be a sin. Her ankle got caught between the bike frame and spokes of the rear wheel and it ground her ankle down, even taking off some bone. It took several months and trips to the doctor before the wound finally healed, but the scar is still very visible and a constant reminder of a ridiculous belief that was held as highly as if it were condemned by God Himself and specifically stated as such in the Bible.

When I was around 33 years old, my husband and I, like you, started becoming aware of too many inconsistencies in SDA beliefs, which consisted widely of EGW writings. Growing up in the SDA church schools through college, we had read many of EGW’s writings that had been compiled into her books. As stated on your web site, we realized that medically, logically and scientifically-speaking, there were so many things she wrote that seemed like some sort of puritanical old wives’ tales. We fully realized that the elders of the church were nothing short of very proud and hypocritical Pharisees. SDA doctors/elders/leaders were telling us it was a sin to eat meat, because Ellen White said so, even though Leviticus chapter 11 allowed the eating of clean meats and listed them, and 1 Timothy 4:1-5 gave permission to eat all foods with thanksgiving. Those doctors/leaders contradicted their own teachings when they didn’t know someone was watching them. Since we’ve always firmly believed in actions speaking louder than words, their actions did a great deal of damage to our faith in their intellect. My husband and I requested removal from SDA membership around seven years ago.

I now realize that our separation from the SDA church has brought us so much closer to God as we allowed our minds to be open to the understanding from the Holy Spirit, which so many SDA’s miss out on because they have sealed their minds with the writings of EGW. The Bible has become so much clearer and is our only source of Truth. Our faith has grown immensely and continues to do so daily. We believe that where two or three are gathered in the name of Jesus, He is with us. That’s the only church we need, just as God used to come to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden before sin. We’ve come to know that the “Remnant Church”, as referred to in the Bible, refers to all who have accepted the salvation of Jesus Christ and keep the commandments of God till Jesus’ second coming. And we try to share Jesus and The Truth to as many people as possible, more by actions than words.

Your information and explanation of EGW’s injury and resulting ailments - temporal lobe epilepsy – is not necessarily news to us but is much more detailed and lengthy than we have previously read. I have literally spent the entire day reading your web site info and links and appreciate so much that someone has published the truth in this matter.

THANK YOU, AGAIN, FOR SPREADING THE TRUTH!!! GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR EFFORTS!!!

L.
Florida, USA


March 2003

Dear Dirk Anderson,

Bugema University is believed to be the best theology college in Africa south of the Sahara and so many students go through it. While we were in the University we started independently to read the Bible with a free mind and depend on it alone. We realised how false Ellen White was, we looked at the Sabbath and saw for sure its not the seal of God but the Holly spirit, we looked at the Remnant as taught by SDAs, we looked at the Investigative Judgment and many key issues and we concluded that SDA doctrines have a lot to be desired. We started following our conscious and preached what the Bible teaches and put emphasis on the new covenant and the finished work of Christ at Calvary.

The leadership of the church never welcomed our teaching so we lost our jobs and had it a bitter way. We started with five and later on were joined by others. We held several meetings for only Theologians and tabled key issues. We resolved to start preaching the simple Gospel of salvation by Faith. We visited Dale [Ratzlaff's web] site, Ellen White, Good News Unlimited, and other former SDA sites. These sites empowered us and we laboured like wounded snakes. By then our names were deleted from the pay roll. We almost died without help yet we had families to attend to as well as to pay house rent. I talked to Dale and Dr. Verle Strefling about the situation. These two men gave us all possible moral support and scriptural defense and grounded us in Christ. They gave us materials on line and long emails, They sent us books like White Out, False Claims of EGW, Cultic Doctrine and many others. More important, they sent us financial assistance to pay house rent, water and gas bills and up keep. Life Assurance Ministries (LAM) gave assistance to five pastors namely:- 1. Nsubuga Daniel 2. Muyinda Burpson 3. Luswata Drake Moses 4. Ddamulira Christopher 5. Oboko Mark. Because of the threats two left viz Oboko Mark and Muyinda Burpson, we thank God that some others joined us these included Pr. Okello Vallentine a very powerful evangelist and he will speak in the evangelistic crusade which will start mid March.

We thank LAM for sending us a former SDA pastor Greg to strengthen us and his coming was indeed a blessing. Many people possessed were set free and a choir joined us. However his coming was not welcomed by SDAs and in that time they worked hard to block the gospel. Adventist usually fight by intimidating people and making allegations. Like some said he was sent by the vatican and a Jesuit.

As I write these things Bugema University is in a crisis. Almost all the Theology students and professors are doubting what they are supposed to hold, and many have come over night to speak to us. They are searching the Former SDA websites for answers to key questions in spiritual life. This tension has extended to the whole of Uganda and E. Africa at large. This has given us hope that in the next five years many Ugandans will live a Christ centered life.

I thank LAM and all who finance it for they have stood with us in many aspect, we rented a good place of warship, we have a good musical key-board, and we have a PA system. And three of us pastors are given salary with two Bible teachers. We have received 24 Bibles and we are expecting others soon, The SDAs had brought in Bibles with their teachings at the back this makes people think they are a continuation of the Bible.

The Challenges we have are: Many African we feel we need help to see the Heavens are open to all and there to whoever believes regardless of the religious background. We need to reach out to people on radio and television, we need to post materials on website for many people to read in Major African languages, permanent place of warship.

I want to appeal to those who visit this site and any other site of Former SDAs and those who have a heart for us in Africa, to stand with us in prayer. And those former pastors and laity who would like to take part in this awakening of nations to join us, Ugandan doors are wide open and work is available. The greatest achievement we have gotten is knowing Christ and His saving Grace. How we wish others know the same.

Yours in a blessed hope

Nsubuga Daniel
Uganda, Africa
E-mail: nsudan@africamail.com


November 2002

Mr. Anderson,

I was baptized into the SDA church in January of 1998 with the spirit of always following truth wherever it led me. I won't go into the long story of my past but before I was baptized I was deeply into New Age/Occult, Drinking, Drugs, and a successful thief. I met Christ through the ministry of Doug Batchlor's Net 97. I was very excited to finally know that there was truly a REAL God that I could know and trust. I vowed to be the best Adventist I could be and quickly immersed myself in bible study and defense of the SDA faith to help convert more people to the "Remnant Church" before it was too late. I started to witness and to bring people to the church. I became a leader in my local church, teaching Sabbath School, took the pulpit at times with a sermon or testimony, was elected to be part of the personal ministries team, and I was even offered to be a Deacon. Something was wrong though, my heart was telling me to look deeper, that something was not quite right, to stand outside of the "box" and see what was really happening with my spiritual growth and those that surrounded me.

With this mind-set, through time I prayerfully found contradictions from the teachings of Ellen White and church member's ideas compared to the clarity of the Bible. I pushed away these obvious faults and the warning in my heart for "later study." I felt my honest questions and perceptions were possibly temptations from evil since they pretty much made EGW and the SDA transparently false. I found myself doing "mental gymnastics," as you call them, and doctrines came into my mind comforting me that "the SDA church could not be wrong because the church is the Remnant and they have the Spirit of Prophecy, and not to mention they do good things for people". I thought that these things I found, most of the subjects on your site and more, must be a corruption of the SDA church and I would find the REAL writings of EGW to help the "shaking of the church" of this corruption and to help "hasten the coming of the Lord" by preaching the SDA version of the Three Angel's Message. Logically then, over time, it was my mission to become what you named in your testimony a "Historical Adventist," to try to help the SDA church get back to it's roots and pure teachings. After all, I did see the love and the powerful biblical truths taught by people like Doug Batchlor, Dwight Nelson, Kenneth Cox, and other good people go throughout the world with their amazingly impressive satellite seminars. Well, I'm too honest of a person and the love of the truth eventually set me free indeed. The more I prayerfully studied to gain deeper knowledge and understanding of SDA and EGW teachings to progress the movement in the church, the more it became clear there were problems, especially when I started to study EGW's writings. To me, her writings were like an odd answer to a math equation. To me, scripture clearly stated on every topic 2+2 always = 4, but it seemed EGW was stating 2+2= 4.5, her being four but she added more to it from what EGW claimed she saw in vision or similar "from the Lord." That extra .5 sure captivates a whole bunch of people!

I asked Adventist teachers general questions about awkward teachings and usually they would come up with good enough answers. Though, any "tough" questions with thoughtful evidence to back them up which directly doubted or tested the Adventist scripture I found they had scriptures prepared for my situation or rehearsed answers to spin the focus off the obvious inconsistency. For example the verse "the heart deceives a man..what seems right is not..etc" will be told to you making you doubt yourself and why you even asked or it's o.k., Ellen White said this, or if I didn't buy those answers I was given one usually pointing out my imperfections making me feel that it was my own spiritual disobedience that brought upon these doubts in the first place. With the fear of possibly becoming an "apostate" the situation perplexed me because I was coming up to these doubtful conclusions the same method I believed in the Adventist Church and made my decision to be baptized. The method that gave me confidence to say "yes" in front of the entire SDA congregation and my immediate family to all the required baptismal vows for membership from what I thought was the one true church. It made me listen to the voice once again that I pushed aside earlier. My method certainly wasn't unorthodox, basically through earnest prayer for guidance and comparing scripture to scripture always asking that I be lead into truth and that the Father's will be done.

Wanting to please God and be at peace by doing the right thing I kept searching the scriptures and bought a book called "The Kingdom of the Cults" by Walter Martin which for the first time was for the MOST part scriptural and thoughtful enough to help me start to put into words what I was feeling and studying. I then started to study JUST the bible and the bible only and prayed like I usually do earnestly and hard, always seeking the truth and the Father's will even if I didn't want to accept the answer. Then, after a while I watched the seminar videos I have watched several times over and read adventist books again. It felt like for the first time I studied these things with my guard up instead of just accepting every single thing I heard blindly, or accepting it by telling myself "wow, that's amazing, it does makes sense and seems biblical," study it in the format and scriptures provided by the SDA then believe and preach it. I found that I knew a great deal about Adventist doctrines and it was easy to just focus on Adventist favored scriptures or ideals to prove their point but Scripture doesn't work like that. Too many powerful scriptures negated some Adventist/EGW teachings while honestly some amplified them (not all Adventist teaching is wrong especially since a lot of them come from the reformation, other authors, etc). I also found that my imagination was tickled, so to say, by EGW's writings and I wished they were true but biblically I know most of them were more often times were not. I found that I had to give up my love for the Adventist Church and it's Mission I held so dearly and supported with all my heart. You see, it's easier to just stay in the Adventist church because they have a clear mission and you are part of a massive brotherly and sisterly fellowship, that's not how things are meant to be though. Living in a comfort zone binds you spiritually instead of uplifts you ESPECIALLY if that comfort zone involves uplifting and revering a false prophet.

So in conclusion finally, over this course of a few years, I came to the understand that I couldn't live with myself accepting the false gospel teachings of EGW and the SDA Church much less support them. It was effecting me too much spiritually. Even though generally the church teaches a lot of truth and sincerely tries to help people, I stopped attending. I've pretty much fully healed from the disappointment with the SDA church and I now search for more meaning and a more pure and purposeful meaning. I've found that if I hold grudges or anything negative against the SDA church, EGW, or most importantly the members of the SDA church I'm not fully out of the system that Satan created to make me feel bad. Only with Christ's methods of love do I witness, even though it's tempting to let SDA supporters who don't LISTEN to me to let them have it but I've found that's ineffective and actually WORSE in the long run. The key to helping them or anyone interested in witnessing to ANY cult member is first forgiveness to what they've done to me or others. Only by forgiving myself and the SDA system/people the words that come out of my mouth or written effect SDA's in a positive way with no animosity where they listen and look at the system that is destructive doctrinally, spiritually, socially, and sometimes physically to their lives. The other is to accept them for who they are and don't focus on what they are doing wrong or what false prophet or system they champion but focus on the TRUTH, because the truth shall set them FREE!!

Your site has helped me with that meaning Mr. Anderson. I honestly felt that there weren't really many people like me out there that came up with the honest questions and spiritual answers to the many destructive doctrines and practices that EGW and the SDA advocate. I must admit that I sobbed a time or two while reading your testimony and studies. They confirmed exactly what was my heart's voice was urging me to do, to be honest to uphold the truth whatever it may be. I finally found someone who has been through what I have! It's obvious you went through more then I have but still, I found someone who knows, who experienced what I've felt and found to be true. I am proud of you! Thank you so much for the courage and the boldness to stand up for what you believe in and helping others with their spiritual walk. You have done a world of good for me. I'm believe that I'm a stronger, more mature Christian now and I'm thankful for it! Everything happens for a reason and the truth ALWAYS lets itself be known!

In His Service,

Jeff Barron
Michigan, USA


November 2002

Dear Mr. Anderson,

My name is Kay Hughes, and I wrote you a number of times a few years ago with questions about things on your website that I was confused about. You were kind enough to respond gently.

Well, here I am again, with a personal, heartfelt thank you from both my husband and myself. See, we have been SDA's respectively for 16 (me) and 19 (Steve) years and, although we've sought to stick to the Word of God as much as possible, we've also been very heavily influenced by Ellen White. My husband has a friend who left the SDA church because of Ellen White and the Shut Door theory. For about two years now, this friend has been repeatedly trying to get Steve to take another look at the "prophet" of our church.

Well, we did a few years ago (when I was writing you), but we were sort of settled that she was a prophet, basically because we entered the research having begged the question. Then, something recently (we believe Providentially) started us looking again, and we both started reading your website again, this time looking at the issues and allegations with much more objective eyes. We were talking and praying about whether or not to dispense with our EGW books, but needed further confirmation of her false prophethood. We got it tonight, when we looked again and read her statements about meat-eating and masturbation. It was so absolutely idiotic, in itself, that we were just laughing in disbelief much of the time. You really have a way with words, Mr. Anderson, that were also cracking us up. Thanks for the humor. Anyway, medical science today would prove her words on that issue to be totally false.

So, to let you know, we have prayed and thrown out our EGW books just tonight (almost midnight); and, you know what? We both have sensed like a dark cloud, a weight, lifted off of our hearts and in our home. True, the Lord will have to help us to unlearn a lot, but now the gospel seems to be so simple again, which it was when I'd first accepted Christ eighteen years ago. Now, I'm wondering if we're as close to the end of time as EGW "predicted", or if we're even closer than anyone thinks. The issue is, if you commit your life to Christ, you are born again, period, end of story. She seemed to bog it down with so much details and exactions that it was heavy, like a ball and chain at times. Both Steve and I feel so much freer! God be praised!!

Once again, thank you SO very much, Mr. Anderson, for your upfrontness and honesty, not to mention courage for posting this website. I remember your responses to my inquiries were very Christ-like before and want to thank you for your kindness. Many, many blessings on you and yours in what you are doing.

In Christ,
Kay and Steve Hughes
(names have been changed to protect identity)


August, 2002

Dear Mr. Anderson,

I spent an incredible evening today reading a large portion of this Web site, and as a child of SDA parents and a very active SDA myself for many years (before leaving the church), I would like to commend you and your associates for putting together such an important site in the face of what most certainly is intense opposition to your work.

The facts given on this site are the substance of all the many fears and suspicions that lurk in the minds nearly every intelligent SDA but which are rarely given outlet due to the incredible amount of pressure members are under to conform. These facts are always just beyond reach, just beneath the surface, hidden under a mountain of denominational rhetoric and secrecy. This Web site is a great resource for bringing light to bear on these topics of great concern for most SDAs.

In my many years in the denomination, I rose to the position of head elder in my local church, published two articles in the Adventist Review, and was a frequent sermonizer at SDA churches near my hometown. I purchased nearly every published EGW work then available and learned to intersperse my sermons with healthy doses (40-50%) of references to her various publications. I would commonly begin writing a sermon by putting together a framework built around EGW's writings, and then I would find Bible texts that went along with that framework. On some occasions, I wrote and delivered sermons that were virtually 100 percent based on EGW.

But deep in my heart there were some nagging, troublesome issues, many of which related to the very points that are raised in this Web site, including EGW's confused and contradictory views on matters of theology, healthful living, science, astronomy, biology, medicine, etc. Even more alarming was how modern SDAs continue to cling mindlessly to many of these turn-of-the-century, long-disproven assertions.

The denomination's emphasis on "right thinking" was also troubling to me, characterized by heavy-handed methods used to keep the "peons in the pews" in strict conformity while at the same time denominational leaders bend and break the "rules" at their discretion and frequent convenience. The confused nature of SDA education, where critical inquiry is sacrificed in favor of right thinking, is also a huge problem, and one that serves to keep many a young person in the dark about many important concepts and life issues. Intellectual freedom coexisting with the SDA view of things? ... I think not.

Some years ago, before information like that found on this Web site was readily available, I found a wonderful book that helped me as I groped my way to freedom. I didn't realize how influential the book "Leaving the Fold" by Marlene Winell would be on me that evening in 1993 when I plopped down $5 for a used copy of it at the Tattered Book Cover in Denver, Colorado. I still have my copy and highly recommend it to all.

Today a major problem faces the denomination: so much emphasis on EGW for so many years has led to a state of things now where, although her work is less and less relevant each day, the church has painted itself into the corner of having to continue to rely on her, else admit to years and decades of chasing a wild goose, and I think that is what makes this Web site of such importance and such relevance.

Finally, I'd like to say that what I most appreciate about your Web site, besides the fact that it exists, is the sensitivity you show in exposing facts without ridiculing, scoffing at, or otherwise deriding the views of current and former SDAs. The attitude that you take -- that the truth stands on its own -- is admirable indeed.

N. Torres
USA


July 2002

Bro. Dirk,

Your website was instrumental in helping me to escape from the dungeon of Adventism several years ago. I began my search at your site actually expecting to find the White Estate. Thankfully, I read with an open mind and found the truth about the SDA faith and E.G. White.

Praise the Lord! I am now a born again, Spirit-filled, evangelical Christian. My life is so full of joy to know Christ and the truth of salvation by faith through grace.

This message is intended to be a (very) belated thank you. God is using you in a powerful way and I praise God for you brother.

Thank you for all you are doing and please keep up the effort, there are many SDA’s and former SDA’s searching for answers to questions that plague them. To find the truth, one must come to terms with the fact that E.G. White was a fraud and that fraud continues to be perpetuated to this day by the denomination she founded.

God bless,
D., California, USA


April 2002

Twenty years in the Adventist Church is a long time. I've seen a lot over those years and I've learned a lot. I was a pastor of two churches. I spent one year in evangelism. I was very dedicated. I wanted to see the work finished and the church triumph. I tried my best to bring the people in line with the counsel of Ellen White. I felt this was the way the church would arise and reach its ultimate goal. After many years, I began to realize that something was major wrong. Ellen White plainly said that if we do the right thing our efforts would be blessed and folks would come into line. No matter how hard I earnestly prayed or the unending work I put forth, just the opposite happened. What else could I honestly do? A strict vegetarian and Bible warrior and if there was anything else needful to do I would do it. I often checked myself to make sure I wasn't into works without faith. No matter how hard I followed the counsel and preached the gospel, nothing happened! I also noticed that other SDA preachers were having the same problem. We put thousands of dollars into evangelism over and over again only to have the new converts go out the back door. So I searched out the so called off-shoots all over the country. They also had the same problem- lots of confusion, judging and hardly any could agree. What was strange about the off-shoots was that they were heavy into Ellen White yet they were like leaves blown by the wind and scattered who knows where. The off-shoots were very honest about following Mrs. White's counsel and they knew her writings well. But no matter how hard these people tried to do what Ellen said it was like her writings did more to separate than unite. I didn't leave one stone unturned. I wanted to know why we had the truth and we couldn't unite as prophesied, and finish the work...

Did we miss something? This led me to take another look at the SDA doctrines in relation to the Bible. I had taken the SDA teachings for granted since they seemed to be in line with the Bible. Ellen made a statement which all Adventist know,- She said that if we find that our SDA doctrines are not in line with the Bible then we better reject them. But there is a greater meaning to this statement and that is, we better get out of the church which teaches error and if any church teaches contrary to the Bible, it is error. When I really studied the Bible and the meaning of words, along with history, I got a big surprise. The first thing I studied was the sanctuary and its services since that is the foundation of Adventist teaching. I knew that if the teaching of the SDA Church was not in line with the sanctuary we were only following error. But of course, I felt we had it right and couldn't in the least be wrong so this would be no problem. However, I got a big surprise.

D., USA


October 2001

My name is Derek McCrary. I am a recovering Seventh-day Adventist. Over the past ten years, I have struggled with my decision to join and then leave the SDA faith. My journey into Seventh-day Adventism began with me choosing against advice from my parents to refrain from delving into Adventism. I began visiting SDA churches at the age of 16 and soon thereafter joined the Adventist "Church." After graduating high school, I planned to follow in my father's footsteps and attend school in engineering. I was told by persons I trusted in the Adventist faith that deciding to follow a high tech career path would lead to the destruction of my soul. I accepted every thing the adventists told me because I was convinced that they were more knowledgeable I about God, and life in general, than either I or my parents.

After losing a couple of years of education due to tremendous conflicts between myself and my family over my new found faith, I attended Oakwood College, a private SDA institution of higher learning, and began the study of psychology. My parents, hurt and angry that I had labeled them among the unsaved and unknowledgeable, allowed me to grow up and "make my own mistakes." Choosing to attend Oakwood College over Florida State was a mistake rivaled on by a decision to study psychology over engineering.

From the moment I joined the Adventist church, I became a constant victim of criticism and attack. I was young and accepted the mistreatment because I felt that somehow I must have failed to live up to the lofty standards adventists set for its laity. Soon, I began to mature, and began to openly question things concerning this faith for which I had renounced relationships with potential mates, lifelong friends, and cherished family members. The responses I received to my queries initially ranged from constructive to helpful. But as time went on, I became a target of slander, verbal assault, and other forms of cruelty.

Despite the best efforts of many within the Oakwood College Adventist community to thwart my progress, in 1998, I graduated from Oakwood College. I knew that I had made a foolish decision to pursue a degree in psychology, but I intended to do my best to succeed with what I had. With that in mind I decided to attend law school. Though I knew it would be an expensive undertaking, I trusted that either my parents or my alma mater would help me to attain my goals. I was wrong on both accounts. My parents wanted me to learn a lesson and refused to help me through law school.

Having terminated my membership in the Adventist church a few months after graduating from Oakwood College, officials at my alma mater sought vengeance on me. And they used every resource at their disposal to ensure that I would not succeed in any undertaking I engaged in after leaving the school. For example, I was denied letters of recommendation from professors whose salaries I had paid for 4 years and in whose classes I had earned superior grades. My institutional transcripts never seemed to arrive at their requested locations in time for me to be evaluated for admission to various law schools, or for consideration as a candidate to receive funding for the grants and scholarships I needed to fund my law school education. I was also denied access to career placement resources in response to my decision to terminate my membership in the Seventh-day Adventist church.

For the past three years, I have survived, and not lived, for fear that the next church I join, friend I make, or school I attend will attack me as the Adventists did. It has been only recently (the last 3 months or so) that I have had the courage to move on. I am now pursuing a masters in information technology, and have begun to study my Bible again. I am still very skeptical of people, but I am proud to report that my family ties have been restored. Once I finish my master's degree, I will earn my degree in law to ensure that no one else is persecuted by Adventists as I was, without having a legal means of retribution.


Sept. 2001

Thank you for your ministry and may God bless. By His grace alone, I have found my way out of the SDA religion. I have been encouraging others who are willing to find out for themselves that they have been misled. You have helped me tremendously in understanding "where I came from" with your online ministry.

C.H.


August 2001

Hi
I just love your web site. It has made a big difference to my life. I was originally raised as a Seventh-day Adventist and taught that Ellen G Whites writings were equal to the bible. I read quite a few of her books and came to believe that my salvation was conditional on keeping all of her various commands in addition to those written in the bible. I found her commandments too depressing and impossible to follow. So I wanted to research her life and see how she measured up to her own rules. If she kept all of her own council then I thought it would provide a clue on how I could do so too. Thank God I found your web site. I no longer believe that Ellen White is a genuine prophet and I have destroyed all of her books that were in my possession. I feel liberated from being a slave to Ellen White and living a very miserable life in order to be saved. But I still attend the Seventh-day Adventist church because there are no other sabbath keeping churches in my area and I believe that the sabbath still holds for Christians today. Although the SDA church has a number of false doctrines such as Saturday being the seal of God, and Sunday being the mark of the beast it still has more true doctrines than any other church in my area. I still believe in the Sabbath, I still believe that the dead are in their graves awaiting judgment day or Christ's second coming, and I still believe that hell is not eternal suffering for the wicked. Thanks a lot for your fantastic web site!

A.H., USA


July 2001

My name is David W. DePinho. I am a chaplain serving on active duty with the United States military. Prior to that I was a civilian pastor in the state of Indiana. In both situations I was serving in the capacity of a Seventh-day Adventist ordained minister. I am no longer a Seventh-day Adventist minister... Click here to read all of Chaplain David DePinho's Testimony.


April 2001

Thanks for being upfront and giving Bible seekers the truth at whatever cost, it's about time someone put together a web-site like yours, congratulations and keep up the great work, thanks

Patrick, USA


February 2001

Hi Dirk,

Feel so blessed for having read your entire website (yes, every link!) on Ellen White.

I am a 3rd generation SDA--very loyal and hard-working for the cause of the church. I have accumulated many years' worth of doubts and misgivings about Ellen White but there always seemed to be enough "proof" of her authenticity to keep me "in". Nevertheless I was miserable looking at the Bible through her lenses.

Someone mailed me a copy of Proclamation and your website was mentioned. I just want to thank you for helping me get out of the cultist experience of believing in Ellen White. This has been a watershed weekend for me--glued to my computer screen devouring the material. I hope some of my friends who are equally struggling can read it and come to the same conclusion that I now have. She WAS a false prophet!

Thanks again,

C.G., MD (LLU graduate), USA


October 2000

Hi:

I'm an ex adventist and I really thank God for this information that has set me free of the washed mind that I had since I was a kid. In the worst time of my life I wrote Ellen G. White in my computer to see if there was information about it. Praise the Lord for these pages. Now I love God as I never thought that I could possibly do. The SDA [church] where I was attending are told not to talk to me about religion or about Ellen White but that makes people curious and some persons are asking me about it.

I read the bible every day, before I didn't like to read the bible because a lot of verses didn't have a meaning because I was confused. I have a greek and hebrew dictionary that has helped me so much to teach others about the bible and the love of Jesus.

A.I.


July 2000

...I don't think I am really enjoying my studies about EGW. In fact I am quite appalled. How did we ever believe in her?

I probably told you before, I hit your site while trying to contact the official one, accidentally left out the hyphen. But as I had been praying for guidance about my attitude to EGW, perhaps it wasn't an accident. What I have done is to visit sites which had what I saw as reasonable attitudes to EGW - I didn't want to know those with axes to grind, and found yours the best.

Next I found an article called "Questions and Answers About Ellen.G. White on the official site. This 16 page document is clearly trying to refute the anti-White things being put on the net. I worked through their answers point by point and noted whether I accepted or rejected them, and if I rejected them, my reasons for doing so.

This statement nearly blew me out of my chair:

"As time passes, even prophets must take time to assimilate revealed principles - time for theory to become practice in their own lives."
EGW took 31 years to put into practice her own health reform message, and then did it because a Catholic woman begged her to stop eating meat. In that 31 years, she and the organisation took great pains to conceal the truth from the church members. To me, this is outright lying. Did you notice the details of her 1880 rail journey from Michigan to California? I'm sure You did, but am so mad I have to talk to someone! It was her fifteenth trip, she knew exactly what to expect, so it was no accident that she wound up living on chicken. But, at the end of the trip she advises Adventists (who have assimilated her revealed principles into their lives) to take bread and fruit with them.

Now, compare EGW with those present at Dammon's meeting of fanatics. They didn't get 31 years to accept EGW's testimony. It was either get baptized that night in a freezing river, or go to Hell.

Finally, if she was a prophet of God, and if the message she was given about health reform was received under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, isn't it close to blasphemy to refer to such a message as theory waiting to be turned into practice?

I really appreciate your site - I am absolutely amazed at how much I have learned from it. I am also amazed at how much paper and toner I have consumed because I now have a book about two inches thick. This has not been an enjoyable experience, but truth has emerged and that is always for the good. Above all, I admire the dedication and perspiration you have put into your site.

M.C.
USA


Jan. 2000

Your Site has been a real eye-opener to me. I was brought into the church (SDA) in the 1970s and I was only 15 years old. I went to church because my parents made me, however after time I got to the point of enjoying it, made friends and loved being a Christian.

Well, over the years a lot has changed and I am now in my 40's...I found your site and frankly hated it at first but have been reading it and find myself in awe. Now that I see that what has been going on so many years has been a Lie...I wonder Why. But you have even showed me that. But it's all so hard to take.

Nevertheless I want to thank you. Sometimes the Truth is hard to take. It was hard going into the Church why not leave it the same way. In reality my wife and I have not been to Church for a long time because of the people. They just don't have the LOVE other Churches have and we have felt unwelcome in the SDA Church for some time...

D.S.
USA


Jan. 2000

I am a Tanzanian and will be 32 in August 8th 2000. I am a father a five months baby Girl, Mammy. I was born in Seventh day Adventist Church and I inherited all the teachings of SDAism since I was still a child and I had no any other reason and doubt in what my mum who was the head of the women group in the our field was teaching me.

I met your website and...we had to discuss some of your ideas with my Pastor, who was also a president of Tanzania Union . Of course he admitted some of your ideas and discards some.

I was really happy to find that some were admitted, but in two months later this Pastor was pulled out of his post, I really do not exactly was has gone wrong then the Division decided to stop him, he is no longer a President here.

To shorten the story, this is when I decided to look more truth from the friends who have been given to me by God. God is great he gave me many friends through Internet and I have a lot for this truth. I thank God to use you in presenting all these.

K.A.G.
Arusha, Tanzania


August 1999

Finally the freedom of the internet has exposed so much...Thank you for our candid and honest reporting. When I left the church, I said to myself, "something is wrong that makes people so mean, uncaring and ugly...not to mention self-righteous and judgmental. I am going back to the world where people are nice." Yet I struggled with guilt for years afterwards because I had been a devoted reader of Mrs. White. Thank God for the Sunday preachers, Charles Stanley and the like.

Adventism gave me a perverted view of God and life. Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free...I hope many SDA's read this site and become a little more inquisitive about how they have been duped. Just like "in the world", follow the money is always a good rule to adhere to.

We really don't need any other writings than the Bible and the Holy Spirit to guide us...guide as we can accept and do in His time, not some religionist's perception of how we are to conduct our lives.

As I look back, I wonder about people who are so intent on "the Sabbath" yet lie, cheat, steal, commit adultery with abandon, treat their spouses like dirt, gossip, giggle and laugh at other's misfortune, ridicule others all the while believing they are the chosen people of God. By their fruits ye shall know them...Why do we forget to heed God's own words and warnings? If a prophet has a vision and the vision fails, he/she is a false prophet. Not only was Mrs. White a false prophet, she was a liar...isn't that one of the commandments, too?

Ann T.
USA


April 1999

I read your story and your decision to leave the SDA church. I also read the "EGW-Contradictions with Bible". I was surprised by their realities. I am a new SDA member. I was baptised on Mar. 27 1999. It is the Lord's Grace which guided me to your site. I am convinced of the fact that "Jesus is the only truth", and we have to not follow human rules.

Ketty Bondoa Igor Norbert
Yaoundé, Cameroon


Jan. 1999

I stumbled across your E.G. White website today and found it fascinating. I was raised an SDA and attended SDA schools until college. You will see my name on the Bass Memorial Academy web page as a member of the first graduation class (62). When Ron Numbers published his first book on EGW around 25 years ago I became convinced that EGW was a fraud and asked to have my name removed from SDA membership. To this day (at age 54) I still feel a sadness that most of what I was taught was a lie. Keep up the good work for Truth must be told.

R.G.
Arizona, USA


Dec. 1998

I have been an Adventist for most of my life, a baptized member for 28 years. I have always been a basher of the Jehovah's Witnesses for their claims to being the true church and all the other sectarian claims usually associated with such denominations. But now I feel like I owe those Witnesses an apology for all the bashing I gave them for I have come to learn over the years that we Adventist have just as many skeletons in our closets as any other cultic religion. The church can't successfully defend EGW's deception.

M.B.
Massachusetts, USA


Sep. 1998

Your analysis and investigations have been "eye openers". Having been raised as an SDA Minister's Son and educated in SDA Schools all the way through college I was always intrigued by many inconsistencies that bothered me but never bothered to research them thinking that other people knew more and I was probably wrong. It is very refreshing to realize that other people have and have had the same questions but at the same time it is shocking to know that we continue to teach a mix of truth, lies, and omissions. May God continue to help you in the search for truth.

D.C.
Florida, USA


Sep. 1998

I am so impressed with this Web about Ellen White! I was an adventist for about 26 years! It is sad that I was in that church for a long time! I am deaf and we have a deaf group in that church! I just found the truth last December with my friend, L.G. trying to help me out about the biblical truth not Ellen White's writings! She pointed out there are many conflicts with her writings and bible. Then my other friend said that there is a web about her writings. I was very curious and was shocked to see many contradictions between her writings and the Bible! Many thanks! Thank you! I am happy because I found the Biblical spiritual lead by Holy Spirit! Praise in Jesus!

B.L.
California, USA


April 1998

I have looked at the seven vague passages you feel are proof EGW was not inspired and considering how much she wrote, I am more convinced than ever she was inspired! The best test is "You will know them by their fruits". Everyone I know who reads her writings without bias is drawn closer to God. In Christian Love, DEB

Doug Batchelor [SDA Evangelist, Amazing Facts Ministry]
California, USA


Feb. 1998

I am a former SDA psychotherapist with an interest in psychological aspects of the process of leaving restrictive religious groups like SDA. Very interesting site - lots of material, but unfortunately no amount of facts will ever be enough to convince a "true believer" in EGW.

J.M.
California, USA


Feb. 1998

Great job! I have visited your site several times and I am SO happy to see that you were open to the truth and not afraid to change the website to reflect the truth you learned.

When I first visited this site you were 100% in support of EGW and now seem to have recently learned the truth about her plagiarism and the way she contradicts the Bible as well as her own writings and the way she has robbed so many fine, devout people of the assurance of salvation with her works oriented salvation message.

Your pilgrimage is similar to my own. I grew up in the SDA church, went to SDA schools and believed EGW was a prophetess. My own Christian walk has never been more meaningful or productive than it has since hearing, understanding and accepting the true Gospel of God's Grace and leaving the SDA church to fellowship with true believers in another setting. God bless you!

Bill Thompson
Texas, USA

Category: Testimonies
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