The first thing that you notice different from Seventh-Day Adventism and other Protestant religions is that I (used to show that I do this, people have gotten onto me in the past for using "we" instead of "I") go to church on Saturday, not Sunday. This means I worship from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. The time in between is Sabbath. It's a time to rest, and there are many things I don't do during this time such as go shopping, go out to eat, watch movies, listen to seclar (non-Christian) music, and several other things. It is a time to focus on God and all that He's done for me and whatnot. I'm not saying I actually succeed in doing this all the time, but it's what I try to do.
The SDA church was created May 21, 1863 (official date) after William Miller, a Baptist preacher, predicted that Jesus would come (Second Coming) on October 22, 1844. Obviously, Jesus did not come, and this was later called the "Great Disappointment." Some people studied it later and decided that was the day that Jesus went into the Most Holy Place of the temple in Heaven and started the final judgement. (If any of this is wrong, please let me know.)
This is where it starts getting weird, but bear with me, these are my beliefs, I'm just trying to figure out how to express them. One lady, Ellen G. White, is considered to be one of the founders of the SDA church. When she was a little girl, her nose was broken when someone threw a rock at her face, so she dropped out of school (this was in the 1800's). Several years after this, I believe that God gave her visions about future, mainly end time events. End time refers to the time right before Jesus' second coming, when there will be a lot of persecution against Christ's followers. Yes, it sounds a bit weird, but I believe Ellen White was a prophet. When she would go into these trances, she would be able to do incredible feats. She was a very small woman, but during these trances, she would take a 40 pound Bible in one hand and hold it up for hours at a time, as well as several other things. It's been a while since I've studied all this, so I don't remember all the details.
Another thing that I do weird because I'm an Adventist is that I'm a vegetarian. This goes back to Mrs. White once again. She gave what is known as the Health Message, where she said that it was healthier to be vegetarian. Note, this is not something that I believe has a lot to do with salvation (many Adventists now eat meat), but something that is more for health reasons. Mrs. White herself ate shellfish and other meats to the day she died.
Also, my belief on the state of the dead is a bit different from other religions. I believe that when you die, you're dead. It's like a long sleep until Jesus comes a second time, and raises the dead. "For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first" (1 Thes. 4:16). Sounds to me like the dead were still here, in the ground, waiting to be raised, not "their souls are in heaven." Also talking about the dead, "Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost" (1 Cor. 15:18). Also "For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten" (Ecc. 9:5
For more questions about Seventh-Day Adventist, go here, or email me. Also, you can check out the webpage for the Arlington SDA Church or the Denton First SDA Church.
