Actually Amisk, there really is a such thing as Progessive and Traditional SDAs, I guess. But that is not the history of the two groups here. The ultra conservative SDAs then did not like those coming in to question anything regarding the beliefs ofthe SDA church so they basically wen to the admins/mods of the group and ask that the group be split into Traditional and Progressive.
So to answer the other two questions in your OP. Conservative SDAs will lie down and die with EGW rather than question one word of her writings. However, they do vary a bit on the point of her "inspiration". Some believe that she was a prophtess and inspred of God, while others take it a step further and maintain that her "inspiration" is equal to that of the Bible writers. Almost taking her writings as a continuation of the Bible. i.e., when there seems to be a conflict, they will take her writings as the more accurate, etc. As for "progressives" , they range in belief from those who can take EGW's writing or leave them to those who literally loath her. I guess I would be pegged as a progressive, and I believe her writings have a place and are useful, but by no means infallible.
