Is there any reason for all the recent Seventh Day Adventism-related threads in this subforum?

[JSRG]

Looking at the most recent 20 threads in this subforum at the time of writing this post, eight are directly related to Adventism and two can be seen as indirectly related (the Sabbath-related ones). That's 40% of the topics being explicitly about it, and half the topics if we count the Sabbath ones. I don't remember this subforum being so focused on Seventh-Day Adventism prior to this. Did anything in particular cause this?

 

[SabbathBlessings]

I have my suspicions as to why, we are one of the last churches who talk about and teach to keep the Ten Commandments. Many reject the light on the 4th commandment and this is going to come more in the play now and in the future. It’s on peoples conscious for a good reason, Jesus is calling us back to worshipping Him in Truth and Spirit John 4:23-24 and considers when we keep the traditions of man over the commandments of God, quoting right from this unit of Ten, is worshipping in vain (false worship). Matthew 15:3-9. God’s people keep His commandments and the faith in Jesus Christ. Rev 14:12. Would you rather talk about this now, or wait before it’s too late. When Jesus comes our fates will be sealed. Rev 22:11

 

[trophy33]

Looking at the most recent 20 threads in this subforum at the time of writing this post, eight are directly related to Adventism and two can be seen as indirectly related (the Sabbath-related ones). That's 40% of the topics being explicitly about it, and half the topics if we count the Sabbath ones. I don't remember this subforum being so focused on Seventh-Day Adventism prior to this. Did anything in particular cause this?

I think its because the SDA church had/has a significant influence on the American society.

From veganism/vegetarianism to young earth creationism to keeping the sabbath. They transformed many public opinions and habits in the USA in the last hundred years (for example creating the most known vegan junk food for children - breakfast cereals).

The spotlight they attract is probably the combination of their controversy and being very active/visible in your society.

Regarding these forums, because less and less people are visiting this website, the steady SDA activity gets them more of the topic percentage.

 

[OldAbramBrown]

I think it's because topics are raised in either "denomination" or "theology", or any branch of it, or even "controversy" instead. There are ten different subforums, equally suitable, to put one thread.

In a denomination, your relationship with your teachers and their organisation is different from your relationship with random neighbours and forum members, who might turn out to have insight on your topic at any time.

 

[Adventist Heretic]

I think most of them are either coincidence, intrest by other or in my case new insight. it has nothing to do with them claiming to be the "remnant" Church of Bible Prophecy. look at who starts it. are they and SDA, former or never has been. How about you list the forums you are talking about and we can analize them

 

[JSRG]

I think most of them are either coincidence, intrest by other or in my case new insight. it has nothing to do with them claiming to be the "remnant" Church of Bible Prophecy. look at who starts it. are they and SDA, former or never has been. How about you list the forums you are talking about and we can analize them

I wasn't talking about "forums", I was talking about this specific subforum, the one the topic is posted in, Denomination Specific Theology.

The answers so far in this thread aren't really answering the question, though; they're general statements about what might cause a bunch of Seventh Day Adventist discussion, but not why there's so many suddenly. A few months ago I think this subforum was mostly a bunch of discussions about Catholicism and Calvinism, with maybe just one or two SDA threads on its first page.

My guess at this point is that there just happened to be more than normal here, which set off a bit of a chain reaction of people making more new threads on the topic because of the ones that were already there. In a few months maybe we'll see this subforum move on to some different topic in the same way.

 

[Adventist Heretic]

it goes in cycles.

 

[Freth]

I don't remember this subforum being so focused on Seventh-Day Adventism prior to this. Did anything in particular cause this?

From what I can tell from search results, the topic of Adventism has been a mainstay on this sub forum for years, so it's not just a recent trend. I can't get the forum to go beyond 2021, but the threads I can see are mostly created by non-SDA asking questions, debating doctrine or trying to discredit (look at the thread history which speaks for itself).

Let's flip the question around. If there are 45k Christian denominations in the world (source), where are the threads discussing specific theological doctrines of said 45k Christian denominations? If there are 45k Christian denominations in the world, this sub forum should be bustling with activity, debating the specific theological doctrines of the various denominations, but it's not. The implications are staggering if you think about it.

"Did anything in particular cause this?"

Yes.

• SDA are active on the forums, engaging in debate, as is the design of any forum.
• Debate is won with the truth found in scripture, and truth found in facts concerning our denomination.
• New topics come from debate, and new threads are created to present points of fact on said topics and discuss them.
• Truth cannot be refuted, so new threads are created on a regular basis, going after our credibility from every angle but scripture.
• There is also sincere interest in our denomination and what we believe.

Any forum is a direct reflection of its user base and what they choose to post and engage in. If no one posts a topic about a denomination, it's because there is no interest in it at the present time. Such is the way forums work. You can go on any forum and find a general sub forum engaged in a specific topic. Anyone can post about any denomination here, and change the direction of the ongoing discussions.

@SabbathBlessings hit on something. There is plain and present truth in scripture that no one seems to want to talk about or even acknowledge. We are being called to obedience, to a standard set forth by God. The amount of opposition on this forum, to something as fundamental to Christendom as commandment keeping (because—tradition, which isn't even Biblical!) would be shocking if it were not foretold in scripture, which is the whole point we're trying to make. It's right there in black and white, but people would rather ignore it and put it behind them as old hat, or for someone else in history, when in scripture it is ever-present and future.

2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

 

[tall73]

From what I can tell from search results, the topic of Adventism has been a mainstay on this sub forum for years, so it's not just a recent trend.

That is correct.

It used to be that a lot of the theological discussion happened in the main General Theology section, with the other forums not being used as much. That was where most of the Sabbath debate happened back in the day. But then some didn't like all the Sabbath threads so they made the law and Sabbath forum to essentially sequester them. And they said you had to post them there.

Not as many non-Adventists or non-Messianics go to the Sabbath and law forum. And its scope is a bit limited so as to rule out other Adventist related topics. So more conversation started to move to the denomination specific theology section because it allowed for a broader range of topics than the law and Sabbath forum. It was kind of a loop-hole around sabbath threads having to be in the sabbath and law forum since the forum allows you to specify a particular denomination, and it's doctrines. And it therefore took on a bit of the old General Theology dynamic.

Sabbath threads have always been ubiquitous in the Theology section, just moving around to different sections depending on the rules.

 

[Adventist Heretic]

From what I can tell from search results, the topic of Adventism has been a mainstay on this sub forum for years, so it's not just a recent trend. I can't get the forum to go beyond 2021, but the threads I can see are mostly created by non-SDA asking questions, debating doctrine or trying to discredit (look at the thread history which speaks for itself).

Let's flip the question around. If there are 45k Christian denominations in the world (source), where are the threads discussing specific theological doctrines of said 45k Christian denominations? If there are 45k Christian denominations in the world, this sub forum should be bustling with activity, debating the specific theological doctrines of the various denominations, but it's not. The implications are staggering if you think about it.

"Did anything in particular cause this?"

Yes.

• SDA are active on the forums, engaging in debate, as is the design of any forum.
• Debate is won with the truth found in scripture, and truth found in facts concerning our denomination.
• New topics come from debate, and new threads are created to present points of fact on said topics and discuss them.
• Truth cannot be refuted, so new threads are created on a regular basis, going after our credibility from every angle but scripture.
• There is also sincere interest in our denomination and what we believe.

Any forum is a direct reflection of its user base and what they choose to post and engage in. If no one posts a topic about a denomination, it's because there is no interest in it at the present time. Such is the way forums work. You can go on any forum and find a general sub forum engaged in a specific topic. Anyone can post about any denomination here, and change the direction of the ongoing discussions.

@SabbathBlessings hit on something. There is plain and present truth in scripture that no one seems to want to talk about or even acknowledge. We are being called to obedience, to a standard set forth by God. The amount of opposition on this forum, to something as fundamental to Christendom as commandment keeping (because—tradition, which isn't even Biblical!) would be shocking if it were not foretold in scripture, which is the whole point we're trying to make. It's right there in black and white, but people would rather ignore it and put it behind them as old hat, or for someone else in history, when in scripture it is ever-present and future.

this is just nonsense, the opposition comes from the disobedience. EGW is not what she is touted to be, but when pointed out the supports double down. They seem to not be able to understand the idea that obedience goes both was, not just theirs. when they refuse to obey God and justify their actions they loose all crediblity. Calls for obedience are just a way of them decieving themselfves. They do not obey God so why should I listen to them.

 

[Freth]

this is just nonsense, the opposition comes from the disobedience. EGW is not what she is touted to be, but when pointed out the supports double down. They seem to not be able to understand the idea that obedience goes both was, not just theirs. when they refuse to obey God and justify their actions they loose all crediblity. Calls for obedience are just a way of them decieving themselfves. They do not obey God so why should I listen to them.

The OP asked a specific question:

I don't remember this subforum being so focused on Seventh-Day Adventism prior to this. Did anything in particular cause this?

I answered the question. You can call it nonsense all you want, but I think you just proved the point I made in my post.

 

[FireDragon76]

Adventism is bigger than some other Protestant denominations. They have also haven't declined in numbers, even though growth has slowed dramatically. Which is better than most American Evangelical denominations, which are in sharp decline.

I think its because the SDA church had/has a significant influence on the American society.

From veganism/vegetarianism to young earth creationism to keeping the sabbath. They transformed many public opinions and habits in the USA in the last hundred years (for example creating the most known vegan junk food for children - breakfast cereals).

The spotlight they attract is probably the combination of their controversy and being very active/visible in your society.

Regarding these forums, because less and less people are visiting this website, the steady SDA activity gets them more of the topic percentage.

Veganism isn't even the most salient feature of Seventh-Day Adventism (and most SDA's aren't vegan/vegetarian). The vegetarian teaching owes its origins to the preaching of Sylvester Graham, who was a Presbyterian minister, and hardly the first to advocate such a diet. Similar diets were advocated by 18th century German pietists, some of whom settled in Pennsylvania (the Ephrata community)

 

[The Liturgist]

Adventism is bigger than some other Protestant denominations. They have also haven't declined in numbers, even though growth has slowed dramatically. Which is better than most American Evangelical denominations, which are in sharp decline.



Veganism isn't even the most salient feature of Seventh-Day Adventism (and most SDA's aren't vegan/vegetarian). The vegetarian teaching owes its origins to the preaching of Sylvester Graham, who was a Presbyterian minister, and hardly the first to advocate such a diet. Similar diets were advocated by 18th century German pietists, some of whom settled in Pennsylvania (the Ephrata community)

Actually its mainly the mainline churches which are in sharp decline…the more traditional denominations in several cases have actually seen increasing membership, largely due to people leaving the mainline churches. I expect that the fact that the SDA’s membership has stopped growing is part of the reason why we are seeing all these threads. Frankly I would rather talk about other churches, because the decline of the Episcopal Church and the schism in the UMC is of much greater concern to me, the former being tragic and the latter being infuriating. There is also the horrible way Pope Francis is treating traditionalists, reversing Summorum Pontificum and doing everything he can to reverse the policies of his predeccessor Pope Benedict xvi, memory eternal. I don’t have the words to express how much I wish Pope Benedict had not resigned.

 

[FireDragon76]

Actually its mainly the mainline churches which are in sharp decline…the more traditional denominations in several cases have actually seen increasing membership, largely due to people leaving the mainline churches. I expect that the fact that the SDA’s membership has stopped growing is part of the reason why we are seeing all these threads. Frankly I would rather talk about other churches, because the decline of the Episcopal Church and the schism in the UMC is of much greater concern to me, the former being tragic and the latter being infuriating. There is also the horrible way Pope Francis is treating traditionalists, reversing Summorum Pontificum and doing everything he can to reverse the policies of his predeccessor Pope Benedict xvi, memory eternal. I don’t have the words to express how much I wish Pope Benedict had not resigned.

Pentecostal churches are the only churches that are growing. Churches like the Southern Baptists are in decline. Small, conservative Evangelical churches like the LCMS or PCA are in even sharper decline, at a rate only slightly less than mainline churches. Even Catholicism is in decline in the US, and it really has little to do with the lack of the Latin mass, and more to do with lack of trust in the institution and general dechurching of the wider society.

The SDA has managed to keep growing, though growth has slowed dramatically compared to decades ago. It's still a relatively small religious group, as far as American religions go, but they are larger than churches like the Disciples of Christ or United Church of Christ.

 

[The Liturgist]

Pentecostal churches are the only churches that are growing. Churches like the Southern Baptists are in decline. Small, conservative Evangelical churches like the LCMS or PCA are in even sharper decline, at a rate only slightly less than mainline churches.

I have no idea where you are getting your figures, but except in the case of the SBC which has taken a hit due to the sex scandal a few years ago and according to the data I have is stagnant, they seem incorrect. In the case of the Orthodox Churches, most of them are growing in North America, with the notable exception of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North America, which is shrinking. Part of the reason for the growth among the Orthodox and Assyrian churches of the Middle East is emigration from the Islamist regimes of the Middle East which continue their policy of ethnic cleansing while the world is distracted by the fratricide in the Ukraine, but the other aspect to their growth is a high birth rate. Indeed this is also a contributor to the higher growth rate among conservative Protestant churches vs. liberal ones. I also suspect that, in combination with cultural factors, it is a major reason for the tragic decline of boys’ choirs in Anglican churches.

Also I would note that the LCMS and WELS are not small; their geographic coverage is pervasive and they tend to get better Sunday morning attendance than the ELCA, which lost a fair chunk of its members to NALC due to its embrace of sexual perversion. The LCMS and WELS and the other confessional Lutheran churches also have higher birth rates than ELCA. However, when it comes to the overall status of the confessional Lutheran churches, I would really want the opinion of @MarkRohfrietsch.

These factors are also why the Traditional Latin Mass communities in the Roman Catholic Church were growing before Pope Francis decided to crack down with his deeply unpleasant actions in contradiction to the tolerance of Pope Benedict XVI. I really wish Pope Benedict had not stepped down; his doing so has been a disaster, and not just for the Catholic Church.

The importance of a high birth rate cannot be overstated.

I would argue the reason why the Adventists had up until now experienced rapid growth were the result of aggressive evangelization directed at other Christians, particularly Roman Catholics, where the sex scandal resulted in many people having a crisis of faith, combined with a relatively high birth rate and an apparently conservative stance on issues like abortion and homosexuality, although as @Adventist Heretic pointed out, much to my dismay, the SDA church is actually officially pro-choice.

Lastly I would note that nearly all churches were adversely affected by the Covid pandemic, not so much the pandemic itself as the prohibitions on worship, which in the US were deemed to be illegal and unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, for example, the unlawful prohibition on public worship in 2020.

Now in this respect the SDA could have scored a point in terms of their prophecy of a prohibition of Saturday worship, since that technically happened, although Sunday worship was prohibited as well, but they managed to score something of an own goal as our British friends would say by keeping their churches closed even in late 2020, at a time when most of the liturgical conservative churches such as ROCOR had reopened for worship.

 

[trophy33]

Veganism isn't even the most salient feature of Seventh-Day Adventism (and most SDA's aren't vegan/vegetarian)....

Almost all "plants are good, meat is bad" studies are somehow connected to Loma Linda. When some another such study comes out, try to check the authors and reviewers, their background. You will be surprised.

They are behind various big "health" organizations, even international ones and influence both public opinion and official recommendations for decades.

 

[FireDragon76]

Almost all "plants are good, meat is bad" studies are somehow connected to Loma Linda. When some another such study comes out, try to check the authors and reviewers, their background. You will be surprised.

Even if that's true (which I very much doubt), that wouldn't necessarily mean the study is wrong.

They are behind various big "health" organizations, even international ones and influence both public opinion and official recommendations for decades.

Right... I do not agree with the SDA church's religion (an understatement), but the idea that every person involved in the SDA is part of some big conspiracy against the truth is ridiculous.

 

[trophy33]

Even if that's true (which I very much doubt), that wouldn't necessarily mean the study is wrong.

You are free to verify it for yourself.

the idea that every person involved in the SDA is part of some big conspiracy against the truth is ridiculous.

Sure, I do not know why you are making this ridiculous statement.

 

[FireDragon76]

I have no idea where you are getting your figures, but except in the case of the SBC which has taken a hit due to the sex scandal a few years ago and according to the data I have is stagnant, they seem incorrect. In the case of the Orthodox Churches, most of them are growing in North America, with the notable exception of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North America, which is shrinking. Part of the reason for the growth among the Orthodox and Assyrian churches of the Middle East is emigration from the Islamist regimes of the Middle East which continue their policy of ethnic cleansing while the world is distracted by the fratricide in the Ukraine, but the other aspect to their growth is a high birth rate. Indeed this is also a contributor to the higher growth rate among conservative Protestant churches vs. liberal ones. I also suspect that, in combination with cultural factors, it is a major reason for the tragic decline of boys’ choirs in Anglican churches.

I get my data from places like this:

You Reap What You Sow: The PCA’s Internal Difficulties and Membership Losses

theaquilareport.com

Reversing the LCMS membership decline: not just by having more children

LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison comments on two major demographic studies about the Synod.

reporter.lcms.org

Except for Pentecostalism, Christianity as a whole is either not growing, or more commonly is in steep decline.

The Orthodox churches in the US are in decline, too, for the most part. In the past decade there has been a 12 percent decline:

Orthodox Church in America: a Decade of Changes in Parishes, Membership and Worship Attendance - Orthodox Christian Laity

Source: Orthodox Reality The report, “Orthodox Church in America: a Decade of Changes in Parishes, Membership and Worship Attendance” is now available. The data were obtained by the US Religion Census directly from the OCA parishes. The report can be downloaded here...

ocl.org

The LCMS and WELS and the other confessional Lutheran churches also have higher birth rates than ELCA. However, when it comes to the overall status of the confessional Lutheran churches, I would really want the opinion of @MarkRohfrietsch.

Their birth rates aren't that different from the general population. They also lose alot of young people who never come back.

 

[FireDragon76]

You are free to verify it for yourself.

It's a conspiracy theory. I did actual research on the origin of this meme and most of the sites have ties to the beef industry.

Sure, I do not know why you are making this ridiculous statement.

Because you are implying every Adventist is either incapable of understanding the scientific method, or is part of a conspiracy (I guess to sell more broccoli, perhaps).