There are 'discrepancies' in the bible. There are 'discrepancies' in the Spirit of Prophecy. None that I have seen poses a theological issue that would effect one's salvation.
Here's what SOP says about these 'discrepancies'.
Satan has ability to suggest doubts and to devise objections to the pointed testimony that God sends, and many think it a virtue, a mark of intelligence in them, to be unbelieving and to question and quibble. Those who desire to doubt will have plenty of room. God does not propose to remove all occasion for unbelief. He gives evidence, which must be carefully investigated with a humble mind and a teachable spirit, and all should decide from the weight of evidence.3 Testimonies, 255.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
If all doubts are removed, how can faith take roots and grow?
Many will deny and attempt to rewrite history or are just plain ignorant about it. The Adventism did not come about because of Ellen White's writings. It came about through earnest prayers and exhaustive bible studies. The light from the Spirit of Prophecy forced the pioneers to refocus on the scriptures and search the truth.
I would have to thank the naysayers, the mockers and the scoffers. When I started studying the Adventist doctrines, I never wanted to become an Adventist, didn't care for it.
But some people (Messianics) constantly bashed SDA church and Ellen White, so I had to study the bible and see if their challenges were legitimate. I became convinced the Adventist doctrines are fully supported by the bible. Remember I read the Nation Sunday Law and was convinced about the sabbath truth the night before I was about to become a member of the 1st Baptist church. No one can tell me it wasn't God who led me to these truths.
At this point I knew the bible pretty well, or so I thought. But I still didn't read any of Ellen White's writings. Never had the desire.
An older gentleman who were visiting my local church opened the door (pun intended) for me to the sanctuary study. This is when the pages of the bible came alive. It's as if you sketch the outlines with a pencil, then you fill in with strokes of colors. It became a livid picture of the plan of salvation. This is where I encountered Ellen White's writings. I realized they had to be inspired by God or they would not have fitted in with the rest of the complex puzzle. Do I ever get bothered by the nit-pickings they post about Ellen White? Sure. But this is where faith has to grow. Do you let the spirit lead you away from self to obey and to love (as T&O said) or do you let the other spirit lead you into temptation to doubt and to cherish sin?
[FONT="]Many who have backslidden from the truth assign as a reason for their course that they do not have faith in the Testimonies . . The question now is: Will they yield their idol which God condemns, or will they continue in their wrong course of indulgence and reject the light God has given them reproving the very things in which they delight? The question to be settled with them is: Shall I deny myself and receive as of God the Testimonies which reprove my sins, or shall I reject the Testimonies because they reprove my sins?4 Testimonies, 31-32.
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I could be wrong, but I don't believe you need to read the SOP books cover to cover, but you should use them to study and to confirm what the bible teaches.
Lainie, I say this humbly and to everyone who hasn't done so. Not because I know but because there is so much for us to know. Study the sanctuary. This is the core, the foundation of Adventism. Study it to test the Spirit of Prophecy writings. Don't wait 'til you think you know the bible. It will lead you to the bible in ways would not have been possible otherwise.
This is why the sanctuary is under the intense enemy attack. This is why our schools don't teach this, our local churches don't preach it, most of our young pastors don't know and don't believe in our doctrines.
Once the colors, the structures, the shapes, the materials, the animate and the inanimate are ingrained in your mind and you grasp their spiritual applications, you can never be led astray unwillingly. It allows for no liberal interpretations. The strange, extra pieces can not fit in a heavenly structure.