Why Did D. M. Canright leave the Seventh-Day Adventists?

[Saint Steven]

"How could Sunday worship have come from paganism,
when Sunday was never a pagan holiday?" — RALPH WOODROW

Source link

D. M. Canright, a Seventh-Day Adventist minister.
Contacted the experts listed below to gather conclusive
evidence about pagan sun worship. He set out to prove
the SDA point on this once and for all.

Why Did D. M. Canright leave the Seventh-Day Adventists?

Here's an overview of the key findings and sources.
Questions were put to these experts in Bible times history.

- F. N. Pryce of the British Museum in London, England,
Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities

- R. Rathborn of the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C.

- George F.Moore, Professor of Ancient Roman and Greek History,
at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

- Professor W. H. Westerman of the
University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin.

- J. W. Moncrieff, Professor at the University of Chicago.

All these experts in ancient history answered in chorus, "No."
The pagans did not gather on Sunday to worship the sun.
They did not gather on any day of the week to worship or
have a festival or day of rest. Worship gathering was annual for them.
Nor did they even follow a seven day week until after Christian times.
The significance of the week day names was astrological, not religious.
Their week was an eight day cycle based on their "weekly" market day.

Back in 1913-1914 the questions were put to these experts by
D. M. Canright, a Seventh-Day Adventist minister.
Who set out to prove the SDA point on this once and for all.
He left the SDA church as a result.

Source link

 

[Ken Rank]

"How could Sunday worship have come from paganism,
when Sunday was never a pagan holiday?" — RALPH WOODROW

The pagan Greeks named the days week after the sun, the moon and the five known planets, which were in turn named after the gods Ares, Hermes, Zeus, Aphrodite, and Cronus. The Greeks called the days of the week the Theon hemerai "days of the Gods". The Romans substituted their equivalent gods for the Greek gods, Mars, Mercury, Jove (Jupiter), Venus, and Saturn. (The two pantheons are very similar.) The Germanic peoples generally substituted roughly similar gods for the Roman gods, Tiu (Twia), Woden, Thor, Freya (Fria), but did not substitute Saturn.

The word "Sunday" means:

Middle English sone(n)day or sun(nen)day
Old English sunnandæg "day of the sun"
Germanic sunnon-dagaz "day of the sun"
Latin dies solis "day of the sun"
Ancient Greek hemera heli(o)u, "day of the sun"

So... if the day is named to honor the sUn (and opposed to the sOn) then Mr. Woodrow, whoever he is, is clearly mistaken.

And I would ask... why do you care how somebody else serves and honors God? I keep the 7th day and you the 1st... I am content walking that out and allowing God to correct whomever might be wrong (which could be both of us) so why aren't you? Why do you feel the need to demean the day (Shabbat) and elevate what you do? Do we all have to align to your practices and understandings in order to be acceptable to God? Are YOU the standard we must follow or is the life of Messiah the standard we must follow?

 

[Saint Steven]

The pagan Greeks named the days week after the sun, the moon and the five known planets, which were in turn named after the gods Ares, Hermes, Zeus, Aphrodite, and Cronus. The Greeks called the days of the week the Theon hemerai "days of the Gods". The Romans substituted their equivalent gods for the Greek gods, Mars, Mercury, Jove (Jupiter), Venus, and Saturn. (The two pantheons are very similar.) The Germanic peoples generally substituted roughly similar gods for the Roman gods, Tiu (Twia), Woden, Thor, Freya (Fria), but did not substitute Saturn.

The word "Sunday" means:

Middle English sone(n)day or sun(nen)day
Old English sunnandæg "day of the sun"
Germanic sunnon-dagaz "day of the sun"
Latin dies solis "day of the sun"
Ancient Greek hemera heli(o)u, "day of the sun"

So... if the day is named to honor the sUn (and opposed to the sOn) then Mr. Woodrow, whoever he is, is clearly mistaken.

And I would ask... why do you care how somebody else serves and honors God? I keep the 7th day and you the 1st... I am content walking that out and allowing God to correct whomever might be wrong (which could be both of us) so why aren't you? Why do you feel the need to demean the day (Shabbat) and elevate what you do? Do we all have to align to your practices and understandings in order to be acceptable to God? Are YOU the standard we must follow or is the life of Messiah the standard we must follow?

If you and I met for coffee on a Monday, would we be honoring the moon? No, our coffee get-together has nothing to do with the name of the day of the week. If you went to church on Saturday would you be honoring Saturn? No, going to church has nothing to do with the name of the day of the week. And none of it has anything to do with Greek gods. Right? Now apply that to Sunday.

Besides, I'm not promoting one day over another. That's what Sabbatarians do. (not you though) But here you are claiming that Sunday worship honors the sun. Seriously?

This topic is more in response to Sabbatarian claims than Messianic claims. So, unless you are prepared to speak for all Sabbatarians, your questions don't matter. Because Sabbatarians most certainly do all the bad things you claim you don't.

 

[Slimjack18]

If you and I met for coffee on a Monday, would we be honoring the moon? No, our coffee get-together has nothing to do with the name of the day of the week. If you went to church on Saturday would you be honoring Saturn? No, going to church has nothing to do with the name of the day of the week. And none of it has anything to do with Greek gods. Right? Now apply that to Sunday.

Besides, I'm not promoting one day over another. That's what Sabbatarians do. (not you though) But here you are claiming that Sunday worship honors the sun. Seriously?

This topic is more in response to Sabbatarian claims than Messianic claims. So, unless you are prepared to speak for all Sabbatarians, your questions don't matter. Because Sabbatarians most certainly do all the bad things you claim you don't.

 

[Slimjack18]

Sunday worship comes from Satan bottom line. There’s no need to try and attach it to those who worship the sun. Who has made it clear that they promote Sunday worship? The Catholic Church makes no mistake for taking claim to doing so. Those who go to church on Sunday have no biblical basis for it. The reasons that have always been given are “my mom did it, my grandma did it, etc. and that’s never going to be good enough. Christ never changed the day and made it clear he’s Lord of the Sabbath.

 

[Saint Steven]

Sunday worship comes from Satan bottom line. There’s no need to try and attach it to those who worship the sun. Who has made it clear that they promote Sunday worship? The Catholic Church makes no mistake for taking claim to doing so. Those who go to church on Sunday have no biblical basis for it. The reasons that have always been given are “my mom did it, my grandma did it, etc. and that’s never going to be good enough. Christ never changed the day and made it clear he’s Lord of the Sabbath.

Thanks for your post. Did you realize that the early church was gathering on the first day of the week in the first century? Even the Apostle John talks about "the Lord's Day". The Catholic Church came along centuries later. When were you told that the Catholic Church "changed the day" to Sunday?

 

[Adventist Heretic]

Sunday came from the Jews and the Apostels. The Springs festivals are the Theological reason for sunday. 1. 1st day of Passover, was called Lamb selection Sunday, or as we know it Palm Sunday. First fruits came on the day after the Sabbath, the 1st day of the weeks, and is the day of the resurrection. 3. Pentcost came of the 1 day after the 7th Sabbath. or the 1st day of the week . That is the theological basis for Sunday. It was never a replacement for the Sabbath, just like the festivals are not a replacement for the Sabbath. It was implemented by Paul, Apollos , Prycilla & Aquila in Ephesus as a result of the Riots in Rome over Christ and the Political conflicts in Alexendria. it was ment to keep the peace, provide and Identity separate from the Jews and have a time for Christian Teaching. It was not observed as a day of NO Work,rest, Only an hour of worship. Then they went to work.

 

[BobRyan]

"How could Sunday worship have come from paganism,
when Sunday was never a pagan holiday?" — RALPH WOODROW

Source link

D. M. Canright, a Seventh-Day Adventist minister.
Contacted the experts listed below to gather conclusive
evidence about pagan sun worship. He set out to prove
the SDA point on this once and for all.

Why Did D. M. Canright leave the Seventh-Day Adventists?

Here's an overview of the key findings and sources.
Questions were put to these experts in Bible times history.

- F. N. Pryce of the British Museum in London, England,
Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities

- R. Rathborn of the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C.

- George F.Moore, Professor of Ancient Roman and Greek History,
at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

- Professor W. H. Westerman of the
University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin.

- J. W. Moncrieff, Professor at the University of Chicago.

All these experts in ancient history answered in chorus, "No."
The pagans did not gather on Sunday to worship the sun.
They did not gather on any day of the week to worship or
have a festival or day of rest. Worship gathering was annual for them.
Nor did they even follow a seven day week until after Christian times.
The significance of the week day names was astrological, not religious.
Their week was an eight day cycle based on their "weekly" market day.

Back in 1913-1914 the questions were put to these experts by
D. M. Canright, a Seventh-Day Adventist minister.
Who set out to prove the SDA point on this once and for all.
He left the SDA church as a result.

Source link

hmmm "venerable day of the SUN" -

from - Sunday - Wikipedia
In Roman culture, Sunday was the day of the Sun god. In paganism, the sun was a source of life, giving warmth and illumination to mankind. It was the center of a popular cult among Romans, who would stand at dawn to catch the first rays of sunshine as they prayed.[dubious – discuss]

The opportunity to spot in the nature-worship of their heathen neighbors a symbolism valid to their own faith was not lost on the Christians. One of the Church fathers, St. Jerome, would declare: "If pagans call [the Lord's Day] [...] the 'day of the sun,' we willingly agree, for today the light of the world is raised, today is revealed the sun of justice with healing in his rays."[7]


The ancient Romans traditionally used the eight-day nundinal cycle, a market week, but in the time of Augustus in the 1st century AD, a seven-day week also came into use.

Justin Martyr, in the mid 2nd century, mentions "memoirs of the apostles" as being read on "the day called that of the sun" (Sunday) alongside the "writings of the prophets." [9]

On 7 March 321, Constantine I, Rome's first Christian Emperor (see Constantine I and Christianity), decreed that Sunday would be observed as the Roman day of rest:[10]

"On the venerable Day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country, however, persons engaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits; because it often happens that another day is not so suitable for grain-sowing or vine-planting; lest by neglecting the proper moment for such operations the bounty of heaven should be lost.[11]

Despite the official adoption of Sunday as a day of rest by Constantine, the seven-day week and the nundial cycle continued to be used side-by-side until at least the Calendar of 354 and probably later.[12]

In 363, Canon 29 of the Council of Laodicea prohibited observance of the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday), and encouraged Christians to work on the Saturday and rest on the Lord's Day (Sunday).[13] The fact that the canon had to be issued at all is an indication that adoption of Constantine's decree of 321 was still not universal, not even among Christians. It also indicates that Jews were observing the Sabbath on the Saturday.

 

[BobRyan]

Thanks for your post. Did you realize that the early church was gathering on the first day of the week in the first century? Even the Apostle John talks about "the Lord's Day". The Catholic Church came along centuries later. When were you told that the Catholic Church "changed the day" to Sunday?

There is not one "every week day 1 we meet for worship" in the NT.
There is not one "week day one is the Lord's Day" in the NT

Though we do have "the Son of Man is LORD of the Sabbath" Mark 2:28 - as an indication of what "Lord's Day" would be.

And we do have them "meeting every Sabbath" in the Synagogue for worship and Gospel preaching Acts 18:4 -- showing an "every Sabbath" activity of worship and Gospel preaching that we do not have for "week-day-1"

 

[Adventist Heretic]

There is not one "every week day 1 we meet for worship" in the NT.
There is not one "week day one is the Lord's Day" in the NT

Though we do have "the Son of Man is LORD of the Sabbath" Mark 2:28

I hope you will take a moment to read my post and reply to it. I have put a new twist and a new answer to the problem you have proposed. Thank-you. AS far as this post is concerned you needs to clarify it is confusing.

 

[Saint Steven]

hmmm "venerable day of the SUN" -

from - Sunday - Wikipedia
In Roman culture, Sunday was the day of the Sun god. In paganism, the sun was a source of life, giving warmth and illumination to mankind. It was the center of a popular cult among Romans, who would stand at dawn to catch the first rays of sunshine as they prayed.[dubious – discuss]

The opportunity to spot in the nature-worship of their heathen neighbors a symbolism valid to their own faith was not lost on the Christians. One of the Church fathers, St. Jerome, would declare: "If pagans call [the Lord's Day] [...] the 'day of the sun,' we willingly agree, for today the light of the world is raised, today is revealed the sun of justice with healing in his rays."[7]


The ancient Romans traditionally used the eight-day nundinal cycle, a market week, but in the time of Augustus in the 1st century AD, a seven-day week also came into use.

Justin Martyr, in the mid 2nd century, mentions "memoirs of the apostles" as being read on "the day called that of the sun" (Sunday) alongside the "writings of the prophets." [9]

On 7 March 321, Constantine I, Rome's first Christian Emperor (see Constantine I and Christianity), decreed that Sunday would be observed as the Roman day of rest:[10]

"On the venerable Day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country, however, persons engaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits; because it often happens that another day is not so suitable for grain-sowing or vine-planting; lest by neglecting the proper moment for such operations the bounty of heaven should be lost.[11]

Despite the official adoption of Sunday as a day of rest by Constantine, the seven-day week and the nundial cycle continued to be used side-by-side until at least the Calendar of 354 and probably later.[12]

In 363, Canon 29 of the Council of Laodicea prohibited observance of the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday), and encouraged Christians to work on the Saturday and rest on the Lord's Day (Sunday).[13] The fact that the canon had to be issued at all is an indication that adoption of Constantine's decree of 321 was still not universal, not even among Christians. It also indicates that Jews were observing the Sabbath on the Saturday.

The article link I posted has some very interesting things in it. They asked University experts in ancient history these questions. They answer in chorus. "No!"

 

[Saint Steven]

There is not one "every week day 1 we meet for worship" in the NT.
There is not one "week day one is the Lord's Day" in the NT

Though we do have "the Son of Man is LORD of the Sabbath" Mark 2:28
And we do have them "meeting every Sabbath" in the Synagogue for worship and Gospel preaching Acts 18:4

The worship of Jesus was not allowed in Jewish synagogues.
Do you remember why Saul was going to Damascus?

 

[LoveGodsWord]

"How could Sunday worship have come from paganism, when Sunday was never a pagan holiday?" — RALPH WOODROW

Hello Steve, welcome back. Not sure of the point of your post here in this OP. The opening statement is a strawman argument trying to make an argument that no one is arguing about.

It is Sun worship that comes from paganism. The weekly days named after the planets including the Sun also come from paganism. Who is claiming that on Sunday people met together to worship the Sun?

You may need to do a bit more research if you think there was no such thing as sun worship as it has been in many ancient cultures all around the world.

 

[LoveGodsWord]

List of solar deities and pagan Sun worship in cultures around the world
(Source Wikipedia)

Solar Apollo with the radiant halo of Helios in a floor mosaic, El Djem, Tunisia, late 2nd century. A solar deity is a god or goddess who represents the Sun, or an aspect of it, usually by its perceived potywer and strength. Solar deities and sun worship can be found throughout most of recorded history in various forms. The following is a list of solar deities:

African mythology
· Anyanwu, Igbo god believed to dwell in the sun
· Magec, Tenerife goddess of the sun and light
· Mawu, Dahomey goddess associated with the sun and the moon
· Ngai, Kamba, Kikuyu and Maasai god of the sun

Australian Aboriginal mythology
· Bila, cannibal sun goddess of the Adnyamathanha
· Gnowee, solar goddess who searches daily for her lost son;
· Wala, solar goddess
· Wuriupranili, solar goddess whose torch is the sun
· Yhi, Karraur goddess of the sun, light and creation

Ainu mythology
· Chup Kamui, a lunar goddess who switched places with her brother to become goddess of the sun

Arabian mythology
· Malakbel, god of the sun
· Shams/Shamsun, a solar goddess exalted in Himyar and by the Sabaeans.[1][2][3][4]

Aztec mythology
· Huitzilopochtli, god of the sun and war
· Nanahuatzin, god of the sun
· Teoyaomicqui, god of lost souls, the sun, and the sixth hour of the day
· Tonatiuh, god of the sun and ruler of the heavens
· Xiuhtecuhtli, god of fire, day, and heat

Baltic mythology
· Saulė, goddess of the sun

Basque mythology
· Ekhi, goddess of the sun and protector of humanity

Brazilian mythology
· Guaraci, god of the sun (Guarani mythology)
· Meri, folk hero and god of the sun

Buddhist mytholog
· Marici, goddess of the heavens, sun, and light
· Surya, god of the sun (Suriya Pariththa, Suthra Pitaka, Pali canon, Theravada Buddhism)

Canaanite mythology
· Shapash, goddess of the sun

Celtic mythology
· Áine, Irish goddess of love, summer, wealth, and sovereignty, associated with the sun and midsummer
· Alaunus, Gaulish god of the sun, healing, and prophecy
· Belenos, Gaulish god of the sun
· Étaín, Irish sun goddess
· Epona, horse deity occasionally linked with Étaín
· Grannus, god associated with spas, healing thermal and mineral springs, and the sun
· Macha, "sun of the womanfolk" and occasionally considered synonymous with Grian
· Olwen, female figure often constructed as originally the Welsh sun goddess
· Sulis, British goddess whose name is related to the common Proto-Indo-European word for "sun" and thus cognate with Helios, Sól, Sol, and Surya and who retains solar imagery, as well as a domain over healing and thermal springs. Probably the de facto solar deity of the Celts.

Chinese mythology
Statue of the goddess Xihe charioteering the sun, being pulled by a dragon, in Hangzhou
· Doumu, sun goddess sometimes conflated with Marici.
· Yuyi, sun god
· Xu Kai, god of the sun star
· Xihe, sun goddess and mother of the ten suns

Egyptian mythology
· Bast, cat goddess associated with the sun
· Horus, god of the sky whose right eye was considered to be the sun and his left the moon
· Amun, creator deity sometimes identified as a sun god
· Atum, the "finisher of the world" who represents the sun as it sets
· Aten, god of the sun, the visible disc of the sun
· Khepri, god of rebirth and the sunrise
· Ra, god of the sun
· Sekhmet, goddess of war and of the sun, and sometimes plagues and creator of the desert
· Sopdu, god of war and the scorching heat of the summer sun
· Ptah, god of craftsmanship, the arts and fertility, sometimes said to represent the sun at night

Elamite
· Nahundi, god of the sun and law

Etruscan mythology
· Usil, Etruscan equivalent of Helios

Germanic mythology
· Sól/Sunna/Sunne, the common sun goddess among the Germanic tribes, from Proto-Germanic Sōwilō; was chased across the sky in her horse-drawn chariot by a wolf

Greek mythology
· Alectrona, speculated to be the goddess of the morning and man's waking sense, daughter of Helios
· Athena, goddess of wisdom and crafts, with solar deity characteristics
· Helios, Titan god and personification of the sun, he drove across the sky in a quadriga

Hindu mythology
Surya
· Aryaman, god of the midday sun
· Savitr, god of the sun at sunrise and sunset
· Surya, the sun god, rides across the sky in a horse-drawn chariot ala Helios and Sol
· Aruna, charioteer of Surya, god of the morning sun

Hittite mythology
· Istanu, goddess/god of the sun and judgment
· Sun goddess of Arinna

Incan mythology
· Inti, god of the sun and patron deity of the Inca Empire
· Ch'aska ("Venus") or Ch'aska Quyllur ("Venus star") was the goddess of dawn and twilight, the planet

Inuit mythology
· Akycha, sun goddess worshiped in Alaska
· Malina, goddess of the sun found most commonly in the legends of Greenland

Japanese mythology
Amaterasu emerging out of a cave, bringing sunlight back to the universe.
· Amaterasu, goddess of the sun

Lusitanian mythology
· Endovelicus, god of health and safety, worshiped both as a solar deity
· Neto, claimed to be both a solar and war deity

Māori mythology
· Tama-nui-te-rā, personification of the sun

Maya mythology
· Ah Kin, god of the sun, bringer of doubt, and protector against the evils associated with darkness
· Kinich Ahau, god of the sun
· Hunahpu, one of the Maya Hero Twins; he transformed into the sun while his brother transformed into the moon
· Tohil, god associated with thunder, lightning, and sunrise

Mesopotamian mythology
· Shamash, Akkadian god of the sun and justice
· Utu, Sumerian god of the sun and justice

Minoan mythology
· A solar goddess of some sort, possibly the Snake Goddess.[5][6]

Muisca mythology
· Sué, god of the sun and husband of Chía, the moon

Native American mythology
· Jóhonaaʼéí, the Navajo sun god, known as The One Who Rules the Day
· Kisosen, the Abenaki solar deity, an eagle whose wings opened to create the day and closed to cause the nighttime
· Napioa, the Blackfoot deity of the sun
· Tawa, the Hopi creator and god of the sun
· Wi, Lakota god of the sun

Roman mythology
· Sol, god of the sun, rides in a horse-drawn chariot

Sami mythology
· Beiwe, goddess of the sun, spring, fertility, and sanity

Slavic mythology
· Dažbog, god of the sun
· Hors, god of the sun

Turkic mythology
· Gun Ana, common Turkic solar deity, seen as a goddess in the Kazakh and Kyrgyz traditions
· Koyash, god of the sun

Zoroastrianism
· Hvare-khshaeta, the sun yazata

Zunism
· The Zunbil dynasty and the subjects of Zabulistan worshiped the sun, which they called Zun. They believed that the sun was the god of justice, the force of good in the world and, consequently, the being that drove out the darkness and allowed man to live another day.

..............

Yep seems Sun worship is in all pagan religions world-wide. Notice all the pagan biblical countries mentioned in the bible.

Hope this helps brother.

 

[LoveGodsWord]

There is some more interesting information on the Sun God's and Sun worship in religion from Egypt, Babylonian and Roman empires as well as Astrology and it's origin at these wikipedia links below if your interested in more information. Sorry could not be bothered cutting and pasting it all as there is too much to post.

1. Sun God's - Sola Deities linked
2. Roman Sun worship linked.
3. RA the Sun God of the Egyptians linked.
4. Babylonian Sun God Shamash linked.
6. Astrology comes from Babylon linked.

Hope this helps

 

[liberty of conscience]

"How could Sunday worship have come from paganism,
when Sunday was never a pagan holiday?" — RALPH WOODROW

...

D.M. (Dudley Marvin) Canright "was" a Seventh-day Adventist for quite some time, before he apostatized (twice), and even wrote his own rebuttal of his own apostasy in his first return. He lied in/on several/many occasions (documentedly so), misrepresented events, exaggerated others, abused priveleges between one-time friends, and eventually fulfilled the prophetic dream that was given to sister White about him, "The Man who boarded the phantom ship." (you can read it here - http://maranathamedia.com/downloads/library/books/History/Adventist/Canright - Man who boarded the Phantom Ship - Vance Ferrell (2004).pdf )

He was even eventually given less and less responsibility among the baptists, for they did not know what to do with him. His own congregation suffered and dwindled to nothing, and long suffered (losing an eye, etc), and he died miserably. He was always pitied by those whom he left behind. He even sold Seventh-day Adventist tracts and materials when his wouldn't.

There is so much in print, on D.M. Canright, and the matter of Sunday, and of Papal Rome that to any who actually do their own research, and desire to know the truth, may freely have it.

Others, of long since, also wrote and documented these things for later posterity and for truth and openness.

G.I. (George Ide) Butler, wrote - Replies to Elder (D.M.) Canright's Attacks on Seventh-day Adventists (directly citing D.M. Canrights own words and actions, especially in regards theology) - http://centrowhite.org.br/files/ebooks/apl/all/Butler/Replies to Elder Canrights Attacks on Seventh-day Adventists.pdf

Uriah Smith, wrote - Replies to Elder Canright's Attacks on Seventh-day Adventists - http://centrowhite.org.br/files/ebooks/apl/all/UriahSmith/Replies to Elder Canright's Attacks on Seventh-day Adventists.pdf

William H Branson - Reply to Canright - https://ia801607.us.archive.org/0/i...ht-The-Truth-About-Seventh-Day-Adventists.pdf

Francis D Nichol - Ellen G. White and her critics (D.M. Canright) - http://documents.adventistarchives.org/Books/EGWC1951.pdf

Uriah Smith wrote - The Defense of James White and Wife - https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=2ahUKEwi0ic2xw5vfAhWLL3wKHf0TAvUQFjAAegQICRAC&url=http://www.adventaudio.org/ebooks/files/pdf/Smith%20-%20The%20Defense%20of%20Elder%20James%20White%20and%20Wife.pdf&usg=AOvVaw3t65KFSY5iO5hOz3m96voG

Testimony of D.M. Canright on James White:

"... ELD. D. M. CANRIGHT testifies: I have known Eld. James White for over ten years, and have had considerable knowledge of his dealings with many persons from Maine to Iowa. I have never seen any thing myself like dishonesty, smallness, or covetousness, in him, nor have I heard any man who has dealt with him in any way charge him with these. I have often known of his liberality to others, to different needy ministers, to various benevolent objects, etc. I myself have personally experienced the liberality of Eld. White on several occasions. From a pretty thorough acquaintance [30] with him, I have full confidence in his strict, Christian integrity of character.

Monroe, Iowa, Nov. 2, 1869. ..." - The Defense of Elder James White And Wife - The Defense of Elder James White and Wife

see also Link

It would behoove you (and all) to actually understand what real Seventh-day Adventists believe and have written, for instance, the Great Controversy (Chap. 3 An Era of Spiritual Darkness) (read carefully):

Audio (listen carefully) here - FREE GC Audio Book

"... The spirit of concession to paganism opened the way for a still further disregard of Heaven's authority. Satan, working through unconsecrated leaders of the church, tampered with the fourth commandment also, and essayed to set aside the ancient Sabbath, the day which God had blessed and sanctified (Genesis 2:2, 3), and in its stead to exalt the festival observed by the heathen as "the venerable day of the sun." This change was not at first attempted openly. In the first centuries the true Sabbath had been kept by all Christians. They were jealous for the honor of God, and, believing that His law is immutable, they zealously guarded the sacredness of its precepts. But with great subtlety Satan worked through his agents to bring about his object. That the attention of the people might be called to the Sunday, it was made a festival in honor of the resurrection of Christ. Religious services were held upon it; yet it was regarded as a day of recreation, the Sabbath being still sacredly observed. {GC 52.1}

To prepare the way for the work which he designed to accomplish, Satan had led the Jews, before the advent of Christ, to load down the Sabbath with the most rigorous exactions, making its observance a burden. Now, taking advantage of the false light in which he had thus caused it to be regarded, he cast contempt upon it as a Jewish institution. While Christians generally continued to observe the Sunday as a joyous festival, he led them, in order to show [53] their hatred of Judaism, to make the Sabbath a fast, a day of sadness and gloom. {GC 52.2} (this refers to Sylvester I's decrees and the later council of Laodicea, etc)

In the early part of the fourth century the emperor Constantine issued a decree making Sunday a public festival throughout the Roman Empire. (See Appendix.) The day of the sun was reverenced by his pagan subjects and was honored by Christians; it was the emperor's policy to unite the conflicting interests of heathenism and Christianity. He was urged to do this by the bishops of the church, who, inspired by ambition and thirst for power, perceived that if the same day was observed by both Christians and heathen, it would promote the nominal acceptance of Christianity by pagans and thus advance the power and glory of the church. But while many God-fearing Christians were gradually led to regard Sunday as possessing a degree of sacredness, they still held the true Sabbath as the holy of the Lord and observed it in obedience to the fourth commandment. {GC 53.1}

The archdeceiver had not completed his work. He was resolved to gather the Christian world under his banner and to exercise his power through his vicegerent, the proud pontiff who claimed to be the representative of Christ. Through half-converted pagans, ambitious prelates, and world-loving churchmen he accomplished his purpose. Vast councils were held from time to time, in which the dignitaries of the church were convened from all the world. In nearly every council the Sabbath which God had instituted was pressed down a little lower, while the Sunday was correspondingly exalted. Thus the pagan festival came finally to be honored as a divine institution, while the Bible Sabbath was pronounced a relic of Judaism, and its observers were declared to be accursed. {GC 53.2}

The great apostate had succeeded in exalting himself "above all that is called God, or that is worshiped." 2 Thessalonians 2:4. He had dared to change the only precept of the divine law that unmistakably points all mankind to the true and living God. In the fourth commandment, God is [54] revealed as the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and is thereby distinguished from all false gods. It was as a memorial of the work of creation that the seventh day was sanctified as a rest day for man. It was designed to keep the living God ever before the minds of men as the source of being and the object of reverence and worship. Satan strives to turn men from their allegiance to God, and from rendering obedience to His law; therefore he directs his efforts especially against that commandment which points to God as the Creator. {GC 53.3}

Protestants now urge that the resurrection of Christ on Sunday made it the Christian Sabbath. But Scripture evidence is lacking. No such honor was given to the day by Christ or His apostles. The observance of Sunday as a Christian institution had its origin in that "mystery of lawlessness" (2 Thessalonians 2:7, R.V.) which, even in Paul's day, had begun its work. Where and when did the Lord adopt this child of the papacy? What valid reason can be given for a change which the Scriptures do not sanction? {GC 54.1}

In the sixth century the papacy had become firmly established. Its seat of power was fixed in the imperial city, and the bishop of Rome was declared to be the head over the entire church. Paganism had given place to the papacy. The dragon had given to the beast "his power, and his seat, and great authority." Revelation 13:2. And now began the 1260 years of papal oppression foretold in the prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation. Daniel 7:25; Revelation 13:5-7. (See Appendix.) Christians were forced to choose either to yield their integrity and accept the papal ceremonies and worship, or to wear away their lives in dungeons or suffer death by the rack, the [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse], or the headsman's ax. Now were fulfilled the words of Jesus: "Ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for My name's sake." Luke 21:16, 17. Persecution opened upon the faithful with greater fury than ever before, [55] and the world became a vast battlefield. For hundreds of years the church of Christ found refuge in seclusion and obscurity. Thus says the prophet: "The woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and three-score days." Revelation 12:6. {GC 54.2}

The accession of the Roman Church to power marked the beginning of the Dark Ages. ..." - The Great Controversy (1911), pages 52.1-54.2

 

[liberty of conscience]

"How could Sunday worship have come from paganism,
when Sunday was never a pagan holiday?" — RALPH WOODROW

...

One can simply read:

The Two Republics (by A. T. (Alonzo Trevier) Jones), see Chapter VII (7), Ancient Sun Worship, to begin with: https://www.whitehorsemedia.com/docs/the_two_republics.pdf

Ecclesiastical Empire (by A. T. (Alonzo Trevier) Jones): https://www.whitehorsemedia.com/docs/ecclesiastical_empire.pdf

The Great Empires of Prophecy (by A. T. (Alonzo Trevier) Jones): https://www.whitehorsemedia.com/docs/the_great_empires_of_prophecy.pdf

Continuing onward:

Canright was looking for the wrong thing, asked the wrong questions.

Gathering of pagans was irrelevant in a weekly sense, early on, and so was the idea of 'rest' (a later element, mashed together). Paganism (a broad scope of Egyptian, Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, Roman, far-Eastern, etc) had no unified system for gathering (annually, or seasonally, though they did attempt festivals around the solstices and equinoxes, and moon, and planetary conjunctions, etc) or rest. Even festival days could be privately observed without 'gathering' (for a modern example of a secular festival day, take the 4th of July (for U.S.), you could get together with people, or you could just sit at home alone, though the day is generally recognized within US borders). It was instead the matter of the honour they gave to it. It was later that there was a governmental pressure for political/religious unity.

"... The 7-day week began to be observed in Italy in the early imperial period, [44] ..." - Roman calendar - Wikipedia

"... In historiography, the "imperial period" is by convention taken to last from 27 BC to AD 284. In archaeology, on the other hand, the term is usually taken to cover the period of c. AD 1 to 375 ..." - Roman imperial period (chronology) - Wikipedia

[Cassius] Dio's Roman History helps to demonstrate this fact, and that the Romans had adopted the Egyptian style of naming the days of the week after their astrological bodies, and there are sources (S. Julii Frontini) which link the 7th day to basic day of 'satur(n)-day' (though technically not the exact same time), and the first day of the 7 day week to that of the 'Sun's-day'.

Like the Sabbath commandment of God which covers every day of the week (6 of common work and 1 of rest), the pagans also worshipped the sun every day (as it is in India, China, Africa, etc to this day), but there came to be a day later called "the venerable day of the sun" (first day of the 7 day week).

Tertullian even mentions that the (apostasy (paganized) amongst) 'christianity' in his day, that he knew of, worshipped toward "the east" and attempted to defend it (Apology, Chap. 16; see also Moshiem's Ecclesiastical History).

"... "Others, with greater regard to good manners, it must be confessed, suppose that the sun is the god of the Christians, because it is a wellknown fact that we pray towards the east, or because we make Sunday a day of festivity. What then? Do you do less than this? Do not many among you, with an affectation of sometimes worshiping the heavenly bodies, likewise move your lips in the direction of the sunrise? It is you, at all events, who have admitted the sun into the calendar of the week; and you have selected its day, in preference to the preceding day, as the most suitable in the week for either an entire abstinence from the bath, or for its postponement until the evening, or for taking rest and banqueting." -- Tertullian. ..." - Ad Nationes, Book I, Chap. XIII.

This is a repeat of what took place in Ezekiel's day:

Eze_8:16 And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD'S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.

Frankly, Ralph Woodrow, is out of his element and is simply regurgitating that which was promulgated by D.M. Canright (whose own material rebuts itself even fairly well) who looked for an excuse to leave, and is the primary (incorrect) source to attempt to undermine that which has been central to the theme of the Great Controversy. I would be very careful of what evidence D.M. Canright quoted, see G. I. Butler's work. There is nothing new under the sun.

That Constantine, a known pagan, called the 'first day of the week', the "venerable day of the sun" (in his infamous edict) in honour of his 'Sun-god' (as on his own coins, etc), shows that it is indeed very 'pagan'. Said decree also shows that the day was known by this or similar epithets by the other pagans for some time past.

As for the change, see:

Latin:

"... Similiter et feriae a fando dicuntur, ob quam causam Silvester papa primus apud Romanos constituit ut dierum nomina quae antea secundum nomina deorum suorum vocabant, id est, Solis, Lunae, Martis, Mercurii, Veneris, Saturni, feria deinceps vocarent, id est, prima feria, secunda feria, tertia feria, quarta feria, quinta feria, sexta feria, quia in principio Genesis scriptum est quod Deus per singulos dies dixerit : prima, Fiat Lux; secunda, Fiat firmamentum; tertia, Producat terra herbam virentem, similiter, etc. Sabbatum autem antiquo legis vocabulo vocare praecepit, et primam feriam diem Dominicam, eo quod Dominus in illa resurrexit. Statuit autem idem papa ut otium sabbati magis in diem Dominicam transferretur, ut ea die a terrenis operibus ad laudandum Deum vacaremus, justa illud quod scriptum est : Vacate et videte, quoniam ego sum Deus (Psal. XLV). ..." - Beati Rabani Mauri, Fuldensis Abbatis et Moguntini Archiepiscopi, de Clericorum Institutione, ad Heistulphum Archiepiscopum; Libri Tres. (Anno 819.) Ad Fratres Fuldenses Epigramma Ejusdem; Liber Secundus, Caput XLVI. Column 361 (Left; PDF page 35) - http://www.documentacatholicaomnia....eistulphum_Archiepiscopum_Libri_Tres,_MLT.pdf

Translated English:

"... Pope Sylvester first among the Romans ordered that the names of the days [of the week], which they previously called after the name of their gods, that is, [the day] of the Sun, [the day] of the Moon, [the day] of Mars, [the day] of Mercury, [the day] of Jupiter, [the day] of Venus, [the day] of Saturn, they should call feriae thereafter, that is the first feria, the second feria, the third feria, the fourth feria, the fifth feria, the sixth feria, because that in the beginning of Genesis it is written that God said concerning each day: on the first, "Let there be light:; on the second, "Let there be a firmament"; on the third, "Let the earth bring forth verdure"; etc. But he [Sylvester] ordered [them] to call the Sabbath by the ancient term of the law, [to call] the first feria the "Lord's day," because on it the Lord rose [from the dead], Moreover, the same pope decreed that the rest of the Sabbath should be transferred rather to the Lord's day [Sunday], in order that on that day we should rest from worldly works for the praise of God.7 ..." - Exactly Which Pope Changed The Sabbath To Sunday?

Even Philip Melanchthon understood:

Philip Melanchthon on Daniel 7:25 -

"... But what meaneth the aungell to saye: He shall s•arle or destroye ye hyghe sayn∣tis? verely els but that with his false doctryne capciouse othes articles / & in∣terrogacions he shall fraudelently de∣ceyue and trappe the simple innocents and shed their blode tyrannously. Also he shall arrogantly take vpon him & thin∣ke to change the state of tymes and la∣wes. He weneth to change ye tyme which with swerde and fyer thinketh to shorten the lyfe of man and to preuent and disa∣point gods infallible eternall and immu∣table prouidēce wherby he hath prefiyed euery manis tyme & houre of deth which as noman can differre or prolong it / so cā∣ne noman shorten nor preuent it / except men will make God an ignorant persone and so consequently no god at all. He chā∣geth the tymes and lawes that any of the [page 118-119] sixe worke dayes commanded of god will make them vnholy and idle dayes when he lyste / or of their owne holy dayes abo∣lisshed / make* worke dayes agen / & when they changed ye Saterday into Sondaye / of eting dayes fasting dayes / of mery and glad dayes to marye in / they can make so∣rowfull dayes forbiddinge maryages. They haue changed gods lawes and tur∣ned them into their owne tradiciōs to be kept aboue Gods preceptis. And as for their owne lawes they will change & bre∣ke them when they lyste. And this powr shal anticrist haue whether it be for long or shorte tyme. For so miche sowneth the Hebrew phrase / which is for a tyme / a lyt∣le whyle / & half a tyme / signifyinge that Anticryst shall make lawes to stande as long and as shorte tyme as he listeth and the tymes will he order / sett and change at his owne plesur. But is it not onely ye office of god to chang tymes and lawes? Here is therfore the prophecye fulfylled of him. Euen to exalt himselfe aboue all thing that god is called. This text. But the hyghe saynts he shall tangle trappe & destroye and arrogantly thinke to chan∣ge the tymes and lawes &c. is of diuerse lerned men diuersely translated. ..." - The exposicion of Daniel the prophete gathered oute of Philip Melanchton, Iohan Ecolampadius, Chonrade Pellicane [and] out of Iohan Draconite. [et] c. By George Ioye. A prophecye diligently to be noted of al emprowrs [and] kinges in these laste dayes

 

[Adventist Heretic]

could someone clarify what exactly the purpose of this Thread.

 

[Saint Steven]

could someone clarify what exactly the purpose of this Thread.

Respond to the OP if you like. Or comment on the responses of others. Just like any other thread.

 

[Adventist Heretic]

Respond to the OP if you like. Or comment on the responses of others. Just like any other thread.

not helpful, To be clear. I am not sure if you are for or against D.M. Canright or is this about the origins of sunday pagan worship?