Here is a review by Mike Senseney a long time follower of this blog of the following book by Nic Lamojluk.
"From Pro-life to Pro-choice: The Dramatic Shift in Seventh-day Adventist's Attitudes Towards Abortion"
by Nic Samojluk
http://www.lulu.com/browse/search.php?fListingClass=7&fSearch=%22From+Pro-life+to+Pro-choice%22&fSubmitSearch=Go&showingSubPanels=&fSort=relevance_desc
Reviewed By Michael Senseney:
In the early 90s, as an Elder in my SDA church, I corresponded with the presidents of the Columbia Union and the General Conference on the issue of abortions being performed in Maryland Adventist hospitals. At first, the Union president attempted to assure me that I was taken in by vicious rumors. I obtained statistics that showed thousands of abortions were being performed bringing in millions of dollars. When the facts were presented to SDA leadership, the correspondence ended with nothing but the silent ignoring of my pleas. Unfortunately this appears to be the standard operating procedure utilized by church leadership toward any and all pro-life Adventists.
Nic Samojluk's book reveals in great detail and irrefutable evidence, this approach by SDA leadership regarding the issue of abortion in Adventist hospitals, and the commitment of that leadership to the elective and selective extermination of pre-natal human life. One has to ask why. A good starting place is to follow the money. Mr. Samojluk provides sound details which show the source of Adventist abortion policy to be that of money in pursuing this devilish blood lust in continuing to kill innocent human beings.
This is perhaps the most important book for SDAs in the 21st century. Mr. Samojluk provides in great detail, the debate regarding abortion policy in the Adventist denomination, and how it was pretty much shoved down the throats of SDA laity, the majority of whom seem opposed to abortion. The future of Adventism hinges on this one single issue...to kill or not to kill innocent human life. All moral authority, if any ever truly existed, in the Seventh-day Adventist church, should be considered null and void as long as they take the stand with complete and total disregard for precious human life.
In addition to the detailed debate and confusion between Adventist leadership and laity so clearly revealed in this book. Mr. Samojluk presents some of the best logic and reasoning for why a pro-life position is the only position a self professed Christian organization can support in good faith. This book, in spite of the tragedy of the topic, is a delight to read because of the clear insights presented by Mr. Samojluk. At times tears came to my eyes, as when reading that President Wilson's solution to world hunger could be found in the slaughter of humans who will one day eat food, and not in feeding the hungry as commanded by our Lord and Savior; or the terrifying embrace of eugenics by James W . Walters and his sophistries regarding personhood.
All of Mr. Samojluk's writings on this subject are well worth the read, and a must read for all SDAs. One of my favorites was his creative piece entitled "A Stigmata Case in Loma Linda". While this is a must read for all SDAs in the hope of recovering from the damage done by the church's position on abortion; this is a must read for all non-Adventists who desire to understand this denomination, especially those who may be considering joining the SDA church. Beware that the call to come out of Babylon is more applicable to Adventists than non-Adventists. One has to wonder how much of the "Remnant” remains.
This book points out one of the major fallacies of Adventism particularly and of protestantism in general...that being that the Bible is the authority of truth for a Christian. It is clear that if the Adventist theologians and leadership can provide "proof" from the Bible that abortion is Biblical there is a major problem. I suppose anything can be proved from the Bible if one puts his mind to it. 1 Tim.3:15 tells us that The Church is the pillar and foundation of Truth, not the Bible.
As I discovered the error of Adventist teaching on abortion, I continued to find the error of Adventism on other doctrines. In 2009 I joined The Catholic Church and came home to the pillar and foundation of Truth. I would invite all pro-life Adventists to come out of Babylon and come home to Rome. She has been there from the beginning and Her life for 2,000 years is nothing short of the miraculous sustaining power of God in the face of continual opposition and threat.
But until you are ready to come home, I highly recommend Nic Samojluk's book and suggest that all SDAs read this and encourage all their friends to read this. This is the most important book in Adventism, for Adventists, in the 21st century.
13 comments:
That's a poignant idea to say that Nic Lamojluk's book is of most importance to Adventists in the 21st century. Not to be all fundamentalist here, but why wouldn't the Bible be of most importance, for the just and un-just alike? You could even say any of the books of the Bible are of great importance to Christianity and Adventism, perhaps John - the last gospel for the final generation - or Romans - the gospel of righteousness by faith. . .?
I don't understand how a book or even a controversial point such as abortion can suddenly fix a religion or a system of beliefs. Shouldn't the gospel be the utility to change hearts and beliefs?
N. Ryan, you are correct, but sometimes a STOP sign to a speeding car will bring more immediate salvation to a person than the Gospel would.
Jesus said in John 10:10, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."
Yet the SDA denomination has rejected life by permitting abortion, so clearly they need something more than the Gospel when it comes to the sin of abortion. Perhaps Nic's book can supplement the Gospel in this area? After all, Nic is an SDA writing to SDAs, perhaps he knows what they need.
I understand your point, but does that reflect where one's faith and trust is in? Don't you think the efficacy of the gospel would transform people and beliefs? Perhaps when we meditate upon the depth of the love of God, and when we come to terms with the extent of our justification and God's forgiveness, then we will come to value life, the sanctity of marriage, our duty to our fellow brother, et al.?
But once again, this issue also comes to allowing the actions of a few define the ideals of the group at large, and we all know how detrimental that problem is to growing brotherly love.
Ryan, you are correct, but your position poses another problem. The sheer number of abortions being performed at SDA facilities would suggest that either SDAs have not come to value life as a result of meditating on the love of God, or have not meditated on the love of God. And I cannot accept that.
The real problem is that the SDA hierarchy confesses that it has no authority to declare that the murder of the unborn is a sin under any and all circumstances, and cannot be done at SDA facilities and warrants disfellowship of any and all involved.
Most Adventists believe abortion to be a sin. So why haven't they raised their voice against the silence of the church on this subject?
We are clearly supposed to confront our brother if we see them sin and then take others with us to verify and then when they refuse take it to the church. The problem is with Adventism, the church is the problem.
So very sad. Adventists are so terrified of leaving their church that they could stay in and remain party to this.... We're not talking a few "rebel" Adventists here. We are talking about the pro-choice church official stance. We are talking here about the SDA hospitals performing abortions on demand.
This isn't a neutral position on this. It is clearly a organizational choice to not only allow abortions in their hospitals, but NOT stand up firmly and renounce such a horrendous sin.
Their moral authority is non-existent.
Those Adventists who wish to look the other way, will have to face God about this one day....
Hi N. Ryan,
In all my years as an Adventist, I never observed any need to point out the importance of the Bible to other Adventists. But to point out the importance of Mr. Samojluk's book for Adventists in order for them to understand a very serious sin supported and promoted by their denomination's leadership and facilitated daily, right now, through Adventist hospitals, is very much needed at this time.
And don't feel so hesitant to "be all fundamentalist here". I think that the positive aspect of fundamentalism is that it implies an affection for, and affinity to, fundamentals. No one can grow and develop in any area of life or work without first understanding and embracing the fundamentals of that area of life or work. And I would say the the very first fundamental for human beings is the fundamental right to life. The expectation that no one has any God given right to deprive any innocent and hepless individual of that fundamental right to life. Certainly professed Christians do not have that right.
But this is exactly what the SDA official position regarding abortion does. It allows for the determination to be made as to which helpless and innocent individuals are not worthy of that fundamental right to life; it then passes judgement against those helpless and innocent individuals; and then carries out the sentence of death by execution against those helpless and innocent individuals. This is the spirit and work of anti-christ, not Christians, and particularly not Christians who claim to have the last message of truth for this world before Jesus returns.
Mr. Samojluk also points out in his book how ethicists at Loma Linda tried to redefine death for certain babies, so that they could be pronounced dead while still breathing with beating hearts, in order to harvest their organs for the "healing ministry" of their hospitals. If a person can ignore the horror of that, than there is a moral blindness and eclipse of reason that possibly may never be healed.
(con't)
(con'd part 2)
One thing I've learned in my 52 years with God is that I can forgive sin and be forgiven of sins, but I cannot defend sin. And rest assured in the promise that if your church repents of this sin, she too will be forgiven. That is the Gospel.
Mr. Samojluk is a prophetic voice in the wilderness of Adventism pointing out this most grave and serious sin, supported by the leadership of his church. Adventists have two choices: 1) bury their heads in the ground and ignore the slaughter of helpless and innocent individual humans, or 2) read this book by Mr. Samojluk, get informed, and take a stand for life and against murder by applying pressure to your leadership to change this evil policy. Embrace a pro-life Christian policy for your church and your hospitals and institutions. Repent and be forgiven...this is the love of God.
I admire Mr. Samojluk very much. He is in his 80s and has dedicated his life to the work of protecting helpless and innocent human beings from being murdered by his church. When I quickly realized that my efforts were fruitless with SDA leadership regarding this issue, I brushed the dust off of my feet and left that evil village. But Mr. Samojluk loves his church so much and has stayed the course faithfully, only to be ignored by the leaders and most likely to be ostracized by pastors and fellow church members, and eventually branded a Jesuit if that has not happened already.
I've read the book "Lives of The Saints" completely through a couple times. I see Mr. Samujluk and his love and commitment and dedication in those lives. A love and commitment and dedication that is painful in this life with no earthly reward, and no hope or prospect of victory in sight. A love and commitment and dedication that is faithful to the end. I pray that in my remaining years I can achieve being 1/4th of the Christian that he is, and if I can, then I would have only hope of heaven and no fear of hell.
Mr. Samujluk is a prophet and a saint in my opinion. You Adventists who claim to have the "final truth" for all mankind should take some time and read this book, let it inspire you and motivate you to save and defend those helpless and innocent individuals subject to the horrible murders performed in your own hospitals. Be able to know on what side you stand on the judgement day when asked what you did for the least of these.
God bless all!!!
Mike,
Terrific review. God bless you for those words.
What is deafening is the sheer volume of comments (the total is exactly zero) on this post by SDAs defending the denomination's position and the denomination's basis for its position (no authority to forbid abortions).
Why is that?
N. Ryan said...
“I don't understand how a book or even a controversial point such as abortion can suddenly fix a religion or a system of beliefs. Shouldn't the gospel be the utility to change hearts and beliefs?”
I will try to help you understand why the issue of abortion is crucial for a denomination which has claimed right from its inception to have a message for the world.
In the book of Revelation the Remnant Church of God is described as one which keeps God’s Commandments. One of the Ten Commandments forbids murder—the killing of innocent human beings—and there are no more innocent human beings like the unborn.
By compromising on the issue of abortion, and by allowing its Adventist hospitals to provide abortions on demand with impunity, the church looses it claim to be God’s Remnant on the earth.
What I am doing is to plead with my church to return to the Adventist pioneers teaching on this life and death issue; they were decidedly pro-life instead of pro-choice. After all, pro-choice is equivalent to pro-abortion for all practical purposes.
Thank you, Mike, for your kind words. Can I reciprocate by nominating you for sainthood?
My first reaction was to reject the label of saint; nevertheless, on second thought, I recalled the fact that Saint Paul did address all his Christian converts as "saints."
This means that if we love Jesus and have accepted him as our Savior, then we do deserve the "saint" label.
Thank you, Mike, for your kind words. Can I reciprocate by nominating you for sainthood?
My first reaction was to reject the label of saint; nevertheless, on second thought, I recalled the fact that Saint Paul did address all his Christian converts as "saints."
This means that if we love Jesus and have accepted him as our Savior, then we do deserve the "saint" label.
Hi Teresa,
Thank you. It was very interesting to read the quotes from your writings and experiences regarding abortion in the SDA church, in Nic's book. What books you must have in your mind.
Hi Lady Dragon,
It is my hope that the silence of SDAs on this post is not the same silence they embrace regarding this issue in their church and hospitals. I hope that they have obtained Nic's book "From Pro-life to Pro-choice: The Dramatic Shift in Seventh-day Adventist's Attitudes Towards Abortion"
by Nic Samojluk and are reading it, and that they are withholding comment until they are more informed.
I fear that they might be ignoring this here as well as in their church. Let's face it, for those of us who have been SDAs, it is much easier to point out the "sin" of Catholicism and all other denominations in Protestantism, then to face such a grave and horrible sin, officially endorsed by the leadership and engraved in the denomination policy of Seventh-day Adventism. Let's hope they are choosing to deal with this horror in their own territory. I urge all Catholics, non-Adventists, and pro-life Adventists, to pray much for the eyes of those who see no sin in Adventist policy regarding abortion, to be opened that they might take action and stand up to defend the most innocent and helpless individuals in our world.
Hi Nic,
Well, regarding our nominations of each other for sainthood, isn't it a blessing that the nomination committee is comprised of you and me!...lol You are correct that we believers are saints. Those whom The Church as canonized are not the only saints, but to put it simply, they are some of the best role models for us to study and immitate. It should be our long range goal, our short range goal, and our goal "TODAY", to be a Saint.
I was delighted to see you make a "personal appearance" here! I share the Lady Dragon's question and wonder as to why more SDAs have not commented on this blog. If my memory serves me correctly, it seemed that in past discussion on this blog regarding abortion and SDA policy, most of the SDAs were in support of their church's policy. Perhaps they are not aware that there are Adventists, who are opposed to abortion, and fear that to come out against it on this blog will somehow place them in allegiance with "The Beast".
So for those SDAs following this blog, Nic Samojluk has two pro-life Adventist sites that you should check out. You can talk freely with your Adventist brothers and sisters who are pro-life.
Let's Focus on Life
Advent Life Center
God bless all!!!
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