@Bill Sorensen: And the topic at hand is “What does …

Comment on What does it take to be a true Seventh-day Adventist? by Sean Pitman.

@Bill Sorensen:

And the topic at hand is “What does it take to be a real SDA?”

It takes someone who is willing to follow the bible and its teaching in every particular. If you don’t believe this, you are not a “Protestant” SDA.

Lots of people of other faiths believe that they are the ones really following the Bible. There are many different interpretations out there as to what the Bible is really saying about various topics – interpretations that are not in line with those of the SDA Church.

You then bring up the Trinity. Which is fine. But that is certainly not the only thing that qualifies for the topic of your thread.

The SDA Church has a clearly stated “fundamental belief” on the doctrine of the Trinity. As far as the nature of sin, I’m not sure if you agree or disagree with the doctrinal statements of the SDA Church regarding the nature of sin? Where is your disagreement with how things currently stand?

So, here is what you stated to me…..”To be morally ‘guilty’ of something, however, requires that one is consciously aware of what is right, but deliberately chooses to do what is wrong instead (James 4:17). Without the interplay of free will, there is no moral ‘guilt’.” – Sean Pitman

So a person is “born” selfish, proud, coveteous, vain….etc, but not “guilty” of being, selfish, proud, coveteous, vain….etc? Your limited view of “guilt” is not biblical. Half a truth is equal to a lie. There is certainly conscience guilt. But guilt is more than awareness of right and wrong. “Sin is transgression of the law”, and the law doesn’t care what you know, or don’t know. If you break the law, you are guilty of breaking the law.

So, are animals “guilty” of breaking the Law? No? Why not? Because, moral guilty presupposes freedom of choice. Without real freedom of choice; without knowledge of both right and wrong and the real freedom to choose the right, there is no morality or moral guilt.

As already noted, Jesus said exactly this same thing… that without knowledge, there is no sin. I’m sorry, but I think you’re the one presenting half truths here…

Just “man up” once in a while and admit you are wrong. We are all born guilty in the eyes of God. And our ignorance does not free us from this fact.

No. We are all born separated from God with a very strong tendency to sin. However, the moral guilt of sin itself requires a conscious assent to that which one knows is wrong. Otherwise, robots and animals could be guilty of sin.

Sean Pitman
www.DetectingDesign.com

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I fail to see where you have convincingly supported your claim that the GC leadership contributed to the harm of anyone’s personal religious liberties? – given that the GC leadership does not and could not override personal religious liberties in this country, nor substantively change the outcome of those who lost their jobs over various vaccine mandates. That’s just not how it works here in this country. Religious liberties are personally derived. Again, they simply are not based on a corporate or church position, but rely solely upon individual convictions – regardless of what the church may or may not say or do.

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Beyond this, the GC Leadership did, in fact, write in support of personal religious convictions on this topic – and there are GC lawyers who have and continue to write personal letters in support of personal religious convictions (even if these personal convictions are at odds with the position of the church on a given topic). Just because the GC leadership also supports the advances of modern medicine doesn’t mean that the GC leadership cannot support individual convictions at the same time. Both are possible. This is not an inconsistency.