h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Re Halloween and Christmas: Is it possible that there are two different styles of SDA churches?

I know of my Episcopalian friends, some churches are very conservative and 'high church' with thuribles and latin chant and uniform robings, almost Catholic; and others are quite protestant, with handmade robes and liberal politics, and modern language.

If magic is not acceptable, then is dressing as a witch for Halloween a not-done thing?

No, there aren't really two different styles of Adventist churches in regard to what you're referring. Dressing as a witch might upset some conservative Adventist parents, so their children could always dress as something else. More liberal parents wouldn't lose any sleep over this sort of costume, though.

Hi all,

Any more comments or changes, or is this ready to go?

Otto

Since Murasaki is now missing, this is pretty much a yea or nay vote, so I'll say go with it.

This is an excellent entry. Into the Edited Guide with it!

I like this entry.

My reservations were of the same kind and of the same degree as Bagpuss's, so if ze isn't objecting, then they are not sufficient to stymie in and of themselves.

Publish this baby!

Your Guide Entry has just been picked from Peer Review by one of our Scouts, and is now heading off into the Editorial Process, which ends with publication in the Edited Guide. We've therefore moved this Review Conversation out of Peer Review and to the entry itself.

If you'd like to know what happens now, check out the page on 'What Happens after your Entry has been Recommended?' at EditedGuide-Process. We hope this explains everything.

Thanks for contributing to the Edited Guide!

Congratulations, Murasaki!

Three point one four two cheers and some pi.

Otto

I do hope Murasaki has not left the building - this is a fine example of PR working with an author to make a great entry - come back Murasaki, keep writing!

Yeah.

Sea Change - in the end I've already voiced all my objections and if the author ignores me, then it would be kind of churlish to vote agin the article. That is, since it's pretty good anyway.

You make an interesting point about changing the heading to "Spiritual Beliefs", but I think I should point out that since it's a belief system in and of itself, everything in my entry could feasibly fall under that category...
As far as opinions about other churches, it's true that Seventh-day Adventism considers itself to have the truth. The Seventh-day Adventists don't claim to be perfect and understand completely everything about God and His Word (the Bible), but many of them feel that they are much closer to possessing the truth than any other faith.
They do believe that people can find this truth for themselves on their own through Bible study. For example, a missionary to Eastern Europe discovered to his surprise that an old woman in a small village had been keeping the seventh-day Sabbath (worshipping on Saturday, as Seventh-day Adventists do) for many years, because she'd spent a lot of time closely studying the Bible, and had come to the conclusion on her own that Saturday was the day on which she should worship.
Other churches have varying opinions on Seventh-day Adventism. There are some that consider it totally wrong, while others believe that Seventh-day Adventists' beliefs are fine, as long as they're Bible-based.
Thanks for your input! I appreciate it. Sorry for not getting back to you sooner.

Kristy

Wow, my entry was submitted! That's soooo cool! Is it too late to make any more last-minute changes?
Kristy

It doesn't look like they've made a copy of it yet, so you should be okay (NB: I may be wrong).

Congratulations on getting edited. I'm glad, because I suspect most people are probably just as ignorant of Adventism as I was.

I know that Methodists require Mormons to have another baptism and the reverse is also true.

Is a Mormon or Methodist baptism acceptable to the SDA, if it were full-body?

Really? I'm a Methodist myself and I didn't know that.

I wouldn't have discovered this either, but I was interviewing with the 1020 Foundation, which is a find-waste-land and build-low-income housing charity. This coalition is sponsored by your Los Angeles church in and the subject came up because I thought your bishop looked Mormon.

Yes, actually, when a person converts from another Christian denomination to Seventh-day Adventism, he or she must be baptized again. A case in point--I know a man who was raised and baptized as a Presbyterian. When he converted to Adventism in his late teens, he was baptized again.
Also, Adventists practice full-immersion baptism, which means that the minister dunks you under water very quickly (so as not to drown you, of course) after praying over you.
Kristy

I made the change regarding Revelation, as well as clarifying who did the actual baptism of new Christians in the Bible. Also, I removed the comment that William Miller wanted his followers to join him on a mountain top to meet Christ in 1844, because after interviewing a man with a Master's degree in Adventist theology, I discovered that Miller never actually said that, nor did they ever assemble on a mountain waiting for the Second Coming.
Thanks again for your comments throughout this whole process! It's really helped me to try and put together a much better entry than I might otherwise have done.
Kristy