Seventh Day Adventists: Is It A Cult?

In this video, I talk about Seventh Day Adventists and how they compare to the BITE model. Is it a cult? How extreme is the group? Should you be wary? How do they treat outsiders? Do they shun? I answer all of these questions in this video.

Social Media:

[theveganvillainess]

They have the best vegan/vegetarian cook book. I bought it years ago and I still use it, lol.

[YokiDokiPanic]

My neighbors were 7th day adventists. They were really nice people. Just your average sweet old couple.
They were much nicer than the Catholics that looked down on them and the others for going to church on saturdays. We were in a bit of the same boat as those same people looked down on us for being an atheist family. So from personal experience, I have much more respect for them because I've seen it produce much better people than any other denomination.

[sickgirl_acidrain]

"Get them in childhood, you've got them for life" - a pastor once told me this at an Evangelical church.

[ldbonq]

The verdict? Their logo is pretty kickass.

[ChogTheGreat]

If you ever want first-hand information on this, let me know. I was raised in the SDA church and am happy to chat with you.

[Hamdad]

A good finale to cap off all these "is it a cult?" series would be to examine early Christianity itself, as described in the Bible, but reading between the lines. Jesus was a charismatic speaker who claimed the world was ending imminently, but that he could save anyone willing to sell their belongings and follow him.

He assigned new 'Christian names' to the apostles and urged all converts to leave their homes and jobs if necessary to follow him, as well as cutting unsupportive family members out of their lives as needed. Because, in his own words, if you love your family more than you love him, you're not worthy of him.

This is not to say it's a cult in the modern day, but specifically that when it had just begun, it satisfied all the criteria in the BITE model and if it had begun today, everybody would unanimously recognize it as an apocalyptic, messianic cult except those inside it for obvious reasons.

You might then illustrate how cults change as they mature, if they are among the few to outlive their founders. Dropping the more burdensome and suspicious requirements once their membership reaches a critical mass, such that those policies are no longer necessary to aid growth.

Islam is younger than Christianity and is much more controlling and expansionistic, as Christianity once was. Mormonism is younger still, is even more controlling, and regarded by outsiders as a borderline cult. Scientology is younger still and just about everybody recognizes it as a full blown cult.

These qualities seem to decrease with age, while qualities like cultural integration which make it harder to recognize a religion's cultic origins steadily increase, until the suggestion that it began as a cult seems preposterous to members.

The key for such a finale imo would be research showing, where such records of the early church's behaviors and policies exist, that they were more controlling and consistent with the BITE model early on than they are in the modern day.

[yaviks-rw]

I was sent to a SDA school until I hit high school I never heard of censures and honestly that school was the best part of my education I am now agnostic and have nothing to do with the church but the small school where everyone knows everyone was really nice.

[M_Alexander]

I went to an SDA church and school as a kid and they seemed weird even to me as a six year old. I'm glad I got out young

[BabyShenanigans]

My husband works for a 7th Day Adventist boss, and he has to be out of the building by an hour before sundown on Fridays, and he's not allowed in the building again until sunrise on Sunday. Honestly I don't have a problem with this, because he's guaranteed all Saturdays off for as long as he works there (which is great for visiting family out of town), and in the winter he's home by 4:30pm.

[Infodumptruck]

As a former Seventh-Day Adventist, I have never been aware of any punishment for not following rules, can you elaborate on what you mean by this? My family broke the rules constantly and no one ever stopped us from doing anything. They actually tried harder to help us. We also were not shamed or forced into tithing (though it was encouraged) and they were certainly not as bad as mormons, who would "revoke your blessings" for not tithing. There was also never people consulting the church on making big decisions or anything like that. I don't believe in the religion anymore, but I'm really curious to know what you're talking about because I didn't experience any of that when I was with them.

[bigdawgproductions]

I don’t know why everyone calls SDA a cult, I’ve been in the church since I was a kid, and I have never been punished or threatened or anything like that.

[theclowntown]

this video can be summed up as: "not as bad as other groups, but it still happens". this definitely feels my experience growing up SDA

[shunnednon-membercopperfel]

It is suggested you give 10%, but many don't give that, some give more, some give less and some give nothing.

[infowarsdotcom]

Ive been to many in Canada, best form of Christianity. I couldn't imagine going to church on Sunday.

[heatherheacock]

I was raised SDA, but I had a good experience. My church was very kind and open, and I didn’t experience weird or “culty” things. Hope people realize that there are extreme practices in every denomination, but it doesn’t apply to everyone. I’m still SDA and to me the only difference is I go to church Saturday. But that’s just me✌🏼

[severeotakunamikaze]

Honestly, some of these things are news to me. It could be a cultural difference but I've always been taught and encouraged to do research, ask questions and challenge our beliefs as Seventh-Day Adventists. And growing up in church during our youth services, we often had very open discussions about the things we don't agree with in our beliefs, why people leave church etc. and we never encouraged shunning people who leave the faith or do something against the teachings. As you mentioned someone may get disfellowshipped as a member, but that never meant they couldn't still come to church, neither did it mean the members or family stopped talking to them.

[davidmoorman]

The only thing this video proves is just how much you know about the Seventh-day Adventist Church which isn't very much.

[elisefleur]

I go to a seventh day adventist school, vegetarian canteen, normal school subjects.
People are nice, and most of my christian friends tolerate homosexuality, but dont support it.
I don’t think its a cult, when comparing it to others.

[wirelessfiction]

I know a seventh day Adventist and he’s one of the most open minded and respectful people I know

[brookfesler]

I question the credibility of this video for several reasons, first and foremost being that he consistently uses other religions to draw extremes to Adventist’s and applies vague application to SDAs, “they’re not that bad, but it’s still there”. I also think having a sample size of 2 interviews does not provide a fair representation of Adventist beliefs and practices.