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The Bible, as commonly understood in the Protestant tradition, which includes both the Old Testament and the New Testament constitute the supreme, authorative written revelation of God for us here on earth. This has been both the teaching of the SDA Church in the past as well as the teaching of Ellen White. The primary reason that God gave EGW to this church was to guide it as it developed into the denomination that it is today. It was NOT to be a source of revelation that supplanted the Bible. If one finds that EGW and the Bible contradict each other on a subject on which both speak, the Bible is to be accepted as truth.

I'm a Jew! I have excepted it!!!!!! So what if other Jews don't except the trinity! As I've said, its neither here or there. We have a number of Jewish Adventist pastors and they work with Jews. They don't seem to put the emphasis on the trinity as do you and a few others, they put it on Jesus, who by the way also is a problem for Jews!!!!! So for you to emphasize that the trinity is a problem for Jews is pretty small to us compared to "Jesus." Jesus is a much bigger deal to Jews than the trinity will ever be! Period!!

One of my professors, Dr. Jim Fleming, was also a professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem Israel. He told how one of his coworkers in Hebrew University (sadly he did not name him) is a Rabbi who is the world's leading scholar on second temple Judaism. This Rabbi says that the Christian concept of the trinity was actually developed by second temple Rabbis to explain Old Testament Biblical imagery to a society that has been more influenced by Greek thought. Fleming says that there was a view of the trinity that both Jews and Gentile Christians believed until the church-synagogue split in 135 AD, where the Jews started to hold a oneness of God that rejected the Threeness, and the gentiles focused more on the 3ness. For more study may I recommend: http://www.biblicalresources.net/product.cfm?product=32 I would also like to recommend a wonderful book by Rabbi James L. Kugel "The God of Old: Inside the Lost World of the Bible" https://www.amazon.com/God-Old-Inside-World-Bible/dp/0743235851

I was raised SDA by my mother, and was an avid reader of EGW writings. When doubts concerning the doctrine of 3 divine "persons" were introduced in our congregation, I was determined to prove SDA doctrine was truth. I studied the issue of the Trinity doctrine for 4 years before concluding (reluctantly at the time) that there are only TWO divine beings - God our Father, and His Son. This change in my belief caused my exit from the SDA denomination some 20 years ago. I was forced out really. I was no longer allowed to teach my Sabbath School class, and was told to keep silent concerning "controversial" subjects. I understand the reason for the vitriol. To question the doctrine of a Trinity, IS to question Ellen White. Just as this thread has gone from comparing passages of Scripture, to debating what EGW believed and when she believed it. My heart was healed - long ago - from the pain of that separation. I now understand that God our Father DID indeed give HIS only begotten son.

Even if all of the EGW quotes and James White quotes said exactly and explicitly what you wanted them to say about the Holy Spirit, wouldn't you still be obligated to test those teachings by the Bible (see the Fundamental Beliefs of SDA's #18, last part) ?

Gustave: I'm sorry but Dr. Gerald Wheeler, while researching his book on James White discovered in his correspondence the ORIGINAL letter he wrote where he wrote "I'm starting to find the arguments for the trinity more convincing than the arguments against it." as well as a study where the church leaders looked for everyone they could who knew Elder White and asked them about James White and the trinity. All but one of them said that he was surprisingly quiet on the topic and would mostly listen when the topic of the trinity was discussed. There was one person who met James White only once, he was a little boy when his family had the White's over for dinner. He said that at that dinner James White talked against the trinity. No one else who knew him could say that. They kept talking about how quiet he was when the topic came up.

Ellen White transitioned from anti-trinitarian, like her husband James (who called it a "Romish doctrine") to belief in a divine "third person" about the year 1895. This under the influence of Herbert Lacey, a Trinitarian who came into Adventism from the Church of England. There is no denying the transition. Her earlier statements credit ONLY the Father and the Son for creation, and redemption. I no longer look to Ellen White for personal direction concerning doctrinal beliefs. For me, it is Sola Scriptura.

A SDA couple has begun a film project designed to tell the stories of individual LGBT persons who are SDAs. Each film is designed to be released on a Friday, beginning yesterday. For further information on this, see: http://spectrummagazine.org/article/2017/02/03/outspoken-short-film-series-celebrates-voices-and-contributions-lgbt-adventists The above article contains links to a 2.5 minute trailer about the series and a 10 minute video which is the first to be released. Stan has asked that we do not start any new threads devoted to a discussion of homosexuality. This notice if solely for information purposes. In line with Stan's request I am locking it so that it will not be a discussion starter. For the few people who will be able to comment on this, please honor Stan's request not to do so.