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The part of Orion may not be completely of the mark, however, Orion is not a place but a section of empty sky containing a certain number of stars in a constellation resembling a hunter, if you use your imagination! (If you try really, really hard, you might even see the hunter's dog! But the dog is a long way away from the hunter at only 8 light years from earth.) EGW noted that heaven was thru the "empty space in Orion." I have no problem with heaven being "up" in space somewhere as even in Revelation it states the New Jerusalem will descend to this earth. We have no idea what actual methods of celestial transportation exists in the universe. We can have idea such as where the angel came from heaven to the side of Daniel while he was praying. I feel confident that heaven is well beyond the constellation of Orion. One of the nearer stars of Orion is over 600 light years away. But, "wormholes", while considered to be consistent with the special theory of relativity, have never been shown to exist. They largely remain the stuff of science fiction. I highly doubt that angels have to go looking for the nearest wormhole entrance when needing to go somewhere on a special mission for God. That would be kinda like looking for the nearest subway station when you wanted to go somewhere in New York City! (A very inefficient form of transportation for heaven's needs!)

Galatians 5:22 (NET) says: The translators’ note is as follows: ”Another way to punctuate this is ‘love’ followed by a colon (love: joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control). It is thus possible to read the eight characteristics following ‘love’ as defining love.”

Moishe Mallerman needed a lawyer for a small job and his friend Berel told him that he should get the best, so upon Berel’s recommendation he hired John Appleton, Esquire from a fancy downtown firm. Appleton was able to complete the small task quite easily and Moishe was quite pleased, so to express his appreciation, Moishe came to the attorney’s office and handed him a handsome wallet made of very fine and rare leather. The attorney looked at the wallet in astonishment and handed it back to Moishe with a sharp reminder that a wallet could not possibly compensate him for his services. "My fee for that work," acidly snapped Mr. Appleton, "is five hundred dollars." Moishie then opened the wallet, removed a one-thousand dollar bill, replaced it with a five-hundred dollar bill and handed it back to the lawyer with a smile and said, “Nu, have it your way.”

Dina Stern had been ill, so her sister Shira called to see how she was doing. Dina’s ten-year-old son Moishie answered the phone. "Hello," Moishie whispered. "Hi, honey. It’s Aunt Shira. How's your mother doing?" "She's sleeping," Moishie answered, again in a whisper. "Did she go to the doctor?" Shira asked. "Yes. She got some medicine," Moishie said softly. "Well, don't wake her. Just tell her I called. What are you doing, by the way?" Again in a soft whisper, Moishie answered, "Practicing my trumpet."

"Abba," 15 year old Rivkah Bloom says, running into her father's den, "I'd like to kiss you good-bye before I go to school!" "You're too late, honey,” responded her father. “Your mother just did that two minutes ago, and I don't have any cash left on me.”

As a separate note on the Church Manual: The Church Manual, is widely used as a set of recommendations. In actual practice, it is not a binding, locked in concrete, set of rules. Those who see it otherwise, simply do not understand how it is used. If want to understand how the SDA Church operates, you need to obtain a copy of the Working Policy. Such exists on the General Conference, Division, Union and local Conference levels. However, these are just about impossible to obtain. So, it probably is not worth you time to attempt to obtain one. But, the bottom line is that the Working Policy is what actually governs how the various levels of this denomination operates.

And if your personal medical decisions endanger others - especially loved ones - is that okay?

The only time in over 10 years that I have got the flu is in years I got the flu vaccine. I am of the belief that we all need a little "filth" in our lives to keep our immune system on its toes. For example, I have no problem eating something I accidentally dropped on the floor ('5 second rule"); as long as it didn't fall sticky side down. I also believe in going barefoot a lot. Feet have some of the strongest immune responses of any part of the body. That's not to say I am against vaccines. In most cases, the risk of an adverse reaction to a vaccine is much lower than the risk of the disease one is being vaccinated against. For example, the risk of catching measles and suffering permanent debilitating effects is much higher than the risk of getting vaccinated. Same with polio. But I don't know if I'm okay with the government making all vaccinations mandatory.

When dealing with a large number, there will always be the exceptional slip thru on effectiveness. A similar situation was widely claimed with the seat belt laws. Many were afraid of being trapped and burned in an accident. My mother was one such person. But driving home after work, she fell asleep at the whel and they had to dig her out from under the steering wheel in a VW beetle. She spent weeks in an ICU. And she still refused to wear her seatbelt after recovery! (She one pull it out and hold it over herself to shut off the alarms!) She would have been virtually uninjured if she had her seatbelt on. There are known problems with vaccines. If you are immunocompromised or never had your polio vaccine, stay away from a child who has received the Sabin vaccine which is a weakened live virus given orally. In the US, polio is inactivated (killed) virus. I remember when the Salk vaccine was introduced and was probably in the first waves of those receiving the vaccine in my part of the country. Jonas Salk is said to have released the vaccine without patent and losing huge amounts of personal wealth for the public benefit. I consider myself a bit of a vaccine junkie. I go for anything! When I was starting nursing school, I got a list of vaccines I needed. I got the measles vaccine as it came with the mumps vaccine. I previously had measles (red and German) when a preschooler. I also was told to get the polio vaccine. The office nurse wasn't on the ball and gave me the Sabin vaccine! Adults should never get the Sabin according the the rules at that time. I regularly get my flu shots, although my wife steadfastly refuses to get them. During the Ebola "event", a nearby university announced they were going to trial some form of an Ebola vaccine. I said I was up for it. My wife said absolutely not! I didn't, but it was more of a distance thing. Fortunately, I missed the draft during the Nam years, so missed out on the Whitecoat program. I knew more than one SDA who was in the program and was purposely infected with diseases and then the army tried to get them well! The Whitecoat program was a program operated by the Army where they do a lot of research in biological warfare (not the entire scope of their work). They took a lot of conscientious objectors (SDAs!) during the draft years and the Nam years.

I have finally lost the ability to be shocked or surprised about what anyone does to anyone else anymore. Oh yeah, I still get horrified about the things I see happen to people and often even by "good church people."

I know this is kind of off the subject; but in my opinion the Jews have been the most hated and persecuted people in the world for the past 2,000 years. I agree with B/W that virtually every ethnic group on the planet has been enslaved at one time or another in the past 6,000 years. B/W - I don't think stitsonmarri's comment about Orion is that far off the mark. There is no doubt that God is "extraterrestrial" in the sense that His dwelling place and throne are not on this earth (yet). To me, the fact that Jesus ascended into heaven clearly indicates His current home is in the stars.

Pro 25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. Apples of gold ?

Narch said in the quote below: Well you have demonstrated the limitations of you knowledge of Adventism. Perhaps you have not served on a nominating committee for some years. I do not argue as to what you say you have experienced. I can think of an individual congregation where it is done as you have stated. But, I can tell you that what you report is often not what is done. Today, it would often be considered highly unethical for a local treasurer to provide information from such a list as you have said is done. In addition, as I stated, it has been established that a local congregation has the absolute right to elect to positions of leadership whomever they would chose to elect. I am knowledgeable of situations in which people were placed in leadership positions who were not SDA members. The local Conference can expel such a congregation from membership in the denomination, only by voting that such happen, in a vote that is taken at a legally called meeting. Such simply is not done. but, it can be done.

I have noticed you don't call out Barak Obama. You must be one of those true believers that think there were no scandals in the Obama White House. You can not even see the "Constitutional crisis" you are complaining about is a result of dirty tricks which started in the Obama administration. People knew that the Russians were messing around in US elections years before the 2016 elections and the Obama did not do anything about it. Obama is the one who started locking up kids in cages and then the Dems blame it on Trump but Trump is the one who ended the practice. I will stop there but the scandals were very much a part of the Obama White House and the political left has done nothing but lie about Trump from before he even came into the White House. But don't worry, AG Barr is on his way to uncover some of that mess for the public to see even clearer, but I suspect it won't make a bit of difference to you as you continue to elicit hate in Trump's direction. Here is a clue. Everyone's ancestor was treated wrongly at some time in history. I can even tell you ways that you probably benefited from the near slavery of whites and asians in America in relatively recent times. However, in this day and age in America virtually no one has ever been a slave and people of all colors have lived in less than ideal conditions. Over the last fifty years, there is no reason why any black person in America cannot do just as well as anyone else if they work hard. One statistic says that over 70% of blacks in this country are fully in the middle class. I think for the most part the disrespect you are complaining about is in your imagination. Regardles of what the left wingers say, Trump is still your president. You might learn a lesson from Elijah. After the event on Mt. Carmel, this is recorded regarding his actions: He (Elijah) had slain his idolatrous priests, and now he wished to show to Israel that he acknowledged Ahab as his king. As an act of special homage he guided his chariot, running before it to the entrance of the gate of the city. 3T287 The left complaining about Trump reminds me of the people of Israel blaming everything on Elijah: They could not see God's hand in the judgments under which they were suffering because of their sins, but charged them to the man Elijah. They abhorred not the sins which had brought them under the chastening rod, but hated the faithful prophet, God's instrument to denounce their sins and calamity. 3T277 Methinks you are mixing Star Trek with your theological beliefs!

If vaccines work so well, why are those vaccinated so scared of those who are not? Proof is in the pudding, and please don’t go on about herd immunity, it’s simply a buzz word to get people to accept government forces medical procedures. I am am actually more afraid of recently shedding vaccinated people infecting heathy people. We must demand that recently vaccinated people are quarantined for our health! https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/04/measles-outbreak-traced-fully-vaccinated-patient-first-time

Opps! Forgot a word. What do you call a temper tantrum in a three year old unvaccinated child? Mid-life crisis. Message me if you don't get it.

There are all kinds of autonomies you may want, but you don't get to exercise them around other people. You may have to go somewhere where vaccinations are not required. Plenty of countries around the world do not require vaccinations. You may also consider just moving way away from everyone, order everything online, and have it dropped off at the end of your very own long, long driveway! That medical autonomy thing is problematic. Many smokers do not want to quit smoking. It is their right! But when they come down with life threatening illnesses, who pays. Most people do not pay out of their pocket for serious illnesses. Either insurance or the public picks up the tab. Many would like to see healthcare withheld from people who engage in self-injuring activities, but where will that end? All kinds of things have been outlawed because of the strain on social resources to cover the lack of people to cooperating with their own safety. One of the reasons you now must wear seatbelts. YOur autonomy with that will get you traffic tickets. (But it's my right!) The list gets longer of all the things that have become required of people who have to live in close proximetry to everyone around them. Riddle: What do you call a temper tantrum in a three year old child?

A couple of things are missing from the above scenario. Since he was unable to answer for himself, then it depends on who has power of attorney, and by that I mean written directions of how to care for him when incapacitated. The hospital seems to have chosen to treat him and things turned out well. Lucky for them. Or, they were able to determine that although he was unresponsive, his poisoning was treatable. It may also vary by state what the legal ramifications are. However, he could have been left alive but in a state of incapacity. The hospital may have become liable. However, not to treat him also could have been bad. Eight people saying no does not preclude many other relatives saying "yes, treat him." Moral of the story, all kinds of bad things can happen if you don't write things down and have a trusted person to answer for you in life threatening situations.

Let me illustrate my statement above: If you cut a loaf of bread into pieces, each piece is still bread. But that is not the way it works in chemistry and in genetics. If you break common table salt into its constituent pieces you get sodium and chlorine, you do not get salt. Same way in genetics. A strand of DNA broken into its constituent parts does not give you DNA.

And how do you reconcile that mantra when it could mean the death of someone else? Simply, "oh well"?

People seem to be unaware of how dangerous certain diseases are. While this article is a bit old, some sources now put the death toll to over 1200 children. Do we need this here, or for that matter ... anywhere? https://www.reuters.com/article/us-madagascar-measles/nearly-1000-madagascar-children-dead-of-measles-since-october-who-idUSKCN1Q3246