Students Ask GC Officials to Explain.

[Gregory Matthews]

See:

 

http://weareausa.org/march-7-request/

[Aliensanctuary]

I suspect that many blacks are perfectly comfortable having and running their own separate but equal conferences without white interference. Whites are not banned from attendance or office-holding, but the black-skinned worshipers can worship comfortably within their own cultural flavors.

 

My wife and I attended a smaller black SDA church on Sabbath a few years ago in Sacramento, CA, and although us white-skinned attendees were a very small minority, we were impressed by the welcome given to us by the friendly members who happened to have dark skin.

[whbae]

It is not only the blacks are  comfortable(?) for running their own conference, but look at others.  Why are there so many different churches in the UNITED STATES of AMERICA!  For instance, Spanish church, Portugeues chruch, Chinese church, German Church, so on, so on and going...

In this country of melting pot why can't they meet at one place speaking the common language called English?  Why can't they learn the English language and worship all together under one roof exchange different cultural ideas to enrich our faith?

Are we going  to have all these different churches in New Earth?

[Gregory Matthews]

Well, the answer to your question may seen in actual practice.  We cannot even agree on the music that we have  in our congregational services.  We do not agree on a lot of other things that happen in our services.

 

The United States of today is NOT generally considered to be a "melting pot."    Rather it is considered to be a mince pie, or as some might say a combination salad.

 

Why should people whose native language is NOT English be required to attend church services in English, even if they do speak English as a 2nd language?

 

Those who have lived in countries outside of the United States know that there are differences in worship practices in other countries.  This is one reason why these differences are carried over to those groups when thy come to the U.S.  Why should they not be allowed to   continue their customary practices?

[whbae]

This is exactly what creates polarization.  Once one leaves one's own country one should be prepared to learn and adopt the customs in the new country. Otherwise, why would one leave one's native place to go elsewhere unless one wants to conquer other country.

Look at this country now, see what is going on.  One section of people want to run this country to benefit their own people here and more to come legally or illegally!

[CoAspen]

Provide facts instead of biased opinions about other persons and their reasons for doing what they do. The above statement leaves mush unsaid and the state of the mind of the poster needs to be clearer.

[Gregory Matthews]

Whbae said in post # 5:

 

 

 

Once one leaves one's own country one should be prepared to learn and adopt the customs in the new country.

 

Considerable food for thought:

 

1) How does that apply to the people who came from England to a land populated by native tribes?

 

2) North America has been populated, in the beginning, by people who came from France, Spain and England, as well as some others.  Who is to say that English is the language that should be learned?  I later times it has been populated by people who came from Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and other places. l What is the culture and language that you would impose on all others? 

[lazarus]

See:

 

http://weareausa.org/march-7-request/

 

I think I saw a response from GC somewhere but I can't remember where I saw it. Did you see one.

[Gregory Matthews]

The following  URL references the document that you mention:

 

http://atoday.org/adventist-denominational-leaders-address-issues-of-ethnicity-and-organizational-structure.html

 

More information, but not a citation to the document, may be founld at:

 

http://atoday.org/adventist-institutions-confront-racism-consider-way-forward.html

 

The actual statement voted by the North American Division may be found at:

 

http://www.nadadventist.org/article/1073742907/news/archived-news-stories/2015-news-archives/3-25-15-affirmation-of-the-mission-role-of-north-american-division-regional-conferences