Lockdown Again : 1780 Britain Parliament and Porteus Bishop of Chester crack down on Religious Criticism

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The bill that Parliament approved, greatly affecting British culture for more than 150 years, stemmed almost single-handedly from the actions and concerns of one influential bishop, Beilby Porteus.

Two Beasts : Trump’s ‘God squad’ holds increasing sway at White House _Pope Assembles a Squad to Fight Religious Extrimism Bias

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By Christopher Lane, Contributor

Professor, Northwestern University; Author, SURGE OF PIETY

Jan 10, 2012, 10:22 AM EST Updated Mar 11, 2012, 05:12 AM EDT

The “Act for Preventing Certain Abuses and Profanations on the Lord’s Day, Called Sunday,” which Britain’s Parliament made law in 1781, bears more than a striking name. For more than a century-and-a-half, while Britain was industrializing and democratizing, the Observance Law was responsible for closing each Sunday not just the nation’s theaters, but also its libraries, museums, zoos, public gardens and of course its stores. Especially toward the end of the 19th century, adjustments to the law relaxed its broad powers. But as late as 1972, amazingly, the Sunday Theatre Act was needed to make it fully legal for British theaters to hold performances on such days.

Bishop /Pope Francis Moral Obligation to Care for the Earth and Get Vaccinated

In his book “The Literature of the Sabbath Question” (1865), the Victorian Robert Cox justly complains that the law had become a “barrier” to public learning and relaxation, as well as one that “prevents the admission of the public on Sundays to the Crystal Palace at Sydenham.” But wryness wasn’t the only Victorian response to the law. In his famous treatise On Liberty (1859), John Stuart Mill notes that zealots had begun invoking the law in their “repeated attempts to stop railway traveling on Sundays.” He calls such obstructions a type of “religious bigot[ry]” — a form of harassment against freethinkers and unbelievers, to say nothing of those simply wanting to move freely around the country. Such harassment stems, Mill writes, from “the notion that it is one man’s duty that another should be religious … a belief that God not only abominates the act of the misbeliever, but will not leave us guiltless if we leave him unmolested.” It is, he concludes, “the opinions men entertain, and the feelings they cherish, respecting those who disown the beliefs they deem important which makes this country not a place of mental freedom.”

The English Reformers, while renouncing the doctrines of Romanism, had retained many of its forms. Thus though the authority and the creed of Rome were rejected, not a few of her customs and ceremonies were incorporated into the worship of the Church of England. It was claimed that these things were not matters of conscience; that though they were not commanded in Scripture, and hence were nonessential, yet not being forbidden, they were not intrinsically evil. Their observance tended to narrow the gulf which separated the reformed churches from Rome, and it was urged that they would promote the acceptance of the Protestant faith by Romanists. GC 289.1
The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan by Ellen G White

The Barbaric actions and concerns of one influential bishop, Beilby Porteus.

How the observance law came to exist in the first place is itself notable. The bill that Parliament approved, greatly affecting British culture for more than 150 years, stemmed almost single-handedly from the actions and concerns of one influential bishop, Beilby Porteus. An avid reformer and abolitionist with keen interests also in the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, Porteus was bishop of Chester before passage of the bill, but made bishop of London after its approval. In 1780, he writes candidly in his memoir, uncovered a few years later, he sought the aid of Parliament to crack down on religious criticism in Britain:

“The beginning of the winter of 1780 was distinguished by the rise of a new species of dissipation and profaneness.”

Pope’s Eye and Hatred of Protestants

On Sundays, the bishop noted with dismay, groups across London would assemble in public meeting rooms, adopting names such as “Christian Societies, Religious Societies, [and] Theological Societies.” Though meeting “under pretence of inquiring into religious doctrines, and explaining texts of holy Scripture,” he claims, they were “unlearned and incompetent to explain the same.” The bishop, who has since been noted as a likely prototype for Mr. Collins in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” (1813) (there’s a portrait of him here) argues that such discussions “were calculated to extinguish every religious principle,” and thus “threatened the worst consequences to public morals.” They “gave offence … to every man of gravity and seriousness … several of whom I have heard speak of [them] with abhorrence.” Foreigners apparently had been “shocked and scandalized … considering it a disgrace to any Christian country to tolerate so gross an insult on all decency and good order.”

But “the noon of the papacy was the midnight of the world.”—J. A. Wylie, The History of Protestantism, b. 1, ch. 4. The Holy Scriptures were almost unknown, not only to the people, but to the priests. Like the Pharisees of old, the papal leaders hated the light which would reveal their sins. God’s law, the standard of righteousness, having been removed, they exercised power without limit, and practiced vice without restraint. Fraud, avarice, and profligacy prevailed. Men shrank from no crime by which they could gain wealth or position. The palaces of popes and prelates were scenes of the vilest debauchery. Some of the reigning pontiffs were guilty of crimes so revolting that secular rulers endeavored to depose these dignitaries of the church as monsters too vile to be tolerated. For centuries Europe had made no progress in learning, arts, or civilization. A moral and intellectual paralysis had fallen upon Christendom. GC 60.2

The Doubts of Infidels: Queries Relative to Scriptural Inconsistencies & Contradictions (1781).

Passage of the bishop’s bill was far from smooth. Several members of Parliament “violently opposed” it, Porteus recalls, and heated discussion also broke out in the House of Lords, though the bill eventually “passed [both houses] without a division.”

“Babylon the great” was “drunken with the blood of the saints.” The mangled forms of millions of martyrs cried to God for vengeance upon that apostate power.
Popery had become the world’s despot. Kings and emperors bowed to the decrees of the Roman pontiff. The destinies of men, both for time and for eternity, seemed under his control. For hundreds of years the doctrines of Rome had been extensively and implicitly received, its rites reverently performed, its festivals generally observed. Its clergy were honored and liberally sustained. Never since has the Roman Church attained to greater dignity, magnificence, or power. GC 59.3 – GC 60.1

But the new law also led to the publication of a powerful and articulate rebuttal, an anonymous pamphlet called The Doubts of Infidels: Queries Relative to Scriptural Inconsistencies & Contradictions (1781). Its author called himself “A Weak but Sincere Christian” who was submitting his questions to “The Bench of Bishops for Elucidation.” As a self-described infidel, however, the author captured both the word’s flavor of heresy and its suggestion of infidelity (“infidel” comes to us via the Old French infidèle). Bristling with indignation and anger, he was doubtful of the bishops’ ability to answer pages of well-documented concerns about scriptural inconsistency, which he detailed for them chapter and verse.

The pamphlet has since been attributed to William Nicholson (1753-1815), a renowned London chemist and philosopher, and it begins as brilliantly controlled satire:

“An act of parliament is,” he writes, “an excellent engine for producing that kind of uniformity of opinions, which consists in holding the tongue. … It is carrying the notion of liberty too far to suppose, because we are free-born Englishmen, that we may choose our own faith and go to heaven our own way!”

Parliament Pope’s Engine of Holding The Tongues Science Deniers : Laudato Si “Our Guide” on Creation and fall of man

Then follows a series of devastating questions: “How can the attributes of God be vindicated, in having performed so great a number of miracles, for a long succession of very distant ages, and so few in latter times?” “Is the account of the creation and fall of man, in the book of Genesis, physical or allegorical?” And so on, for 21 more pages.

But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

2 Peter 3 : 7

In “The Age of Doubt: Tracing the Roots of Our Religious Uncertainty” (2011), which details this and several other major wrangles over doctrine and dogma, I show that Nicholson’s pamphlet was not the only one to appear after observance of Sunday as “the Lord’s Day” became law across Britain for more than 150 years. However, Nicholson’s intervention helps underline how well-argued doubts about the Bible galvanized British freethinkers in the 1780s, creating a vibrant culture of doubt and unbelief that, among other things, helped temper the extremes to which some Victorians, in their attempt at restricting the public’s movement on Sundays, made clear they were still very much prone.

Dem Claims ‘Christian Prayer’ Should Not Be Allowed In Capitol, Protests National Prayer Breakfast

President Donald Trump delivered remarks at the event stating his intention to “bring God back” to America and address the years of “anti-Christian bias” and “targeting” of Christians that occurred under the Biden Administration, according to the Associated Press.

By Jaryn Crouson of the Daily Caller News Foundation, Originally Published February 6, 2025.

By DCNFFebruary 6, 2025Updated:February 6, 20258 Comments3 Mins Read1K Views

Dem Claims ‘Christian Prayer’ Should Not Be Allowed In Capitol, Protests National Prayer Breakfast — **California Democratic Rep. Jared Huffman protested the National Prayer Breakfast Thursday, claiming it violates the separation between church and state.**

The congressman said in an X video that “Christian prayer” should not be allowed in the Capitol building and that the government needs to “build a wall” between church and state to uphold a “secular republic.” (RELATED: Blue State Bill Would Force Catholic Priests To Violate Church Law)

“I am not going to this event because I support it, I’m actually going to protest it.”

“Hi Folks, just getting ready to cross the street for the National Prayer Breakfast,” Huffman said in the video taken outside of the Capitol. “I am not going to this event because I support it, I’m actually going to protest it.”

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“Build This Wall” : “creepy dystopic theocracy” _ “slippery slope we’re heading down with events like this.”

Huffman went on to show several buttons he wore to the event, one that said “Build This Wall” with an image of the Capitol building and a church, and another that said “Entering Gilead” to reference the “creepy dystopic theocracy” he said is the “slippery slope we’re heading down with events like this.”

“So look, we should not be having a Christian prayer in the sanctum of the United States Capitol in Statuary Hall,” Huffman continued. “This is an actual violation of the church-state separation like we’ve never seen.”

The National Prayer Breakfast has hosted members of the government for a time of nonpartisan prayer since 1953, though this is the first year the event was held at the Capitol. Christian prayer has been a routine part of the U.S. government since its inception, and Congress still begins with a prayer at the start of every session. (RELATED: ‘Sign Of Great Hope’: Religious Leaders See A ‘Fourth Great Awakening’ As Americans Flock To Christianity)

The Constitution prevents Congress from establishing a national church

“The Constitution prevents Congress from establishing a national church. It doesn’t say presidents can’t publicly pray,” Josh Mercer, vice president of CatholicVote, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Obama and Biden each attended the National Prayer Breakfast when they were president, but Jared Huffman never protested them, leaving one to assume that Huffman only has a problem when Republicans pray.”

Communist America : Trump Has Ordered the US Attorney General to Create a Task Force to Unite Our Country Again as “One Nation Under God”

https://kingosiemo.wordpress.com/2025/02/07/communist-america-trump-has-ordered-the-us-attorney-general-to-create-a-task-force-to-unite-our-country-again-as-one-nation-under-god/

Huffman has led multiple efforts to strip churches and religious organizations of their tax-exempt statuses. The representative has denied any formal religious affiliation and describes himself as a “humanist.”

“The notion that religion has no place in our nation’s public square just doesn’t hold water,” Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, director of the Conscience Project, said in a statement to the DCNF. “Our founders understood the importance of a moral and virtuous citizenry. Our country has been a beacon of light for the world for our commitment to safeguarding religious freedom and countless Americans today of all political stripes consider faith as an important part of their lives.”

President Donald Trump delivered remarks at the event stating his intention to “bring God back” to America and address the years of “anti-Christian bias” and “targeting” of Christians that occurred under the Biden Administration, according to the Associated Press.

Legal organizations urge Texas schools to reject religious curriculum

Jaden Edison

The Texas Tribune

State Board of Education member Tom Maynard prays at the start of the board's Nov. 22 meeting to discuss the controversial Bluebonnet teaching materials. Maynard defended the use of biblical stories in the elementary school materials.

A coalition of legal organizations on Thursday called on Texas school district leaders to reject the adoption of a recently approved state curriculum heavily infused with references to Christianity and biblical teachings.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Center for Inquiry and the Freedom From Religion Foundation sent superintendents and their school boards a letter Thursday telling them that adopting the curriculum, called Bluebonnet Learning, would “unlawfully impose a set of religious beliefs upon your students and violate their constitutionally guaranteed right to be free from religious coercion.”

The letter suggests a willingness by the groups to take legal action to stop Texas schools from adopting the materials.

“Our organizations, which have long fought for religious freedom for all, will closely monitor any school district across the state that considers implementing the Bluebonnet curriculum and will take any action that is necessary and appropriate to protect the rights of Texas children and their parents,” the letter reads.

In a statement to The Texas Tribune responding to the letter, a spokesperson for the Texas Education Agency said that “public schools may not provide religious instruction, and there is no religious instruction in Bluebonnet Learning.”

“Bluebonnet Learning is comprised of instructional materials that have a broad base of topics including history, literature, the arts and culture which, when contextually relevant, can include religious topics sampling from a wide range of faiths,” the statement said. “The materials include content from or about varied religious source materials for the literary and historical value of the content and its connection to creating a strong background of knowledge for students.”

The State Board of Education narrowly approved the free-to-use elementary school curriculum in November, with a temporary Gov. Greg Abbott appointee casting the deciding vote.

Schools that choose to adopt the materials this year could begin using them for free at the start of the 2025-26 school year. The state will offer an incentive of $60 per student to districts that choose to do so. The education agency said that added funding would allow schools to offset the costs of printing the curriculum’s materials.

The curriculum uses reading and language arts lessons to advance or establish concepts in other subjects, such as history and social studies. Many of the lesson’s critics, which include religious studies scholars, note that the curriculum’s lessons reference Christianity more than any other religion. They believe the disparity could lead to the bullying and isolation of non-Christian students, undermine church-state separation and grant the state far-reaching control over how children learn about religion.

Critics have also questioned the accuracy of some lessons, saying the materials whitewash America’s history of slavery and racism. Many see the curriculum as part of a growing Christian nationalist movement, which holds the belief that the United States’ founding was ordained by God and that its laws and institutions should favor Christians.

Roger Williams was respected and beloved as a faithful minister, a man of rare gifts, of unbending integrity and true benevolence; yet his steadfast denial of the right of civil magistrates to authority over the church, and his demand for religious liberty, could not be tolerated. The application of this new doctrine, it was urged, would “subvert the fundamental state and government of the country.”—Ibid., pt. 1, ch. 15, par. 10. He was sentenced to banishment from the colonies, and, finally, to avoid arrest, he was forced to flee, amid the cold and storms of winter, into the unbroken forest.
“For fourteen weeks,” he says, “I was sorely tossed in a bitter season, not knowing what bread or bed did mean.” But “the ravens fed me in the wilderness,” and a hollow tree often served him for a shelter.—Martyn, vol. 5, pp. 349, 350. Thus he continued his painful flight through the snow and the trackless forest, until he found refuge with an Indian tribe whose confidence and affection he had won while endeavoring to teach them the truths of the gospel.
Making his way at last, after months of change and wandering, to the shores of Narragansett Bay, he there laid the foundation of the first state of modern times that in the fullest sense recognized the right of religious freedom. The fundamental principle of Roger Williams’s colony was “that every man should have liberty to worship God according to the light of his own conscience.”—Ibid., vol. 5, p. 354. His little state, Rhode Island, became the asylum of the oppressed, and it increased and prospered until its foundation principles—civil and religious liberty—became the cornerstones of the American Republic.
In that grand old document which our forefathers set forth as their bill of rights—the Declaration of Independence—they declared: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” And the Constitution guarantees, in the most explicit terms, the inviolability of conscience: “No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
“The framers of the Constitution recognized the eternal principle that man’s relation with his God is above human legislation, and his rights of conscience inalienable. Reasoning was not necessary to establish this truth; we are conscious of it in our own bosoms. It is this consciousness which, in defiance of human laws, has sustained so many martyrs in tortures and flames. They felt that their duty to God was superior to human enactments, and that man could exercise no authority over their consciences. It is an inborn principle which nothing can eradicate.”—Congressional documents (U.S.A.), serial No. 200, document No. 271. GC 294.2 – GC 295.3
The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan by Ellen G White

Education officials and advocates for the curriculum say references to Christianity will provide students with a better understanding of the country’s history and the effect of important texts like the Bible on the world. They say the materials cover a broad range of faiths and only make references to religion when appropriate. Officials also believe the curriculum provides students with an in-depth understanding of the abolition of slavery, highlights the importance of events like Juneteenth and the Civil Rights Movement, and celebrates the contributions of Black Texans.

Abbott, after the curriculum’s passage, called Bluebonnet “a critical step forward to bring students back to the basics of education and provide the best education in the nation.”

Public Schools Now Religious Schools! Shaw: No displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools and no taxpayer dollars to private schools

Public Schools Now Religious Schools! Shaw: No displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools and no taxpayer dollars to private schools

Since the curriculum received approval in November, at least one school board — the South San Antonio school district — has voted to adopt the materials. The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw district in Fort Worth plans to use the math portion of the materials but avoid the reading materials infused with the Bible lessons. The Conroe school district, located north of Houston, started considering whether to adopt the lessons. And the Denton school district in North Texas publicly stated that it does not plan to consider the curriculum.

“There’s a lot of interest from districts around the state in Bluebonnet, and we are sort of nonstop helping answer those inquiries, supporting them, answering their questions, trying to help facilitate transition,” Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath told the State Board of Education this week.

School districts have wide latitude when it comes to adopting lesson plans. A district could, for example, decide to use parts of Bluebonnet and ignore other sections, such as the chapters that reference Christianity. Or a district could choose to heavily reference the biblical lessons in Bluebonnet while using another curriculum for other teachings.

Legal experts told The Texas Tribune that recent rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority have eroded decades of precedent and made it unclear what state actions constitute a violation of the Establishment Clause, which prohibits state endorsement of a particular religion.

The Supreme Court decided, for instance, that a Washington state high school football coach did not violate the First Amendment by conducting personal prayers on the field after team games. In doing so, the justices ended what many referred to as the Lemon test, a standard the court relied upon to assess whether a government action, in part, represented an “excessive entanglement” between church and state.

During a State Board of Education meeting last year, Austin Kinghorn, the state’s deputy attorney general for legal strategy, told board members that he sees teaching about religion and the Bible as “absolutely permissible” under the Constitution.

“So long as it’s done in an objective, academic manner and it does not amount to proselytization,” Kinghorn said.

The letter sent by the legal organizations Thursday expressed the groups’ stance that the Bluebonnet curriculum “treats Christianity and the Bible as true.” The organizations cited many lessons in the curriculum, including one for fifth graders on the painting of the Last Supper. The organizations say it presents the Book of Matthew as “a literal and historical record of what happened.”

The groups reference a unit they say describes Jesus as a historical figure “without any qualification” and that directs teachers to mention that the “Christian Bible explains that Jesus rose from the dead.” The groups also criticize a lesson that asks students to repeat the phrase that starts the creation story in the biblical Book of Genesis and an activity requesting that children remember the order in which the Bible says God created the universe.

Richard Conn, general counsel for the Center for Inquiry, an organization advocating against religion in government, said in a statement that the Bluebonnet curriculum represents “a clear and obvious Establishment Clause violation, even if Texas legislators have decided to pretend otherwise.”

Conn added,

“We urge school superintendents not to make that same mistake and instead to stand up for the rights and constitutionally protected freedoms of the students, families, and communities they serve.”

The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs and engages with Texans about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

Public Schools Now Religious Schools! Shaw: No displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools and no taxpayer dollars to private schools

A Storm is Coming!

Columnist Jim Shaw weighs in on education-related bills in the North Dakota Legislature

Jim Shaw

Opinion by Jim Shaw

Today at 10:00 AM

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Opinion

I believe in the Ten Commandments. However, there’s a time and a place for everything. North Dakota public schools are not that place. The bill in the state Legislature mandating the display of the Commandments in every public classroom should be defeated.

The idea is unfair, unconstitutional and un-American. This is definitely not what the Founding Fathers wanted. The Founding Fathers made it clear that the government should not be in the religion business. That’s why they wrote the First Amendment.

https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.684.0_en.html#fid=goog_42353721

Rep. Christina Wolff tesitifes in favor of state spending cap

“The framers of the Constitution recognized the eternal principle that man’s relation with his God is above human legislation, and his rights of conscience inalienable. Reasoning was not necessary to establish this truth; we are conscious of it in our own bosoms. It is this consciousness which, in defiance of human laws, has sustained so many martyrs in tortures and flames. They felt that their duty to God was superior to human enactments, and that man could exercise no authority over their consciences. It is an inborn principle which nothing can eradicate.”—Congressional documents (U.S.A.), serial No. 200, document No. 271.
As the tidings spread through the countries of Europe, of a land where every man might enjoy the fruit of his own labor and obey the convictions of his own conscience, thousands flocked to the shores of the New World. Colonies rapidly multiplied. “Massachusetts, by special law, offered free welcome and aid, at the public cost, to Christians of any nationality who might fly beyond the Atlantic ‘to escape from wars or famine, or the oppression of their persecutors.’ Thus the fugitive and the downtrodden were, by statute, made the guests of the commonwealth.”—Martyn, vol. 5, p. 417. In twenty years from the first landing at Plymouth, as many thousand Pilgrims were settled in New England. GC 295.3 – GC 296.1

North Dakota

North Dakota bill seeks to put the Ten Commandments in every classroom

Proposed bill mandates putting Ten Commandments posters in every classroom; sparking church-state separation concerns.

Jan 8

By Isak Dinesen

If this bill passes and is signed into law, it will certainly be challenged in the courts. This would be yet another waste of North Dakota taxpayer dollars.

Forcing religion upon others is just plain wrong.

Forcing religion upon others is just plain wrong. Historically, there has been needless violence and suffering in the name of forced religion.

We don’t have a national religion, and never should

We don’t have a national religion, and never should. Forcing the Ten Commandments upon Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc., is insensitive and inappropriate. It’s equally insensitive and inappropriate to those who don’t practice a religion. No child should be made to feel uncomfortable in a public school because of his or her religion, or lack of a religion.

There are places where displaying the Ten Commandments is appropriate and welcomed. They include houses of worship, private homes and private religious schools. Meantime, keep them out of the public schools.

Speaking of private religious schools, they should not be receiving taxpayer dollars. It’s a violation of the separation of church and state. For that matter, no non-religious private school should receive public funding. Unfortunately, many North Dakota legislators are pushing for this.

Whether you call them vouchers, education savings accounts or school choice, the state government has no business funding these schools.

Families already have a choice. They can send their children to public or private schools. If they have to pay for private schools, that’s their choice. Without public funding, many private schools are still thriving.

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I attended a private university. It cost me a lot more than a public university. That was my choice. However, I never expected my state government to help pay my school bills.

There’s only so much state money to spend on education. Subsidizing the private schools would financially harm the public schools. It could mean less money for teachers, technology and textbooks. Taxpayer subsidies to private schools would mean fewer students attending public schools, causing additional revenue losses to the public schools.

It’s important to note that public schools have to accept everyone. Private schools don’t. They can reject students because of their disabilities, academic records, behavior history or for being gay. They also have different curricula.

For private schools to receive public money, they should be open to everyone and should operate in public. That means open school board meetings and open records.

There are several excellent private religious schools in North Dakota, where students receive strong educations. However, that’s not reason enough for them to receive taxpayer dollars.

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Opinion by Jim Shaw

Adventists Demand Immediate Climate Action During COP27

ADVENT MESSENGER

November 14, 2022 by Andy Roman 10 Comments

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is the international humanitarian agency of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. On November 8, 2022, the Inter-European Division of Seventh-day Adventists and Hope Media Italy published the official appeal by ADRA to world leaders gathered at COP27. In their statement, ADRA urged “policy makers and influential personalities” to take “stronger” environmental action during COP27. The statement said, in part:

ADRA’s Statement on the Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP27)

“The Adventist Development and Relief Agency, as humanitarian and development practitioners, has seen first-hand how the global equilibrium is out of order.”

“We aim to do our deed; offices in our network have started to move towards net zero, signed the Climate charter, shared our knowledge at the COP26 and COP27, and published the comprehensive Carbon Reduction Guide in 2021.”

“ADRA calls on policy makers and influential personalities to take necessary decisions in the upcoming UN Climate Conference. The industrialized countries, as the historical perpetrators of the climate crisis, must finally step up to promises made.”

“The COP26 has set some course but more steps are needed, such as stronger consideration of civil society actors; more focus on loss and damage; and meeting the pledge on global adaptation financing.”

“ADRA Europe hopes that these points will find strong consideration in the upcoming policy talks and wishes participants a successful and fruitful COP27.” [1] [2]

A remarkable phenomenon is occurring today in Adventism. Under the leadership of Pope Francis, all the churches, economists, environmentalists, policy makers, and governments are working together to heal the earth, even as sin and anarchy are increasing at an alarming rate in society. More churches are adding their names to the new religious crusade against climate change. The religion of ecology is replacing the everlasting gospel of Revelation 14:6-12, as many Seventh-day Adventists are moving from saving souls to saving the soil. Now we will be rescuing the planet instead of people.

The moral issues that have been fought over throughout the 6,000-year controversy between Christ and Satan are about to change. It’s no longer about sin, disobedience, rebellion, apostasy, and lawlessness. No, not anymore. Now it’s about sustainability, biodiversity, clean energy, and climate change. According to the Book of Revelation, the great adversaries in the last days used to be the beast, the image, and the false prophets. That’s all changed now.

Today, these bad actors have become our friends. They are now our new allies in the fight against greenhouse gases. In the new and improved end-time scenario, we need to foster a spirit of cooperation with the Vatican, the other churches, the UN, the EU, the WEF, and other globalists in order to save the earth. Once again, we are witnessing a decline in our faith as a growing number of Seventh-day Adventists abandon their belief in Revelation 13, 17, and 18 and instead refocus their evangelism on addressing the climate agenda through Catholic social teachings and secular ideologies.

It is astonishing that politicians have infiltrated the church and are spreading their message about sustainability to our people. These climate change activists who have invaded Adventism cannot help anyone enter heaven because the church is not a place where people can be reached with a secular, worldly message.

Eco-spirituality has emerged as the world’s new global religion. This effort is being led by Pope Francis. And when we merge human ideologies with Adventism, we rapidly lose sight of our true mission and identity. We end up being just another one of the world’s tens of thousands of churches. Satan’s agenda is to unite the entire world, and the messages about climate change, climate Sunday, and the common good are his means of doing so. Why aren’t our people able to see what’s happening?

“Satan determines to unite them in one body, and thus strengthen his cause by sweeping all into the ranks of Spiritualism. Papists, who boast of miracles as a certain sign of the true church, will be readily deceived by this wonder-working power; and Protestants, having cast away the shield of truth, will also be deluded. Papists, Protestants, and worldlings will alike accept the form of godliness without the power, and they will see in this union a grand movement for the conversion of the world, and the ushering in of the long-expected millennium.” (Great Controversy, p. 588).

Sources

[1] https://news.eud.adventist.org/en/all-news/news/go/2022-11-08/adras-statement-on-the-conference-of-the-parties-of-the-unfccc-cop27/

[2] https://hopemedia.it/cop27-adra-europa-chiede-unazione-immediata-sul-clima/

Climate COP27: Amid Fires and Nepal Earthquakes, Pope Summons His Sabbath to His Chariots, Army At Mount Sinai

Roman Catholic principles will be taken under the care and protection of the state. This national apostasy will speedily be followed by national ruin.—The Review and Herald, June 15, 1897.
When Protestant churches shall unite with the secular power to sustain a false religion, for opposing which their ancestors endured the fiercest persecution, then will the papal sabbath be enforced by the combined authority of church and state. There will be a national apostasy, which will end only in national ruin.—Evangelism, 235 (1899).
When the state shall use its power to enforce the decrees and sustain the institutions of the church—then will Protestant America have formed an image to the papacy, and there will be a national apostasy which will end only in national ruin.—The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 7:976 (1910). LDE 134.2 – LDE 134.4

We are nearing the close of this earth’s history. Satan is making desperate efforts to make himself god, to speak and act like God, to appear as one who has a right to control the consciences of men. He strives with all his power to place a human institution in the position of God’s holy rest-day. Under the jurisdiction of the man of sin, men have exalted a false standard in complete opposition to God’s enactment. Each Sabbath institution bears the name of its author, an ineffaceable mark showing the authority of each. The first day of the week has not one particle of sanctity. It is the production of the man of sin, who strives in this way to counterwork God’s purposes.

God has designated the seventh day as His Sabbath. He declares, “Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you…. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed.” “Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.”

Thus the distinction is drawn between the loyal and the disloyal. Those who desire to have the seal of God in their foreheads must keep the Sabbath of the Fourth Commandment. Thus they are distinguished from the disloyal, who have accepted a man-made institution in place of the true Sabbath. The observance of God’s rest-day is a mark of distinction between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not.

When men make the assertion that a change has been made in the law of God’s government, they cast a reflection upon God’s character. If the law was just when given to Adam, it is just today. “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass,” Christ declared, “than one tittle of the law to fail.”
The substitution of the false for the true is the last act in the drama. When this substitution becomes universal, God will reveal himself. When the laws of men are exalted above the laws of God, when the powers of this earth try to force men to keep the first day of the week, know that the time has come for God to work. He will arise in His majesty, and will shake terribly the earth. He will come out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the world for their iniquity. The earth shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.

The belief that the law of God is not the standard of righteousness is now almost universal in the Christian world. Professed Christians think that the more contempt they place upon the law, the more commendable they are in God’s sight. Each human being exerts an influence upon those with whom he associates. Those who are willing to be led by false theories and unsound doctrines, who build their hopes for eternity on shifting sand, will find that the storm and tempest of trial will sweep away their refuge of lies. Their structure will fall, and they will perish,—lost, lost for all eternity.

Adam listened to the words of the tempter, and yielding to his insinuations, fell into sin. Why was not the death penalty at once enforced in his case?—Because a ransom was found. God’s only begotten Son volunteered to take the sin of man upon himself, and to make an atonement for the fallen race. There could have been no pardon for sin had this atonement not been made. Had God pardoned Adam’s sin without an atonement, sin would have been immortalized, and would have been perpetuated with a boldness that would have been without restraint. Remember how soon after the transgression of Adam the apostasy of his posterity became so marked that God repented that He had made man. They followed the imaginations of their evil hearts, and the strivings of the Spirit were not heeded. They refused to be admonished. They had an abundance of blessings for their own enjoyment, and they soon forgot that they had forfeited immortality.

God granted them one hundred and twenty years of probation, and during that time preached to them through Methuselah, Noah, and many others of His servants. Had they listened to the testimony of these faithful witnesses, had they repented and returned to their loyalty, God would not have destroyed them. But warnings made an impression on them only for a time. Christ was their atoning sacrifice, their Mediator, but they had no faith in Him, and His intercessions in their behalf were unavailing. As the time of probation drew nearer its close, the service due to God from them passed entirely from their thoughts; and the word went forth, “The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.”

After the flood the earth was again corrupted under its inhabitants, and the signal judgments of God fell upon Sodom and Gomorrah. But soon this punishment was forgotten, and once more men corrupted their way before God, turning from the worship of the Creator to the worship of idols. God called out the Hebrew people from slavery, and from Sinai gave them His law. But Egypt was desolated by plagues before Pharaoh would consent to listen to the great I AM. He persisted in his stubbornness till Egypt was ruined, and the Egyptians, from the lowest serf to the king upon his throne, looked upon the dead bodies of their firstborn. Then Pharaoh consented to let the children of Israel go, but he followed them immediately with an imposing display of chariots and men of war. Another exhibition of God’s power was required. The Red Sea was opened to the Israelites, but the Egyptians who pursued them were drowned in its waters.

The terrible judgments of God which were inflicted upon the idolaters in the lands through which the children of Israel passed, caused fear and dread to fall upon all people living on the earth. But Israel, for whom so much had been done, apostatized in the very sight of Sinai. Aaron, who had been left in charge, was afraid to stand firm against the vast host who were clamoring for gods to lead them back to Egypt.

We are Waiting For God: US Bishops Embrace Pope’s COP27 Laudato Si Sunday Letter in Sinai amid Stormy Earthquakes, Rooted In Pope’s Common Good Sabbath to avert Catastrophe, Adventist Liberty Threatened- Haman

We are Waiting For God: US Bishops Embrace Pope’s COP27 Laudato Si Sunday Letter in Sinai amid Stormy Earthquakes, Rooted In Pope’s Common Good Sabbath to avert Catastrophe, Adventist Liberty Threatened- Haman

After entering Canaan, the children of Israel gradually went into idolatry. By His prophets God sent them message after message. But they forgot the instructions of their leader, and followed their own inclinations and the imagination of their own hearts, until the Lord could no longer protect them. He permitted their enemies to overcome them, and to scatter them as captives in strange lands. But still He was willing to pardon them. He promised that if they would return to Him, He would heal all their backslidings, and reinstate them in His favor. He sent them warnings, reproofs, judgments, to save them from ruin. But notwithstanding these efforts, they wandered farther and farther from Him. As represented in the parable given by Christ, God sent His messengers to them, but these were persecuted and put to death. Last of all, He sent His only begotten Son. “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, … full of grace and truth.” But the people He came to save refused to receive Him. They rewarded Him evil for good, and in Pilate’s judgment hall He was condemned to death by crucifixion. “Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? This that is glorious in His apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine fat? I have trodden the winepress alone, and of the people there was none with me.” RH April 23, 1901, Art. A, par. 3 – RH April 23, 1901, Art. A, par. 13

We are Waiting For God: US Bishops Embrace Pope’s COP27 Laudato Si Sunday Letter in Sinai amid Stormy Earthquakes, Rooted In Pope’s Common Good Sabbath to avert Catastrophe, Adventist Liberty Threatened- Haman

But the fact that a movement to establish error is connected with a work which is in itself good, is not an argument in favor of the error. We may disguise poison by mingling it with wholesome food, but we do not change its nature. On the contrary, it is rendered more dangerous, as it is more likely to be taken unawares. *It is one of Satan’s devices to combine with falsehood just enough truth to give it plausibility. The leaders of the Sunday movement may advocate reforms which the people need, principles which are in harmony with the Bible;* yet while there is with these a requirement which is contrary to God’s law, His servants cannot unite with them. *Nothing can justify them in setting aside the commandments of God for the precepts of men*.

Through the two great errors, *the immortality of the soul and Sunday sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his deceptions*. While the former lays the foundation of spiritualism, the latter creates a bond of *sympathy with Rome.* *The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power;* and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in *the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience*. GC 587.1 – GC 588.1

As the Protestant churches reject the clear, Scriptural arguments in defense of God’s law, *they will long to silence those whose faith they cannot overthrow by the Bible.* Though they blind their own eyes to the fact, they are now adopting a course which will lead to the persecution of those who conscientiously refuse to do what the rest of the Christian world are doing, and acknowledge the claims of the papal sabbath.

*The dignitaries of church and state will unite to bribe, persuade, or compel all classes to honor the Sunday. The lack of divine authority will be supplied by oppressive enactments.* Political corruption is destroying love of justice and regard for truth; and even in free America, rulers and legislators, in order to secure public favor, will yield to *the popular demand for a law enforcing Sunday observance. Liberty of conscience, which has cost so great a sacrifice, will no longer be respected.* In the soon-coming conflict we shall see exemplified the prophet’s words: *“The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:17*. GC 592.2 – GC 592.3

A prayerful study of the Bible would show Protestants *the real character of the papacy and would cause them to abhor and to shun it; but many are so wise in their own conceit that they feel no need of humbly seeking God that they may be led into the truth.*

Although priding themselves on their enlightenment, *they are ignorant both of the Scriptures and of the power of God.*

They must have some means of quieting their consciences, and they seek that which is least spiritual and humiliating. What they desire is a method of forgetting God which shall pass as a method of remembering Him.

*The papacy is well adapted to meet the wants of all these. It is prepared for two classes of mankind, embracing nearly the whole world—those who would be saved by their merits, and those who would be saved in their sins. Here is the secret of its power.*

*In the movements now in progress in the United States to secure for the institutions and usages of the church the support of the state, Protestants are following in the steps of papists. Nay, more, they are opening the door for the papacy to regain in Protestant America the supremacy which she has lost in the Old World.*

And that which gives greater significance to this movement is the fact that *the principal object contemplated is the enforcement of Sunday observance—a custom which originated with Rome, and which she claims as the sign of her authority. It is the spirit of the papacy—the spirit of conformity to worldly customs, the veneration for human traditions above the commandments of God—that is permeating the Protestant churches and leading them on to do the same work of Sunday exaltation which the papacy has done before them*.

If the reader would understand the agencies to be employed in the soon-coming contest, he has but to trace the record of the means which Rome employed for the same object in ages past. *If he would know how papists and Protestants united will deal with those who reject their dogmas, let him see the spirit which Rome manifested toward the Sabbath and its defenders.*

Royal edicts, general councils, and church ordinances sustained by secular power were the steps by which the pagan festival attained its position of honor in the Christian world.

*The first public measure enforcing Sunday observance was the law enacted by Constantine. (A.D. 321; see Appendix note for page 53.) This edict required townspeople to rest on “the venerable day of the sun,” but permitted countrymen to continue their agricultural pursuits. Though virtually a heathen statute, it was enforced by the emperor after his nominal acceptance of Christianity.*

The royal mandate not proving a sufficient substitute for divine authority, Eusebius, a bishop who sought the favor of princes, and who was the special friend and flatterer of Constantine, *advanced the claim that Christ had transferred the Sabbath to Sunday.* Not a single testimony of the Scriptures was produced in proof of the new doctrine. Eusebius himself unwittingly acknowledges its falsity and points to the real authors of the change. “All things,” he says, “whatever that it was duty to do on the Sabbath, these we have transferred to the Lord’s Day.”—Robert Cox, Sabbath Laws and Sabbath Duties, page 538.

*But the Sunday argument, groundless as it was, served to embolden men in trampling upon the Sabbath of the Lord.*

All who desired to be honored by the world accepted the popular festival.

*As the papacy became firmly established, the work of Sunday exaltation was continued.* For a time the people engaged in agricultural labor when not attending church, and the seventh day was still regarded as the Sabbath. But steadily a change was effected. *Those in holy office were forbidden to pass judgment in any civil controversy on the Sunday. Soon after, all persons, of whatever rank, were commanded to refrain from common labor on pain of a fine for freemen and stripes in the case of servants. Later it was decreed that rich men should be punished with the loss of half of their estates; and finally, that if still obstinate they should be made slaves.* The lower classes were to suffer perpetual banishment. GC 572.2 – GC 574.3

Antonio Guterres Prophecy highway perdition in Rome Ditch; Whosoever Believeth In The Papacy Doctrines Shall Perish: Laudato Si Citizen of Earth

Antonio Guterres Prophecy highway perdition in Rome Ditch; Whosoever Believeth In The Papacy Doctrines Shall Perish: Laudato Si Citizen of Earth

Hosanna To Pope Magnified Laudato Si’ Our Guide Ev King Osiemo

Darkest Hour In History: The Cunning Disguise of The Pope

The assertion that God’s judgments are visited upon men for their violation of the Sunday-sabbath, will be repeated; already it is beginning to be urged. And a movement to enforce Sunday observance is fast gaining ground.
Marvelous in her shrewdness and cunning is the Roman Church. She can read what is to be. She bides her time, seeing that the Protestant churches are paying her homage in their acceptance of the false sabbath and that they are preparing to enforce it by the very means which she herself employed in bygone days. Those who reject the light of truth will yet seek the aid of this self-styled infallible power to exalt an institution that originated with her. How readily she will come to the help of Protestants in this work it is not difficult to conjecture. Who understands better than the papal leaders how to deal with those who are disobedient to the church?
The Roman Catholic Church, with all its ramifications throughout the world, forms one vast organization under the control, and designed to serve the interests, of the papal see. Its millions of communicants, in every country on the globe, are instructed to hold themselves as bound in allegiance to the pope. Whatever their nationality or their government, they are to regard the authority of the church as above all other. Though they may take the oath pledging their loyalty to the state, yet back of this lies the vow of obedience to Rome, absolving them from every pledge inimical to her interests.
History testifies of her artful and persistent efforts to insinuate herself into the affairs of nations; and having gained a foothold, to further her own aims, even at the ruin of princes and people. In the year 1204, Pope Innocent III extracted from Peter II, king of Arragon, the following extraordinary oath: “I, Peter, king of Arragonians, profess and promise to be ever faithful and obedient to my lord, Pope Innocent, to his Catholic successors, and the Roman Church, and faithfully to preserve my kingdom in his obedience, defending the Catholic faith, and persecuting heretical pravity.”—John Dowling, The History of Romanism, b. 5, ch. 6, sec. 55. This is in harmony with the claims regarding the power of the Roman pontiff “that it is lawful for him to depose emperors” and “that he can absolve subjects from their allegiance to unrighteous rulers.”—Mosheim, b. 3, cent. 11, pt. 2, ch. 2, sec. 9, note 17. (See also Appendix note for page 447.)
And let it be remembered, it is the boast of Rome that she never changes. The principles of Gregory VII and Innocent III are still the principles of the Roman Catholic Church. And had she but the power, she would put them in practice with as much vigor now as in past centuries. Protestants little know what they are doing when they propose to accept the aid of Rome in the work of Sunday exaltation. While they are bent upon the accomplishment of their purpose, Rome is aiming to re-establish her power, to recover her lost supremacy. Let the principle once be established in the United States that the church may employ or control the power of the state; that religious observances may be enforced by secular laws; in short, that the authority of church and state is to dominate the conscience, and the triumph of Rome in this country is assured.
God’s word has given warning of the impending danger; let this be unheeded, and the Protestant world will learn what the purposes of Rome really are, only when it is too late to escape the snare. She is silently growing into power. Her doctrines are exerting their influence in legislative halls, in the churches, and in the hearts of men. She is piling up her lofty and massive structures in the secret recesses of which her former persecutions will be repeated. Stealthily and unsuspectedly she is strengthening her forces to further her own ends when the time shall come for her to strike. All that she desires is vantage ground, and this is already being given her. We shall soon see and shall feel what the purpose of the Roman element is. Whoever shall believe and obey the word of God will thereby incur reproach and persecution. GC 579.1 – GC 581.2

America First US Bishops Embrace Pope’s First Day Time of Rest Laudato Si’: Pope In The Sinai Clouds and Burning Bush, Adventists Call For Ten Green Commandments For Common Home

We know something of what is before us. We know that trials await us. We know that unconsecrated Seventh-day Adventists, who have a knowledge of the truth, but who have linked themselves with worldlings, will depart entirely from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits. The enemy will gladly hold out inducements to them, to lead them to carry on a warfare against the people of God. 18LtMs, Lt 127, 1903, par. 15

As the storm approaches, a large class who have professed faith in the third angel’s message, but have not been sanctified through obedience to the truth, abandon their position and join the ranks of the opposition. By uniting with the world and partaking of its spirit, they have come to view matters in nearly the same light; and when the test is brought, they are prepared to choose the easy, popular side. Men of talent and pleasing address, who once rejoiced in the truth, employ their powers to deceive and mislead souls. They become the most bitter enemies of their former brethren. When Sabbathkeepers are brought before the courts to answer for their faith, these apostates are the most efficient agents of Satan to misrepresent and accuse them, and by false reports and insinuations to stir up the rulers against them. GC 608.2

A day of great intellectual darkness has been shown to be favorable to the success of the papacy. It will yet be demonstrated that a day of great intellectual light is equally favorable for its success. In past ages, when men were without God’s word and without the knowledge of the truth, their eyes were blindfolded, and thousands were ensnared, not seeing the net spread for their feet. In this generation there are many whose eyes become dazzled by the glare of human speculations, “science falsely so called;” they discern not the net, and walk into it as readily as if blindfolded. God designed that man’s intellectual powers should be held as a gift from his Maker and should be employed in the service of truth and righteousness; but when pride and ambition are cherished, and men exalt their own theories above the word of God, then intelligence can accomplish greater harm than ignorance. Thus the false science of the present day, which undermines faith in the Bible, will prove as successful in preparing the way for the acceptance of the papacy, with its pleasing forms, as did the withholding of knowledge in opening the way for its aggrandizement in the Dark Ages.
In the movements now in progress in the United States to secure for the institutions and usages of the church the support of the state, Protestants are following in the steps of papists. Nay, more, they are opening the door for the papacy to regain in Protestant America the supremacy which she has lost in the Old World. And that which gives greater significance to this movement is the fact that the principal object contemplated is the enforcement of Sunday observance—a custom which originated with Rome, and which she claims as the sign of her authority. It is the spirit of the papacy—the spirit of conformity to worldly customs, the veneration for human traditions above the commandments of God—that is permeating the Protestant churches and leading them on to do the same work of Sunday exaltation which the papacy has done before them.
If the reader would understand the agencies to be employed in the soon-coming contest, he has but to trace the record of the means which Rome employed for the same object in ages past. If he would know how papists and Protestants united will deal with those who reject their dogmas, let him see the spirit which Rome manifested toward the Sabbath and its defenders.
Royal edicts, general councils, and church ordinances sustained by secular power were the steps by which the pagan festival attained its position of honor in the Christian world. The first public measure enforcing Sunday observance was the law enacted by Constantine. (A.D. 321; see Appendix note for page 53.) This edict required townspeople to rest on “the venerable day of the sun,” but permitted countrymen to continue their agricultural pursuits. Though virtually a heathen statute, it was enforced by the emperor after his nominal acceptance of Christianity.
The royal mandate not proving a sufficient substitute for divine authority, Eusebius, a bishop who sought the favor of princes, and who was the special friend and flatterer of Constantine, advanced the claim that Christ had transferred the Sabbath to Sunday. Not a single testimony of the Scriptures was produced in proof of the new doctrine. Eusebius himself unwittingly acknowledges its falsity and points to the real authors of the change. “All things,” he says, “whatever that it was duty to do on the Sabbath, these we have transferred to the Lord’s Day.”—Robert Cox, Sabbath Laws and Sabbath Duties, page 538. But the Sunday argument, groundless as it was, served to embolden men in trampling upon the Sabbath of the Lord. All who desired to be honored by the world accepted the popular festival.
As the papacy became firmly established, the work of Sunday exaltation was continued. For a time the people engaged in agricultural labor when not attending church, and the seventh day was still regarded as the Sabbath. But steadily a change was effected. Those in holy office were forbidden to pass judgment in any civil controversy on the Sunday. Soon after, all persons, of whatever rank, were commanded to refrain from common labor on pain of a fine for freemen and stripes in the case of servants. Later it was decreed that rich men should be punished with the loss of half of their estates; and finally, that if still obstinate they should be made slaves. The lower classes were to suffer perpetual banishment. GC 572.3 – GC 574.3

Haman Eyes The Quiet Peaceful Remnant In Provinces, Say Ye Not A Confederacy: Pope Troubling Letter, But God Does Not Change

God Does Not Change, October 31

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Genesis 3:15. UL 318.1

How hard it is for man to walk humbly with God, to believe His Word and accept His plans. Satan’s propositions appear to present great advantages, but they end in ruin. Over and over again men have found out by experience the result of refusing to walk in the path of obedience. Will not others gain wisdom from their experience? Let us think of the experience of our first parents and be afraid of any plans that are not based on obedience to God’s will. UL 318.2

When will men learn that God is God, not man, and that He does not change. Every calamity, every death, is a witness to the power of evil and to the truth of the living God. The Word of God is life, and it will abide forever. Through all eternity it will stand fast. How can man, knowing what God is and what He has done, choose Satan’s way instead of God’s way? There is only one path to Paradise restored—the path of obedience. UL 318.3

The message given man to proclaim in these last days is not to be amalgamated with worldly opinions. In these days of peril, nothing but obedience will keep man from apostasy. God has bestowed on man great light and many blessings. But unless this light and these blessings are received, they are no security against apostasy and disobedience. When those whom God has exalted to positions of high trust turn from Him to human wisdom, their light becomes darkness, and how great is that darkness! Their entrusted capabilities are a snare to them. They are become an offense to God…. UL 318.4

There always has been, and till the conflict is ended, there always will be a departing from God. Sins have a close connection. One act of disobedience, unless repented of, leads to another. He who justifies himself in sin is led on step by step in deception, till at length he sins with impunity. UL 318.5

Often the professed followers of Christ are found with hearts hardened and eyes blinded, because they do not obey the truth. Selfish motives and purposes take possession of the mind. In their self-confidence they suppose that their way is the way of wisdom. They are not particular to follow the path that God has marked out. They declare that circumstances alter cases, and when Satan tempts them to follow worldly principles, they yield, and making crooked paths for their feet, they lead others astray. The inexperienced follow where they go, supposing that the judgment of Christians so experienced must be wise.—Manuscript 135, October 31, 1902, “Instruction to the Church.”