<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" ><tr><td valign="top" style="font: inherit;"><DIV>Thanks, Stevphen. This shines additional light on the Seventh Day Adventists.</DIV>
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<DIV>A lot of anti-Catholic groups, like ultra-fundamentaltists and the Missouri Synod Lutherans, nonetheless strongly oppose abortion. But it appears the Adventists have the WORST of both worlds: anti-Catholic AND pro-abortion.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>That's something to consider it dealing with these people.<BR></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#0000ff size=3>Art</FONT></STRONG></DIV><BR>--- On <B>Sat, 1/29/11, Stephen Korsman <I><skorsman@theotokos.co.za></I></B> wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-LEFT: rgb(16,16,255) 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px"><BR>From: Stephen Korsman <skorsman@theotokos.co.za><BR>Subject: [Apologetics] Adventists and abortion<BR>To: "Apologetics Group" <apologetics@gathman.org><BR>Date: Saturday, January 29, 2011, 6:18 AM<BR><BR>
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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Hi</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial><A href="http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/01/adventists_and_abortion.html?hpid=sec-religion" rel=nofollow target=_blank>http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/01/adventists_and_abortion.html?hpid=sec-religion</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#008000 size=2 face=Arial>Christians of all denominations are gathering on the National Mall today to protest the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. But one denomination that may be sparsely represented is Seventh-day Adventists whose large worldwide network of 170 hospitals allows elective abortions.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#008000 size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#008000 size=2 face=Arial>This stance was revealed last week when Maryland state regulators gave Holy Cross Hospital, a Catholic institution, permission to build a hospital in growing northern Montgomery County, shutting out the Seventh-day Adventists, who also wanted to build a hospital in the area. Some abortion rights advocates opposed Holy Cross's selection because it does not allow abortions. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#008000 size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>From the cited article by Kevin Paulson [snippets - full thing at <A href="http://sdaforum.com/page247.html" rel=nofollow target=_blank>http://sdaforum.com/page247.html</A>]:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#800000 size=2 face=Arial>Historically, Adventists have been keenly aware of the influence of tradition in shaping the beliefs and practices of mainstream Christianity. We are not believers in "traditional values." We hold instead to Biblical values. It was Christ who condemned the ancient Jews for "teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Matt. l5:9).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#800000></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#800000 size=2 face=Arial>Some Adventists seem to be forgetting this. Many are forming opinions about abortion, not from the study of Scripture or the Spirit of Prophecy writings, but from listening to popular Christian leaders like James Dobson, Tim LaHaye, Franky Schaeffer, and Bill Gothard. Sincere though they may be, these men espouse many theological errors and have no understanding of God's truth for this time. Seventh- day Adventists should listen to such persons with extreme care and discriminating judgment.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#800000></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#800000 size=2 face=Arial>Moses, who was "learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians" (Acts 7:22), was no doubt aware of it. Yet the laws he gave to Israel under divine inspiration say nothing specific about it--despite a host of very specific injunctions about murder, manslaughter, and sexual behavior.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#800000></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#800000 size=2 face=Arial>In the Greco-Roman world of the New Testament, abortion was commonplace (4), and at least one early Christian document commands, "Thou shalt not murder a child by abortion" (5). But the New Testament writers, like the Old Testament, say nothing about the issue.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#800000></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#800000 size=2 face=Arial>For the anti-abortion case to have Biblical support, verses must be found which draw the line at conception between life and non-life. No such verse or verses can be found. The issue is in no way settled by merely citing the commandment, "Thou shalt not kill," since without clarification, this can be used to forbid the taking of any form of life, even animals or insects. In fact, Ellen White specifically denounced this particular abuse of the sixth commandment:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#800000></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#800000 size=2 face=Arial>There are those who say nothing, not even insects, should be killed. God has not entrusted any such message to His people. It is possible to stretch the command "Thou shalt not kill" to any limit; but it is not according to sound reasoning to do this. Those who do it have not learned in the school of Christ (l4).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#800000></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#800000 size=2 face=Arial>Notice she says, "It is possible to stretch the command 'Thou shalt not kill' to any limit." Could the anti- abortionists among us possibly have something to learn from this counsel? This is not to say fetuses are in the same class as insects, only that Inspiration has the exclusive right to define the meaning and limits of all God's commandments, including the sixth.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#800000></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#800000 size=2 face=Arial>We can't force Inspiration to speak to issues which happen to be emotionally dear to us. What men and women consider to be a "great issue" is not necessarily considered so by God. The Lord says, "My thoughts are not your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8). God is the One to set the church's moral agenda, not us.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Perhaps he doesn't consider this to be one of the inspired laws:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#008080 size=2 face=Arial>Exodus 21:22-25 KJV If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. [23] And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, [24] Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, [25] Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#008080 size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#008080 size=2 face=Arial>If the baby is born prematurely due to the trauma and survives, he pays a fine. Mischief must mean the death or injury of the child, for which the punishment is the equivalent death or injury.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#008080 size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>God bless,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Stephen</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial><FONT color=#808000>--<BR>Stephen Korsman<BR><A href="http://us.mc564.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=skorsman@theotokos.co.za" rel=nofollow target=_blank ymailto="mailto:skorsman@theotokos.co.za"><FONT color=#808000>skorsman@theotokos.co.za</A><BR><A href="http://www.theotokos.co.za/adventism" rel=nofollow target=_blank><FONT color=#808000>The Theotokos Website</A><BR><A href="http://www.theotokos.co.za/umtata" rel=nofollow target=_blank><FONT color=#808000>A Rural Virologist</A> || <A href="http://www.theotokos.co.za/umtata/rss/index_rss2.xml" rel=nofollow target=_blank><FONT color=#808000>RSS feed</A><BR><FONT color=#808000><A href="http://www.theotokos.co.za/blog/" rel=nofollow target=_blank><FONT color=#808000>Sabbath Keepers</A> || <A href="http://www.theotokos.co.za/blog/rss/index_rss2.xml" rel=nofollow target=_blank><FONT color=#808000>RSS feed</A><BR><FONT
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