Zevendedagsadventisten versus mormoonse overtuigingen

Een verhaal van twee geloven: inzicht in de overtuigingen van zevendedagsadventisten en mormonen

Voor het hart van een zoekende christen kan het zien van goed geklede, oprechte zendelingen aan de deur een mengeling van nieuwsgierigheid en voorzichtigheid oproepen. Twee van de meest voorkomende groepen die u kunt tegenkomen zijn zevendedagsadventisten en leden van De Kerk van Jezus Christus van de Heiligen der Laatste Dagen, vaak mormonen genoemd. Ze zijn vriendelijk en spreken vaak over Jezus. Dit kan leiden tot een natuurlijke vraag: zijn zij onze broeders en zusters in Christus? Zijn hun kerken simpelweg andere denominaties, zoals baptisten of methodisten?

This journey we are about to take together is one of compassionate understanding. Our goal is not to build walls of condemnation but to lovingly discern the truth, guided by the light of God’s Word. To truly love our neighbors, we must first understand them. Both of these faiths were born in the fervent spiritual landscape of 19th-century America, a time of great revival and religious searching.¹ They share some outward practices, like door-to-door evangelism, which can make them seem similar.³ But as we will explore with gentle care, their foundational beliefs about God, Jesus, the Bible, and salvation are profoundly and often incompatibly different from one another and from the historic Christian faith passed down through the centuries.³

Where Did These Two Faiths Come From?

To understand these two faiths, we must travel back to the early 1800s in America. This period, known as the Second Great Awakening, was a time of intense religious excitement. Many people felt that the traditional churches had lost their way and that true, biblical Christianity needed to be “restored” to its original purity.² This fertile soil of spiritual innovation gave rise to many new religious movements, including Mormonism and Seventh-day Adventism.¹

The Mormon Story: A Prophet and Golden Plates

The story of Mormonism begins with a young man named Joseph Smith Jr. In upstate New York. Around 1820, he claimed to have experienced a glorious vision in which God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. In this “First Vision,” he was allegedly told that all existing Christian churches were “wrong” and that their creeds were “an abomination in his sight”.⁶ This foundational event established the Mormon belief that a complete apostasy had occurred, and a full restoration of the true church was necessary.

A few years later, Smith claimed he was guided by an angel named Moroni to a set of buried golden plates. He said that with God’s help, he translated the “Reformed Egyptian” text on these plates into what is now known as the Book of Mormon.³ This new book of scripture, which tells the story of ancient Israelite peoples in the Americas, became the cornerstone of the new faith. With its publication, Joseph Smith was established as a modern-day prophet, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was formally organized in 1830.⁷

The Adventist Story: A “Great Disappointment” and a New Vision

The origins of Seventh-day Adventism are tied to a different kind of prophetic event. In the 1840s, a Baptist preacher named William Miller ignited a massive movement by predicting that Jesus Christ would return to Earth by October 22, 1844.² When that day came and went without Christ’s return, his thousands of followers were devastated in what became known as the “Great Disappointment”.⁷

While most Millerites abandoned the belief, a small group, including a young woman named Ellen G. White, refused to believe the prophecy was entirely wrong. They came to a new understanding: on that date in 1844, Jesus had not returned to Earth, but had instead entered a new phase of his ministry in the “heavenly sanctuary”.³ They taught that He began a work of “Investigative Judgment,” examining the lives of all who have ever professed faith in Him to determine who is worthy of salvation.³ This unique doctrine, born from a reinterpretation of a failed prophecy, became the central and defining belief of the Seventh-day Adventist which was formally organized in 1863.³

The very origins of these two groups reveal a critical difference in how they view God’s continuing work in the world. Mormonism’s foundation is built upon the claim of a successful new prophecy and new scripture delivered through Joseph Smith. This created a framework for a continuous line of living prophets who can add to the scriptural canon and introduce new, binding doctrines.⁶ In contrast, Adventism’s foundation is built upon the need to explain a prophetic failure. This required a different kind of prophetic figure in Ellen G. White. Her role was not to deliver new scripture, but to provide the divinely inspired, authoritative interpretation of the Bible needed to explain the 1844 event and to guide God’s “remnant church” in the last days.¹² This fundamental difference in their founding moments set them on two very different theological paths.

How Do They View God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit?

Dear reader, the most important question we can ever ask is, “Who is God?” It is here, in the answer to this question, that we find the deepest and most unbridgeable chasm separating these two faiths from each other and from the historic Christian faith.

The Mormon Godhead: A Family of Gods

Het mormoonse begrip van God is fundamenteel anders dan de christelijke leer van de Drie-eenheid. Zij leren dat God de Vader, Jezus Christus en de Heilige Geest niet één God zijn, maar drie afzonderlijke en onderscheiden goden die verenigd zijn in hun doel.⁴ Dit geloof is een vorm van polytheïsme (geloof in vele goden).

Even more startling is the Mormon teaching that God the Father, whom they call “Elohim,” was once a mortal man on another planet. Through obedience to the laws and ordinances of his god, he progressed to become a god himself and now has a physical body of “flesh and bones”.⁶ Mormons also believe in a “Heavenly Mother,” the spirit wife of God the Father. Together, they produce spirit children in heaven, and every human being is one of these spirit children.⁴ The ultimate goal of the Mormon “Plan of Salvation” is for faithful humans to follow this same path and progress to become gods and goddesses themselves, ruling over their own worlds.⁴

The Adventist Trinity: Orthodox in Word, Complicated in Detail

Aan de oppervlakte bevestigen zevendedagsadventisten de historische christelijke leer van de Drie-eenheid. Hun officiële overtuigingen stellen dat er één God is: Vader, Zoon en Heilige Geest, een eenheid van drie co-eeuwige Personen.² Dit is een troost en een belangrijk punt van verbinding met het reguliere christendom.

But a closer look reveals some troubling complexities. Many of the early Adventist pioneers, whose writings are still influential, were strongly anti-Trinitarian.¹⁷ More significantly, some of Ellen G. White’s writings, which Adventists consider divinely inspired, introduce confusing ideas. For example, some of her statements, and official church teachings that cite them, have been interpreted to mean that God the Father possesses a physical body or a “personal form”.¹⁸ Another major point of concern is the common Adventist teaching that when Jesus came to earth, He took upon Himself a “sinful, fallen nature” just like ours, though He resisted temptation perfectly.¹⁸

Who is Jesus? A Comparison

Deze verschillende visies op God leiden natuurlijk tot zeer verschillende visies op Jezus Christus.

• The Mormon Jesus is the firstborn spirit child of God the Father and Heavenly Mother. This makes him the literal elder spirit brother of all humans, and also the spirit brother of Lucifer.⁶ While he is revered and worshipped, he is not uniquely God in the same way the Father is. His atoning sacrifice is understood to guarantee resurrection for everyone, but “exaltation” to godhood is only available to those who follow the Mormon plan.⁶
• The Adventist Jesus is believed to be the eternal Son of God, fully divine, and co-equal with the Father.⁴ This aligns with orthodox Christianity. But the teaching that He took on a fallen human nature with the inherent capacity to sin is a serious deviation.¹⁸ Historic Christianity has always held that Christ’s human nature was perfectly holy and unfallen, and that as God, it was impossible for Him to sin.
• The Historic Christian Jesus is the one and only, eternally begotten Son of God. He is not a created being or one god among many, but is “consubstantial” (of the very same substance or essence) with the Father.¹⁵ He is fully God and fully man, who took on a true human nature that was, and is, completely without sin.¹⁰

The Mormon doctrine of God is not simply a different interpretation of the Trinity; it is a different religion altogether. It redefines the very meaning of “God,” “humanity,” and “salvation.” While Seventh-day Adventism has theological positions that are a cause for serious concern and deviate from orthodoxy, they operate within a broadly Christian, Trinitarian framework. Mormonism does not. For a Christian seeking to understand these faiths, this is the single most important distinction to grasp.

Table 1: Core Theological Beliefs at a Glance

What Do They Believe About the Bible and Modern Prophets?

A person’s view of God is directly tied to their view of His Word. Here too, Adventists and Mormons take very different paths from each other and from historic Christianity’s trust in the complete and final authority of the Bible.

The Adventist Dilemma: The Bible and a “Lesser Light”

Seventh-day Adventists hold to the Protestant principle of Sola Scriptura, wat betekent dat de Bijbel alleen hun ultieme autoriteit en enige geloofsbelijdenis is.³ Dit is een lovenswaardig standpunt. Maar het bestaat in een staat van spanning met de rol van hun medeoprichter, Ellen G. White (EGW).

Adventists believe that Mrs. White had the biblical “gift of prophecy” and that her voluminous writings—on theology, health, and church life—are divinely inspired.¹² They often describe her work as a “lesser light” intended to lead people to the “greater light” of the Bible.¹² They teach that her writings are subject to the Bible and should not be seen as an addition to it.

In practice, But many former Adventists and critics observe that her writings often function as the final, infallible interpreter of Scripture.¹³ Because her work is considered divinely inspired, it becomes very difficult to challenge a doctrine that she has spoken on. In fact, the most distinctive Adventist doctrines, such as the Investigative Judgment and their end-times worldview called “The Great Controversy,” are derived directly from her writings and visions, not from a plain reading of the Bible alone.¹⁰

The Mormon Revelation: An Open Canon and a Living Prophet

The Mormon view of scripture is radically different. They believe the Bible is the word of God, but they add a critical qualification: “as far as it is translated correctly”.⁶ They teach that many “plain and precious” truths were lost from the Bible over the centuries, which made a “restoration” through Joseph Smith necessary.⁶

This restoration includes a whole new set of scriptures, which they call the “Standard Works.” This open canon includes the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants (a collection of modern revelations), and the Pearl of Great Price.³

Even more central to their faith is the belief in a living prophet. The President of the LDS Church is revered as a “prophet, seer, and revelator.” He is considered God’s sole authorized spokesman on earth today, and his official proclamations can be accepted by the church as new, binding scripture.⁶ This creates a system where doctrine can and does change over time, based on the revelations given to the current prophet.

A Tale of Two Founders: Ellen G. White vs. Joseph Smith

Wanneer we de twee profetische grondleggers vergelijken, zien we zowel opvallende overeenkomsten als cruciale verschillen. Beiden waren jong toen ze visioenen begonnen te krijgen, en beiden beweerden dat God hen had bevolen op te schrijven wat ze zagen.²¹ Sommige onderzoekers hebben zelfs gewezen op opmerkelijke parallellen in de bewoordingen en thema's van enkele van hun vroege visioenen.²²

Despite this, Ellen White was adamant about distinguishing her work from Joseph Smith’s, and she strongly disliked any comparison between them.²¹ A key difference in their focus reveals why. Joseph Smith’s revelations were largely concerned with establishing an earthly kingdom, with physical temples and a restored human priesthood to perform saving ordinances.²³ Ellen White’s visions, by contrast, were focused on Christ’s work in a

hemels temple, acting as our High Priest.²³

How Is a Person Saved, and What Happens After Death?

At the heart of the Christian faith is the beautiful and liberating news of the gospel: that we are saved not by our own efforts, but by God’s amazing grace, as a free gift received through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross (Ephesians 2:8-9). Our hope rests entirely in Him. When we examine the Adventist and Mormon plans of salvation, we find that this simple gospel can become complicated and burdened.

The Adventist Path: Grace, Judgment, and Annihilation

Seventh-day Adventists teach that salvation begins with God’s grace through faith. But they believe this salvation must be maintained through diligent obedience to God’s commandments.¹⁰ In their end-times theology, the ultimate test of loyalty to God will be keeping the seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday). They teach that in the final days, a global power will enforce Sunday worship, and those who comply will receive the “mark of the beast,” while those who remain faithful to the Saturday Sabbath show they have the “seal of God”.¹⁰

This emphasis on works is tied to their unique doctrine of the “Investigative Judgment.” According to this teaching, since 1844, Jesus has been in the heavenly sanctuary, acting as a judge, examining the records of every person who has ever professed to be a Christian.¹⁰ A person’s final salvation is not assured until this heavenly investigation is complete. Many former Adventists testify that this doctrine creates a constant state of spiritual anxiety and removes the joy of knowing you are secure in Christ’s love.¹⁹

Regarding the afterlife, Adventists do not believe in an immortal soul that goes immediately to be with the Lord. They teach “soul sleep,” the idea that at death, a person enters a state of complete unconsciousness until the resurrection.⁹ After the final judgment, they believe the righteous will live forever in heaven, but the wicked will not suffer eternal conscious torment in hell. Instead, they will be completely destroyed and cease to exist, a belief known as annihilationism.¹³

The Mormon Plan: Ordinances, Kingdoms, and Becoming a God

The Mormon “Plan of Salvation” is better understood as a plan of eternal progression. It begins with faith and repentance but requires a series of essential ordinances that must be performed by someone holding the proper Mormon priesthood authority. These include baptism by immersion, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and, most importantly, sacred ceremonies performed only inside Mormon temples.⁴

For Mormons, Jesus’s atonement guarantees that everyone will be resurrected. But one’s eternal destiny—where they will spend eternity—depends on their level of worthiness and obedience. They do not believe in a single heaven and hell. Instead, they teach that there are three “kingdoms of glory”:

• De Celestial Kingdom: De hoogste hemel, voor de meest getrouwe mormonen die alle verbonden hebben nageleefd, inclusief het tempelhuwelijk. Het is hier dat zij kunnen blijven groeien om goden en godinnen te worden.²⁰
• De Terrestrial Kingdom: A lesser glory for good people who were not valiant Mormons.
• De Telestial Kingdom: The lowest glory, for most of the rest of humanity.

They teach that “Outer Darkness,” or hell, is reserved only for a very small number of people who have a perfect knowledge of Christ and then deny him.²⁰ A central and unique practice tied to their plan of salvation is baptism for the dead. Living members go to temples to be baptized by proxy on behalf of their deceased ancestors, giving those spirits the opportunity to accept the Mormon gospel in the spirit world and progress to a higher kingdom.⁴

What Is It Like to Live as a Seventh-day Adventist or a Mormon?

Geloof is niet slechts een verzameling overtuigingen; het is een levenswijze die elke dag vormgeeft. Door te luisteren naar de verhalen van degenen die binnen deze geloofsovertuigingen hebben geleefd, kunnen we de stap maken van abstracte theologie naar de tastbare realiteit van hun dagelijkse wandel.

Life as a Seventh-day Adventist

Het ritme van het adventistische leven wordt bepaald door twee kernprincipes: de sabbat en de gezondheidsboodschap.

De Sabbath is het middelpunt van de adventistische week. Het wordt strikt in acht genomen van zonsondergang op vrijdag tot zonsondergang op zaterdag als een heilige dag van rust, aanbidding en tijd met het gezin. Al het werk, school en seculier vermaak zijn verboden.³ Hoewel dit voor gelovigen een bron van diepe spirituele vernieuwing kan zijn, onthullen persoonlijke verhalen van degenen die in de kerk zijn opgegroeid vaak een pijnlijk gevoel van sociale isolatie. Ze herinneren zich het verdriet van het moeten missen van sportevenementen op school, verjaardagsfeestjes en andere normale kinderactiviteiten die op een vrijdagavond of zaterdag vielen.²⁷

De Health Message is another defining feature. Adventists view their bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit and believe that honoring God includes living a healthy lifestyle. This has led to a strong emphasis on vegetarianism, and often veganism, as the ideal diet. Alcohol, tobacco, and caffeinated drinks like coffee and tea are also strictly forbidden.³ This focus on health has had remarkable results; the Adventist community in Loma Linda, California, is recognized as one of the world’s “Blue Zones,” where people live significantly longer, healthier lives.²⁹ But for some, this can become a complex system of rules, with Ellen White’s writings providing guidance on everything from avoiding jewelry and competitive sports to the perceived spiritual benefits of “country living”.²⁷

Het leven als mormoon

Voor een getrouwe heilige der laatste dagen staat het leven in het teken van familie, gemeenschap en de tempel.

The Mormon health code, known as the Word of Wisdom, is een essentieel onderdeel van hun identiteit. Het verbiedt de consumptie van alcohol, tabak, koffie en thee.⁶ Interessant is dat, hoewel het ideale adventistische dieet restrictiever is, studies en anekdotisch bewijs suggereren dat adventisten vaak gezonder zijn, grotendeels dankzij de focus op plantaardige voeding.²⁹

De Temple is of immense importance in Mormonism. It is not a regular church building for Sunday worship, but a sacred space where the highest ordinances are performed. To enter, a member must be deemed worthy by their local leaders and hold a “temple recommend.” This requires strict obedience to all church commandments, including paying a full 10% tithe on all income.⁶ Inside the temple, members change into all-white clothing and participate in sacred, and secret, ceremonies like the “endowment” and “sealing,” where they make covenants with God.²⁵ Marriages performed in the temple are believed to “seal” a family together not just for this life, but for all eternity.²⁵ For many, the temple is a place of powerful peace. For others, particularly first-time visitors, the mysterious rituals and solemn covenants can be a source of confusion and discomfort.³⁴

Finally, Mormon life is characterized by a powerful emphasis on family and community. The local “ward” (congregation) is the center of social life, providing a tight-knit support system. This can be a wonderful blessing for members, but it can also make the decision to leave the church incredibly painful, as it often means losing one’s entire social network and sometimes even being shunned by family.⁴

How Do They See Themselves and Other Christians?

Een cruciale manier om een religieuze groep te begrijpen is door te kijken hoe zij zichzelf zien in relatie tot de wijdere wereld, en specifiek tot andere christenen. Zowel het adventisme als het mormonisme ziet zichzelf als hebbende een unieke, goddelijk aangestelde rol die hen onderscheidt van alle andere kerken.

The Adventist “Remnant Church”

Seventh-day Adventists believe they are God’s special end-time “remnant church.” This belief comes from their interpretation of the book of Revelation. They feel they have been called by God to restore important truths that were lost or neglected by mainstream Christianity over the centuries, with the most important of these being the seventh-day Sabbath.²

Their entire view of history and the future is shaped by a concept called “The Great Controversy.” This is the idea that all of human history is a cosmic battle between Christ and Satan, and that in the final days, this battle will center on God’s law. They believe a global religious-political power, which they have historically identified with the Roman Catholic Papacy and allied Protestant churches, will enforce Sunday worship on the whole world. They see this as the final test. Those who honor the true seventh-day Sabbath will show their loyalty to God, while those who accept the “false” Sunday sabbath will receive the mark of the beast.¹⁰

While they generally view other Christians as sincere and well-meaning, they believe their understanding of the gospel is incomplete. This conviction that they alone have the “full truth” for the last days fuels their energetic and widespread global missionary work, as they hope to call people out of “Babylon” (fallen Christianity) and into the “remnant church” before the end.¹

The Mormon “One True Church”

The Mormon view is even more exclusive. At the core of their faith is the doctrine of the “Great Apostasy.” They teach that after the original apostles of Jesus died, the true with its divine priesthood authority to act in God’s name, was completely lost from the face of the earth.⁶

Therefore, they do not see their church as just another denomination or a reformation of Christianity. They believe The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the literal, exclusive restoration of Christ’s one and only true church on earth, complete with living prophets and apostles who hold the same priesthood authority as Peter, James, and John.⁶

Because of this, while they may acknowledge that other churches teach some moral truths and do good works, they firmly believe that all other Christian churches—Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant—lack the divine authority to perform valid ordinances like baptism or communion.³⁸ This is why a person baptized in a Baptist or Methodist church who wishes to become a Mormon must be re-baptized by a Mormon priesthood holder. To them, all other baptisms are invalid because they were performed without God’s authority.³⁸

Wat is het standpunt van de Katholieke Kerk over deze geloofsovertuigingen?

Voor veel christenen die willen begrijpen waar deze groepen staan, kan het officiële standpunt van de Rooms-Katholieke Kerk, het grootste en oudste christelijke lichaam, een nuttige gids zijn. De Kerk heeft duidelijke en onderscheidende standpunten ingenomen over het mormonisme en het zevendedagsadventisme, en het verschil tussen deze twee posities is zeer leerzaam. De kern van de zaak komt neer op het sacrament van de doop.

Mormon Baptism: “Invalid”

In 2001, the Vatican’s highest doctrinal office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a formal and definitive ruling: baptisms performed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are ongeldig.³⁸ Dit betekent dat ze helemaal niet als christelijke dopen worden beschouwd. Een mormoon die katholiek wil worden, moet gedoopt worden.

The reasoning is not based on the words they use or the fact that they baptize by immersion. The reason is purely theological and goes to the very heart of the faith. The Catholic Church teaches that for a baptism to be valid, the minister must intend to do what the Church does, which is to baptize in the name of the Triune God. Because Mormons do not believe in the Trinity, but rather in three separate gods, their understanding of “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” is fundamentally different from the Christian understanding.¹⁵ When they perform a baptism, they are not invoking the one Triune God of Christianity. Therefore, the baptism is null and void because it is, a baptism into a different religion.

Seventh-day Adventist Baptism: “Doubtful”

The Catholic Church’s position on Seventh-day Adventist baptism is more nuanced. There is no universal ruling declaring it invalid. Instead, its validity is considered twijfelachtig, and the decision is left to the local bishop to investigate on a case-by-case basis.¹⁶ An Adventist converting to Catholicism will often be “conditionally baptized.”

The doubt does not stem from the Adventist view of the Trinity, which is officially orthodox. Rather, the concern arises from other serious theological errors and inconsistent practices that cast doubt on whether the minister performing the baptism truly held the proper “mind of the Church.” These concerns include:

1. Improper Form: An inconsistent history of using the required Trinitarian formula (“I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”), with some rites using other formulas.¹⁸
2. Defective Theology of God: De aanwezigheid van leringen die suggereren dat God de Vader een fysiek lichaam heeft, wat in tegenspraak is met het christelijke begrip van God als pure geest.¹⁸
3. Defective Christology: The teaching that Jesus took on a fallen, sinful human nature, which is a departure from the orthodox belief in Christ’s sinless nature.¹⁸

The Church’s reasoning reveals a clear hierarchy of theological error. A wrong belief about the very nature of God Himself (Mormonism) is a first-order problem that places a group entirely outside the Christian faith. Confusion and error on other foundational doctrines (Adventism), while still gravely serious, represent a second-order problem that places a group on the problematic fringe of Christianity. This distinction powerfully illustrates that the most fundamental doctrine of our faith is, and always will be, the identity of the one true God we worship.

How Do Other Major Protestant Denominations View Them?

Hoewel het protestantisme divers is, bestaat er een brede consensus onder grote denominaties zoals baptisten, methodisten en presbyterianen. Zij beschouwen zowel het mormonisme als het zevendedagsadventisme over het algemeen als buiten de grenzen van het historisch, orthodox christendom vallend, zij het om verschillende redenen en in verschillende mate.

Views on Mormonism

Er is vrijwel universele overeenstemming onder protestantse kerken dat het mormonisme een niet-christelijke religie is. De belangrijkste redenen zijn de polytheïstische godsleer, het geloof in een open canon van geschriften die de Bijbel overstijgt, en de verwerping van de christelijke kernleer van redding door genade alleen, door geloof alleen.⁶

• Southern Baptists are particularly clear on this point. They officially teach that Mormonism is a “false gospel” that leads people away from the true God of the Bible. They actively produce videos and literature to help Christians understand Mormonism and to evangelize Mormons, carefully pointing out how Mormonism uses Christian vocabulary but gives the words radically different meanings.⁶
• The United Methodist Church officially states that the LDS Church operates “outside the parameters of historic, apostolic Christianity.” Like the Catholic they do not recognize Mormon baptism as valid and require any former Mormon who wishes to become a Methodist to be baptized into the Christian faith.⁴³

Views on Seventh-day Adventism

De protestantse visie op het adventisme is complexer. Omdat zij de Drie-eenheid en andere kerndoctrines bevestigen, zijn de lijnen niet zo scherp getrokken. Sommige evangelicals beschouwen hen als een christelijke denominatie die enkele ernstige en problematische dwalingen aanhangt, terwijl anderen, wijzend op de centrale rol van Ellen G. White en het Onderzoekend Oordeel, hen als een sekte beschouwen.¹³

• Southern Baptists zouden het sterk oneens zijn met de belangrijkste adventistische doctrines. Zij verwerpen het bindende karakter van de sabbat op zaterdag voor christenen, de doctrine van het onderzoeksgericht, de leer van de zielslaap en het annihilationisme, en het profetische gezag van Ellen G. White.³⁷ Het is belangrijk om het bestaan op te merken van 

  Zevendedagsbaptisten, een afzonderlijk kerkgenootschap dat het adventistische geloof in een sabbat op zaterdag deelt, maar hun andere unieke leerstellingen en het gezag van Ellen White verwerpt.⁸

• The United Methodist Church has a unique historical connection to Adventism, as many early Adventist leaders, including Ellen White, came from a Methodist background.⁴⁶ The two denominations share a similar “Arminian” view of salvation, which emphasizes free will. But they differ significantly on the Sabbath, the nature of the and end-times beliefs.⁴⁸
• The Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC), dat een conservatief gereformeerd perspectief vertegenwoordigt, heeft geen officieel standpunt over het adventisme. Er is discussie onder hun predikanten, waarbij de belangrijkste theologische knelpunten het buiten-bijbelse gezag zijn dat aan Ellen G. White wordt toegekend en de adventistische overtuiging dat een persoon zijn redding kan verliezen, een standpunt dat zij delen met andere arminiaanse groeperingen.⁴⁴

What Can We Learn from Those Who Have Left?

Misschien is de krachtigste manier om een geloof te begrijpen, luisteren met een mededogend hart naar de verhalen van degenen die het het diepst hebben beleefd en inmiddels zijn heengegaan. De reis uit een religie met hoge eisen is vaak gevuld met pijn, moed en krachtige ontdekkingen.

Common Reasons for Leaving Adventism

Voor velen die de zevendedagsadventisten verlaten, begint de reis vaak met een theologische of intellectuele crisis.

• The Investigative Judgment: Een rode draad is de ontdekking dat deze centrale, bepalende doctrine geen duidelijke bijbelse basis heeft en werd ontwikkeld om de Grote Teleurstelling van 1844 te verklaren. Het spirituele gewicht van het leven met de overtuiging dat je redding voortdurend onder de loep ligt en nooit volledig veilig is, wordt een zware last die velen ondragelijk vinden.⁴⁹
• The Authority of Ellen G. White: As former members begin to study the Bible for themselves, many come to feel that Mrs. White’s writings, rather than being a “lesser light,” have become a barrier to the Bible. Discovering historical problems with her prophecies, evidence of extensive plagiarism in her books, or simply realizing the degree to which her authority is used to enforce doctrine can shatter the foundations of their faith.¹⁹
• The Restrictive Lifestyle: Voor degenen die opgroeien in de groep kan het enorme gewicht van de regels overweldigend worden. Het constante gevoel anders te zijn, het sociale isolement door het missen van normale activiteiten, en de schuldgevoelens en manipulatie die soms worden gebruikt om naleving af te dwingen, kunnen leiden tot een burn-out en een diep verlangen naar vrijheid.²⁷

Common Reasons for Leaving Mormonism

De weg uit het mormonisme volgt vaak een vergelijkbaar patroon van desillusie, dat regelmatig wordt aangewakkerd door historische en ethische zorgen.

• Church History: The internet has made it possible for members to access historical information that was once hidden or explained away. Learning the unvarnished details of Joseph Smith’s life—especially his practice of polygamy (marrying dozens of women, including teenagers and other men’s wives), the multiple, conflicting versions of his “First Vision,” and the lack of any archaeological or DNA evidence for the Book of Mormon—can cause a “shelf” of doubts to come crashing down.⁵¹
• Social and Ethical Issues: For many, especially younger members, the breaking point is not history but the church’s current stance on social issues. Its policies regarding LGBTQ+ individuals, its past ban on Black men holding the priesthood, and its deeply patriarchal structure feel incompatible with a loving Christ.⁵¹
• Lack of Transparency: A growing source of pain is the feeling of being deceived by the institution. The discovery of the church’s immense, multi-billion-dollar financial holdings, which are not used for charity in the way members expect, combined with a leadership culture that often dismisses sincere questions, can lead to a powerful sense of betrayal.⁵²

The Shared Journey of Deconstruction

Ongeacht welke groep ze verlaten, beschrijven voormalige leden vaak een vergelijkbare emotionele reis. Ze spreken over het worstelen met giftige schaamte, de angst voor verdoemenis die hen vanaf hun kindertijd is ingeprent, en het hartverscheurende verlies van hun gemeenschap en soms zelfs hun families.⁵³ Toch spreken ze, naast de pijn, bijna universeel over een krachtig gevoel van vrijheid en opluchting. Velen beschrijven dat ze voor het eerst een persoonlijke, op genade gebaseerde relatie met de God van de Bijbel hebben gevonden, vrij van de constante druk om aan verwachtingen te voldoen en de angst om nooit goed genoeg te zijn.²⁴

A Call to Understanding and Grace

Onze reis door deze twee geloven heeft ons twee heel verschillende paden getoond die uiteenliepen vanuit hetzelfde 19e-eeuwse Amerikaanse landschap. De kloven tussen hen, en tussen hen en het historische christelijke geloof, zijn niet klein. Ze zijn enorm en, in sommige gevallen, onoverbrugbaar.

Het mormonisme, met zijn geloof in een veelheid van goden, een verhoogde mens als God, een geestelijke broeder Jezus en een open canon van de Schrift, is geen andere christelijke denominatie. Het is een afzonderlijke en aparte religie die christelijke taal gebruikt, maar de meest essentiële termen ervan herdefinieert.

Seventh-day Adventism shares much more common ground with Christianity, including a belief in the Trinity and the inspiration of the Bible. Yet its foundational doctrines—born from a reinterpreted prophecy and delivered through the visions of Ellen G. White—deviate from the clear teaching of Scripture on the nature of Christ’s work, the path to salvation, and the hope of the believer. It creates a system burdened by law and judgment that can tragically obscure the beautiful simplicity of the gospel of grace.

As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, let this understanding move us to compassion. Our salvation does not depend on our perfect Sabbath observance, our temple attendance, or our dietary choices. It rests solely and securely on the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Our assurance is not found in a pending judgment in heaven, but in His precious promise: “Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24).

Laten we deze kennis niet gebruiken als wapen voor discussies, maar als instrument voor liefde. Laten we bidden voor onze adventistische en mormoonse naasten, dat hun ogen geopend mogen worden voor de ware Jezus van de Bijbel en de glorieuze vrijheid die alleen in Zijn genade te vinden is. En laten we altijd bereid zijn om verantwoording af te leggen van de hoop die in ons is, met zachtmoedigheid en respect, en allen die willen luisteren wijzen naar degene die de Weg, de Waarheid en het Leven is.