Humanity: The Lost Moral Being Pt. 2

I’m neither an animal rights activist nor an extreme environmentalist – but I do know people who could be labeled as such. Many times I’ve found myself biting my tongue while listening to these people go on and on about how much smarter the animals are than humans, or that animals were God’s favorite creation and we were simply created as caretakers. Of course, the reason I bit my tongue was because arguing with these people is both infuriating and a waste of time.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love animals, but I take a slightly different view of them. Animals are not moral beings; they don’t understand the difference between right and wrong. Although an important part of creation, humanity was the crowning glory of God’s creation here on Earth. In a sense, they are smarter than us because they fully trusted God and weren’t led astray by temptation – albeit that was mostly because they’re not moral beings – but they have never forgotten their Creator.

Of course, that doesn’t give us the right to abuse, mistreat, or hunt the animals simply for sport. For anyone who has been an Adventist for even a short while, the term “stewardship” should be familiar. Unfortunately, most churches focus on the money aspect of stewardship and forget the rest of it.

“God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground.’ Then God said, ‘I now give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the entire earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” (Gen 1:28-29, NET)

After the creation was complete, God gave the earth to Adam and Eve to govern, care for, and protect and my personal belief is that that role of protector and care-taker – although changed – was not revoked at the fall. Part of our stewardship toward God is to continue to care for the world and creatures around us.

And why do I believe this, you might be asking. Because it’s our fault that the earth is as it is. Because humanity is the only moral being here on Earth, EVERYTHING changed and became sinful because of our choices, not because of their own choices.


"Everything is under fixed laws, which cannot be disregarded. But while everything in nature is governed by natural laws, man alone, of all that inhabits the earth, is amenable to moral law. (PP 52) ...So long as Adam remained loyal to Heaven, all nature was in subjection to him. But when he rebelled against the divine law, the inferior creatures were in rebellion against his rule." (PP 59).


It is our fault that plants and animals die and struggle to survive. It is our fault that the earth is facing global warming. EVERYTHING is our fault. Not only did we subject this planet and all its inhabitants to sin, but we have forgotten our God-given duty to care for all life - flora, fauna, human - that resides upon this planet.

Humanity: The Lost Moral Being Pt. 1

Excuse me for a moment as I rant...

What is society become? What is it leading to? We live in a society that, rather than growing, is digressing! We are not only repeating the same stupid mistakes of our forefathers, but we're repeating the same stupid mistakes that our first parents made!

"Everything is under fixed laws, which cannot be disregarded. But while everything in nature is governed by natural laws, man alone, of all that inhabits the earth, is amenable to moral law. To man, the crowning work of creation, God has given power to understand His requirements, to comprehend the justice and beneficence of His law, and its sacred claims upon him; and of man unswerving obedience is required." (PP 52)

So there there they are in Eden - our first parents - living in a true utopia with the ability to understand God's moral and natural laws, not to mention the warnings of both God and the angels, and they screw it up! They believe the lies of a snake - literally and figuratively - and fail to withstand his temptation. But that's not even the worst of it! Oh no...Adam and Eve have the audacity to not only blame each other and the snake, but they blame God!

"It was the woman that You gave me..."

"It was the snake that You created..."

Here we have the only two inhabitants of the planet earth that are supposed morally conscious, and they FAIL!

And are we any different? Not usually. "He made me do it!" "She made me so angry!" "God let it happen!"

We blame everyone but ourselves, it's never our fault, we're just victims of our circumstance. Come on people, wake up and smell the deception!

Ellen White says that "Though he [Satan] had found sin to result in infinite loss, he concealed his own misery in order to draw others into the same position." (PP 55)

You know that old phrase "misery loves company"? Well it's true, and Satan is utilizing it. Every time that we fall into temptation, and then lay the blame at someone else's feet, we are playing directly into his hands.

Now to be fair, as soon as Adam and Eve yielded to temptation, their nature became "so depraved that in themselves they would have no power and no disposition to resist Satan." (PP 53) So yes, it's difficult for us to withstand temptation, but for crying out loud at least own up! Take responsibility for yourself!

"In the judgment men will not be condemned because they conscientiously believed a lie, but because they did not believe the truth, because they neglected the opportunity of learning what is truth....All the lessons which God has caused to be placed on record in His word are for our warning and instruction. They are given to save us from deception. Their neglect will result in ruin to ourselves. Whatever contradicts God's word, we may be sure proceeds from Satan." (PP 55)

So wake up! Start being aware of your everyday choices! Start making conscious decisions. And for Pete's sake STOP blaming everyone but yourself!

(Re)Creating the Sabbath

I suppose it comes from being borderline GenX (not rule oriented) and millennial generation, but growing up in the Adventist church I was familiar, but never comfortable, with the "Sabbath laws." I know all the dos and don'ts regarding the hours between sundown Friday and sundown Saturday.

As I grew up and gained greater understanding of the gospels I couldn't help but make a comparison between the way the Pharisees kept the Sabbath and the way Adventists did (do?). Christ's words once again ring true: "The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath." (Mark 2:27, NLT). How is it at all helpful to spend what is supposed to be a day of rest, focused on a list of rules?

As a teenager I found it difficult to reconcile my own beliefs with the rules that the church tried to impose on me, leading me to spend many Sabbaths in college as just another day, if I didn't sleep it away. It hasn't been until the last few years that I've managed to find a balance between the two extremes.

While reading "Patriarchs and Prophets" this week, I came across an interesting section in chapter two:

"After resting upon the seventh day, God sanctified it, or set it apart, as a day of rest for man. Following the example of the Creator, man was to rest upon this sacred day, that as he should look upon the heavens and the earth, he might reflect upon God's great work of creation; and that as he should behold the evidences of God's wisdom and goodness, his heart might be filled with love and reverence for his maker. (pg. 47) ...There was nothing in it shadowy or of restricted application to any people. God saw that a Sabbath was essential for man, even in Paradise. He needed to lay aside his own interests and pursuits for one day of the seven, that he might more fully comprehend the works of God and meditate upon his power and goodness. He needed a Sabbath to remind him more vividly of God and to awaken gratitude because all that he enjoyed and possessed came from the beneficent hand of the Creator." (pg. 48)

Now I may be wrong, but it seems to me that God intended the Sabbath to be a weekly reminder of Him as our Creator and Sustainer and that - especially after the fall - nature is as close as we can come to His presence. Along those lines, having a list of things we can/can't do does nothing more than hinder our connection to God.

Pardon my inner teacher, but I'm reminded of the education psychology theory of multiple intelligences, which claims that we all learn differently. Just as some students learn better through music or physical activity, so too do we meet God in different ways.

If we could just accept that God communicates individually and that no two people are alike in their spirituality.

In the Big Inning, God...

Having spent the better part of the last 18 months in the Philippines, I have had the blessed relief of not being in the middle of the latest church controversies. Sadly, not even the Pacific ocean can shield me from the current battle waging in the United States. Before I continue, I want to make a few things abundantly clear:

• I do NOT know the intricate details of the debate between La Sierra University and the General Conference.
• I DO believe in six literal creation days (check out my book, "From Light to Darkness")
• I am NOT a theologian
• I do NOT believe that this debate is a salvation issue.

Now that we're clear on all that, let me explain. Contrary to what most Christians believe, salvation is not based on what we believe or what we do, but rather how that belief changes our lives. When it comes right down to it, which is worse? Believing that the six days were/are symbolic (like many mentions of "days") or the controversy that is raging through the church?

Like I said earlier, I'm not a theologian, but for all those Ellen White supporters out there, I'd like to take a look at chapter two of "Patriarchs and Prophets":

"God created man in His image....There is no ground for the supposition that man was evolved by slow degrees of development from the lower forms of animal or vegetable life. Such teaching lowers the great work of the Creator to the level of man's narrow, earthly conceptions (pg. 45). ...He had created all the wonders of the land and of the sea. In six days the great work of creation had been accomplished. And God 'rested on the seventh day...'" (pg. 47).

Before either side goes and twists what I just quoted, I want to make an observation (or two): In a chapter dedicated to the creation, Mrs. White writes several pages before mentioning the "six days" of creation and then only as a lead in to a discussion on the Sabbath (which we'll discuss in detail next time). So here's my point: yes, she mentions the six days, but she neither specifies six literal days nor emphasizes its importance. In fact, her emphasis lies with the importance of humanity's creation and humans taking one day out of seven - specifically the seventh - to remember their Creator. So why has this become an issue? Why are we wasting precious time and energy fighting over something that shouldn't be an issue?

I do want to point out one last thing: as a Bible teacher myself - and one who has had to counteract the slightly off teachings of a predecessor - it is not the job of the teacher to use the classroom as their own personal platform. If you believe something, support it. It is our job as academics to be trustworthy in what we give to our students, and spouting off opinion as anything more is far from trustworthy.

Some might criticize me for not choosing a side in this debate, but I believe it is the choosing of sides that is fueling the debate and could lead to disastrous results for our church.

One final thought: we are all entitled to our own nuances in faith and belief - faith is as unique as our characters - but to pastors and teachers is given a greater burden of proof. "Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly." (James 3:1, NLT)