Wednesday, December 05, 2012

Ave Maria Mutual Funds


Photo (Courtesy) http://christianinvestmentforum.org/members-directory/ave-maria-funds

From , former About.com Guide



Minimum Investment:

$1,000

Sales Charge:

No-load

Fund Managers:


George Schwartz, founded Schwartz Investment Counsel, Inc. in 1980 and is the portfolio manager of the Ave Maria Catholic Values Fund.
Gregory R. Heilman, is the co-manager of the Ave Maria Catholic Values Fund and is responsible for equity research functions for Schwartz Investment Counsel.
Richard Platte, Jr. has been the lead manager of the Ave Maria Rising Dividend Fund since May of 2005.
Timothy Schwartz has been the lead manager of the Ave Maria Opportunity Fund since May of 2006.

Background:

Managers of the Ave Maria Mutual Funds say they participate in “morally responsible” investing. The family’s first fund, the Ave Maria Catholic Values Fund, was started in 2001 after Dominoes Pizza owner Tom Monaghan, a devout Catholic, asked his money manager George Schwartz to create a Catholic mutual fund.
“He wanted me to screen out companies related to abortion,” says Schwartz. “We decided to put together a Catholic advisory board and the Catholic advisory board determined that we should also screen out a few other things that the Catholic Church is against, such as pornography, contributing to Planned Parenthood and offering non-marital partner benefits to employees. We screen out companies in those four categories.”
The advisory board includes high-profile figures such as CNBC commentator Lawrence Kudlow, former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz, and political activist Phyllis Schlafly.

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Cops to Congress: We need logs of Americans' text messages

State and local law enforcement groups want wireless providers to store detailed information about your SMS messages for at least two years -- in case they're needed for future criminal investigations.


December 3, 2012 9:00 AM PST

(Credit: Greg Sandoval/CNET)

AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and other wireless providers would be required to record and store information about Americans' private text messages for at least two years, according to a proposal that police have submitted to the U.S. Congress.

CNET has learned a constellation of law enforcement groups has asked the U.S. Senate to require that wireless companies retain that information, warning that the lack of a current federal requirement "can hinder law enforcement investigations."

They want an SMS retention requirement to be "considered" during congressional discussionsover updating a 1986 privacy law for the cloud computing era -- a move that could complicate debate over the measure and erode support for it among civil libertarians.

As the popularity of text messages has exploded in recent years, so has their use in criminal investigations and civil lawsuits. They have been introduced as evidence in armed robbery,cocaine distribution, and wire fraud prosecutions. In one 2009 case in Michigan, wireless provider SkyTel turned over the contents of 626,638 SMS messages, a figure described by a federal judge as "staggering."

Chuck DeWitt, a spokesman for the Major Cities Chiefs Police Association, which represents the 63 largest U.S. police forces including New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, and Chicago, said "all such records should be retained for two years." Some providers, like Verizon, retain the contents of SMS messages for a brief period of time, while others like T-Mobile do not store them at all.

Along with the police association, other law enforcement groups making the request to the Senate include the National District Attorneys' Association, the National Sheriffs' Association, and the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies, DeWitt said.

Excerpts from court opinion in Rhode Island murder case

"Sgt. Gates sent a letter to T-Mobile in advance of obtaining the warrant for the T-Mobile phone records to ask the service provider to preserve the information that he expected to request by the warrant. T-Mobile produced the requested information on October 20, 2009, and the records show that Defendant's use of the T-Mobile cell phone was almost exclusively for text messaging. The results also reveal that T-Mobile does not store, and has no capacity to produce, the content of subscriber text messages.

"Unlike T-Mobile, Verizon was able to produce records with text messaging content in them. The content of the LG cell phone matches the photographs taken on October 4, 2009 by Det. Cushman, including a text message which reads, 'Wat if I got 2 take him 2 da hospital wat do I say and dos marks on his neck omg,' which is the message that Sgt. Kite testified to having seen that morning.

"Sprint/Nextel responded on October 13, 2009. It produced two preserved text messages, both of which were unrelated to this case, and no voice mail messages."

"This issue is not addressed in the current proposal before the committee and yet it will become even more important in the future," the groups warn.

That's a reference to the Senate Judiciary committee, whichapproved sweeping amendments to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act last week. Unlike earlier drafts, the latest one veers in a very privacy-protective direction by requiring police to obtain a warrant to read the contents of e-mail messages; the SMS push by law enforcement appears to be a way to make sure it includes one of their priorities too.

It wasn't immediately clear whether the law enforcement proposal is to store the contents of SMS messages, or only the metadata such as the sender and receiver phone numbers associated with the messages. Either way, it's a heap of data: Forrester Research reports that more than 2 trillion SMS messages were sent in the U.S. last year, over 6 billion SMS messages a day.

The current policies of wireless providers have been highlighted in some recent cases. During a criminal prosecution of a man for suspected murder of a 6-year old boy, for example, police in Cranston, R.I., tried to obtain copies of a customer's text messages from T-Mobile and Verizon. Superior Court Judge Judith Savage said that, although she was "not unfamiliar with cell phones and text messaging," she "was stunned" to learn that providers had such different policies.

While the SMS retention proposal opens a new front in Capitol Hill politicking over surveillance, the principle of mandatory data retention is hardly new. The Justice Department has publicly called for new laws requiring Internet service providers to record data about their customers, and a House of Representatives panel approvedsuch a requirement last summer.

"We would oppose any mandatory data retention mandate as part of ECPA reform," says Christopher Calabrese, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. That proposal is "a different kettle of fish -- it doesn't belong in this discussion," he says.

An internal Justice Department document (PDF) that the ACLU obtained through the Freedom of Information Act shows that, as of 2010, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint did not store the contents of text messages. Verizon did for up to five days, a change from its earlier no-logs-at-all position, and Virgin Mobile kept them for 90 days. The carriers generally kept metadata such as the phone numbers associated with the text for 90 days to 18 months; AT&T was an outlier, keeping it for as long as seven years, according to the chart.

A review of court cases by CNET suggests that Justice Department document is out of date. While Sprint is listed as as not storing text message contents, the judge in Rhode Island noted that the company turned over "preserved text messages." And in an unrelated Connecticut case last year, a state judge noted that Sprint provided law enforcement with "text messages involving the phone numbers."

An e-mail message from a detective in the Baltimore County Police Department, leaked by Antisec and reproduced in a Wired article last year, says that Verizon keeps "text message content on their servers for 3-5 days." And: "Sprint stores their text message content going back 12 days and Nextel content for 7 days. AT&T/Cingular do not preserve content at all. Us Cellular: 3-5 days Boost Mobile LLC: 7 days"

Sprint and Verizon referred calls last week to CTIA - The Wireless Association, which declined to comment. So did the Justice Department. T-Mobile and AT&T representatives did not respond to a request for comment.

Katie Frey, a spokeswoman for U.S. Cellular, said:


Due to the volume of text messages sent by our customers every day, text messages are stored in our systems for approximately three to five days. The content of text messages can only be disclosed subject to a lawful request. We comply with every lawful request from authorities.

We have a dedicated team of associates who are available 24 hours a day, every day of the year, to handle requests for information in emergency situations. Law enforcement must be able to show that it's an emergency and complete an Exigent Circumstance Form prior to receiving data. If a situation is not an emergency, law enforcement must submit a lawful request to receive the data.

Over the past five years, U.S. Cellular has received more than 103,000 requests in the form of subpoenas, court orders, search warrants and letters regarding customers' phone accounts and usage.

Hanni Fakhoury, a staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said he would be skeptical of the need for a law mandating that text messaging data be retained.

"These data retention policies serve one purpose: to require companies to keep databases on their customers so law enforcement can fish for evidence," he said. "And this would seem to be done against the wishes of the providers, presumably, since...some of the providers don't keep SMS messages at all."

Last updated at 9:10 a.m. PT


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Prophecy, Predictive Programming and the Overthrow of the Luciferian Elite


By Paul McGuire
December 3, 2012
NewsWithViews.com

An important component in understanding current events can be found in understanding the prophecies in the Bible as they relate to modern history. These prophecies have a statistical record of being 100% accurate, which means they are statistically more accurate than computer analysis, remote viewing and predictive programming.

In predictive programming, science fiction movies, books and other media are used to subconsciously implant a belief system or expectation of what the future will be like. For example, in the movie, “The Hunger Games,” the subconscious message was, if you want technological progress, you have to be willing to give up your freedoms and accept a totalitarian form of government. This message is being communicated in hundreds of films and television shows. The result is an attitude of compliance, acceptance and expectation that society should move this way.

Predictive programming is an occult based system of mind control that creates a future society based upon a spirit of antichrist, rather than a Biblical worldview. The Fabian Socialists, who were the architects of the emerging global government and New World Order, were an eclectic group of writers, philosophers, economists, poets and political leaders. For example, H.G. Wells, the head of British Intelligence during World War I, was the author of numerous science fiction novels, which were instruments of predictive programming. Well’s wrote science fiction books like,”The Invisible Man,””War of the Worlds,””The Island of Dr. Moreau and “The Time Machine.” He also wrote non-fiction books like, “The Open Conspiracy and “The New World Order.”

Authors like “1984,” written by George Orwell and “Brave New World,” written by Aldous Huxley, who allegedly worked for British Intelligence, and came to Hollywood in the 1930’s. Their books were examples of predictive programming. Commenting on the financial elite, Huxley said:

"World bankers, by pulling a few simple levers that control the flow of money, can make or break entire economies. By controlling press releases of economic strategies that shape national trends, the power elite are able to not only tighten their stranglehold on this nation's economic structure, but can extend that control worldwide. Those possessing such power would logically want to remain in the background, invisible to the average citizen."

It should be noted that the ideas of these so-called atheistic socialists were actually birthed out of occult beliefs. The Tavistock Institute which was the fountainhead of scientific mind control was birthed by the Fabian Socialists.

Tavistock flowed from the global drug empire of the British East India Company, which enslaved nation’s like China through opium. Tavistock also stemmed from the ideas of H.G. Well’s in “The Open Conspiracy,” which flowed from The Society of Psychical Research (SPR). SPR promoted all sorts of occult practices. Ironically, Tavistock was created from the Leipzig and Frankfurt School’s of critical thinking, which officially rejected occultism and spirituality, but in reality came out of the occult. The Frankfurt School was instrumental in tearing down the power of the Christian Church in Germany and provides the foundation of what is now known as the Seeker Friendly and Emergent Churches. It is critical to understand that many movements in the Evangelical Church stem directly from the mind control sciences of Tavistock.

There is a direct connection between the occult, Tavistock, Frankfurt and the international financial elite. Tavistock and other occult-based mind control operations were funded by the British Royalty, which is allegedly involved in all kinds of Illuminati and Satanic practices, In addition, the Rothschild’s helped finance the Illuminati. Rockefeller, the Federal Reserve, the City of London and Wall Street, reveal their occult connections by using Illuminati and Satanic symbols all over the monetary systems, governments and corporations. For example, the occult pyramid and the all-seeing eye of Lucifer on the back of the U.S. dollar is just one of thousands of open occult symbols.

Through Communism and Fascism, which were formed by the Illuminati, there has been a systematic assault of all the institutions of God, such as the family unit, religion, moral absolutes and the promotion of sexual immorality.

Tavistock produced the counter culture of the 1960’s and is connected with rock’n’roll music, films, popular culture and drugs. The term pharmakeia perfectly describes the mind control technologies using sex, drugs, rock’n’roll, the occult and pornography. But, Tavistock is very much active today, using things like depth psychology to create the Occupy movement, which is backed by Soros. American, European and global political choices are now manufactured through social engineering. For example, the Arab Spring movement was a “Psy Ops” movement, as was the recent election in America.

The bottom line in all this is that the ruling elite, which is heavily involved in Satanic practices is using mind control or sorcery to destroy the Middle Class and establish a Luciferian elite and their worker slaves. Aldous Huxley made these remarks at a speech at a university in California:

"A really efficient totalitarian state would be one in which the all-powerful executive of political bosses and their army of managers control a population of slaves who do not have to be coerced, because they love their servitude. To make them love it is the task assigned, in present-day totalitarian states, to ministries of propaganda, newspaper editors and schoolteachers.... The greatest triumphs of propaganda have been accomplished, not by doing something, but by refraining from doing. Great is truth, but still greater, from a practical point of view, is silence about truth."

Occult philosophy is essential to this totalitarian state because it teaches that man is not made in the image of God, therefore he has no intrinsic value. This opens the gates of hell to enslave man with economics, (wealth redistribution) mass mind control and the real goal of social engineering, which is to control mass consciousness, so that masses or the people on the bottom of the pyramid live as controlled puppets and economic debtors to the ruling elite. The present economic crisis is simply the mechanism for creating slaves!

The Bible, both Old Testament and New Testament, I believe is God’s inspired and inerrant Word, the problem is that many of the people talking about it, have no idea what it is actually saying. But, the power of truth in the Bible is like a cosmic tsunami smashing the strongholds of hell on the beaches of human consciousness. It is clear starting in Eden, that God made man, male and female to be the rulers of Paradise. Man was never created to be a slave! Adam and Eve lost the power of their rulership by entering into a dialogue with the consciousness of evil, embodied by the serpent. In its simplest terms, Adam and Eve lost their rulership by rejecting God’s Word, in favor of the evil philosophy of the serpent. The serpent was the most powerful of fallen angels, whose name was Lucifer, which means the “shining one.” He wanted to be god and led a revolution against god, along with one third of the angels, which is still continuing to this present day.

Lucifer’s plan was to enslave mankind, which he did when he deceived Adam and Eve. All those who have chosen to serve Lucifer, hope to gain power by enslaving others and that is the world system. The dictatorial rule of Satan is manifested in physical models of society and power. Beginning at the Tower of Babel, then under the Pharaoh system, where God’s people were made slaves. Every time mankind rejected the precepts of God for a philosophy like Communism, Fascism or humanism, men and women became slaves under a cruel and dictatorial ruler, like Lenin, Stalin, Hitler and Mao, where hundreds of millions were put in slave camps and murdered. There is a vast difference between the workers’ paradise of Karl Marx and the paradise of God in Eden.

In a cosmic sense we are now approaching crunch time! The prophecies and predictions of the Biblical prophets are coming true before our very eyes. The world is being ruled by a Satanic elite, which are herded us like slaves to the one world government, one world economic system and one world religion predicted in Revelation Chapter 13. Men and women who reject God as their Ruler, will receive the ultimate mark of a slave, the mark of the beast, which is a microchip or biochip implant where no one can buy or sell, without this electronic mark of the beast.

The planned destruction of the dollar and the manufactured economic collapse is intended to bring in the coming one world economic system, by around 2018. Then the mass population of planet earth, who chose to reject God, will choose to worship the Antichrist as God. We are in the birth pains described by Jesus Christ as the signs of the times in Matthew 24. Christ and the Apostle Paul warned of Satanic elite that would rise to rule the world in the last days. They clearly said that the spiritual deception in mankind would be so intense that they would be under a Great Delusion of Great Apostasy. This is global mass mind control that is first spiritual and also drug oriented and technological.

Through so-called secular predictive programming mankind has been programmed to accept a world authoritarian leader, accept the loss of freedoms, accept being slaves and accepting a mark and embrace the idea that all resistance in useless. The Satanic elite is openly killing off, or “culling the herd,” of “useless eaters,” by taking the world’s population from 7 billion to 500 million. They are using the Science of Eugenics first developed by the Rockefeller Foundation in the 1920’s and then adopted by Hitler in the 1930’s as the scientific justification for their goals.

On a theological level, a superficial reading of Bible prophecy would lead one to conclude that we are to be fatalistic, accept our role as victims and do nothing until Christ returns. Yet the Bible teaches that we are to, “rightly divide the Word.” That means we are to take great care to interpret it correctly. Now, based on my personal experience, of teaching Bible prophecy to millions of people through mass media, I know that many will instantly misinterpret what I am about to say.

But, within the Evangelical Community there is almost an unconscious death wish when it comes to Bible prophecy. Nowhere in the Bible does it ever teach Christians to become fatalists and do nothing until Christ returns. Nowhere! In fact, the Bible teaches at great length the responsibility of those who claim to know Christ, to actively engage the world and the culture. For example, in the Parable of the Talents, Christians are told to use their talents, abilities and resources for God, or suffer severe penalties for becoming apathetic and doing nothing! Christians often talk about the preaching the Gospel, which of course is what they should do. However, the words of Jesus Christ, “Occupy until I come,” are omitted by many Christians as if it were an obscenity!

Yet, Jesus Christ is specifically telling us that we are to “Occupy until I come!” Occupation implies maintaining your position and even advancing it! Yet, we see the majority of Christians adopting a non-Biblical theology or retreatism or escapism. The most often used excuse is that we are in the last days and we are not to interfere with God’s end time program. Essentially, the argument goes we are to just hang in there until the Rapture. The non-Biblical idea is that if we attempt to do anything, we might be interfering with God’s Sovereign plan. Thus passivity and fatalism are promoted as the ultimate will of God for the truly spiritual Christian.

All of the above so-called theological reasons for apathy, passivity and fatalism, are the direct opposite of what Christ is actually teaching. In fact, they are a complete defiance of His stated will! When Jesus Christ said that we are to, “Occupy until I Come,” that is precisely what He meant. He said, “occupy and not hide, retreat and sleep!

The idea that by taking action based on a sound mind is an attempt to overrule God’s Sovereignty is the exact opposite of what Christ taught. It is impossible to for any man to overrule God’s Sovereignty through prayer or action. God’s Sovereign plan will unfold exactly as He planned and He did not create man to live in a fatalistic universe. That is why God most often works in partnership with His people. Many times you will hear the false theological argument that this is the last days and everything is supposed to get worse, therefore we should not attempt to do anything about it, because we might interfere with God’s plan. This is theological insanity! It has been the last days ever since the time of the Apostle Paul over 2,000 years ago. During the last days, which we are still in, there have been countless revivals like the Reformation, First Great Awakening and Third Great Awakening. There has been global evangelism where hundreds of millions have accepted the truth of Christ’s message. Empires of great evil like the Third Reich, Lenin, Stalin and others have been destroyed or restrained.

By God’s grace technological achievements such as the light bulb, electricity, air travel, television, computers, medical advances and countless other scientific breakthroughs have alleviated great suffering. The American Revolution with its unique Constitution and Bill of Rights produced the greatest Middle Class in the history of mankind, along with the most freedoms, including religious freedoms. All of this and much, much more has happened during the last days!

We are still in the last days and the signs of the times are intensifying every day. The danger of global thermonuclear war, plagues, famines, wars, economic collapse, earthquakes, freak weather and asteroid impact are just a few of the dangers the human race faces. However, in the face of the warnings given to us by the ancient prophets, scientists, Apostles and Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ emphatically commanded us to, “Occupy until I Come!” That is our prime directive! “And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18

It is important that you accurately understand what I am saying. I am not calling for some kind of Christian Reconstruction movement or the establishment of a Christian theocracy. I am simply advocating that what Christ taught be established in relationship to our present moment. When the church is in obedience to the words, “Occupy until I come,” the gates of hell cannot prevail against the church. At this present moment, which is in the last days, the church is to move forward as the spiritual armies of light and engage the armies of spiritual darkness. That conflict or spiritual war is to continue until Christ returns.

The reason spiritual darkness, chaos and the armies of evil appear to triumph in our present hour, is because the church has rejected its mandate from its Lord to, “Occupy until I come.” The correct interpretation of the “gates of hell cannot prevail,” is to be understood in the sense, that the gates of hell represent hell’s kingdom on earth. But, the church, if viewed properly is to be seen as a divine battering ram, smashing down the gates of hell! When the individual Christian and church come into divine alignment with God’s intention, there will be a release from heaven of spiritual power that has the power to overturn the earthly kingdoms of spiritual darkness and drive the powers of darkness from the land. This is ground zero in the spiritual war. All economic, political, social, spiritual, technological and institutional control will turn on this one truth. Everything we are experiencing in America and around the world will be impacted by an eternal force. This is the game changer and it must begin today.


© 2012 Paul McGuire - All Rights Reserved


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Sunday Meter Enforcement Bothers Churches -- But Synagogues Feed Meters on Saturday

By Joe Eskenazi Tue., Dec. 4 2012 at 2:03 PM





Render unto the Department of Parking and Traffic what is the Department of Parking and Traffic's



Today, the Examiner noted that, despite the complaints of church groups and congregants, the city's plan to expand parking meter enforcement to Sunday will commence on Jan. 6. It may be the day of rest, but parking control officers will be hard at work.

Sunday enforcement is an idea that has been kicking around for years -- despite erstwhile Mayor Gavin Newsom's unsubtle declarations that it was a concept he found about as favorable as teetotaling weekends with Chris Daly.

And while churchgoers can be forgiven for displeasure with having to pay for parking or move their vehicles during service hours, that's long been the case for members of religions that congregate on days other than Sunday.

At Oakland's Temple Sinai, attendees at Saturday services were regularly reminded, from the pulpit, to race out and feed the meter.

This was a problem that was largely abated by the city of Oakland installing four-hour metered spots near the synagogue. Until then, joked former Sinai Rabbi Steve Chester, reminding folks to break out the quarters had become "the ritual ... It broke the solemnity, but you had to ask people to do that on Shabbat."

Has Saturday meter enforcement prompted San Francisco's temple-going Jews to sprint from services with small change in hand? Not as much as you'd think. A quick survey of the city's Reform and Conservative congregations reveals that most all are located in areas featuring street parking or parking lots.

Orthodox Jews shouldn't ostensibly be driving or handling money on Saturday -- and querying about meter enforcement would, one rabbi tells us, bring about a "don't ask don't tell" situation. So we didn't ask.

San Francisco's pending Sunday meter enforcement may not be, to borrow a phrase that was far more common in past generations, "good for the Jews." But it appears to not be so bad, either.


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Tuesday, December 04, 2012

People's United: Fiscal cliff and your 401k

Posted: Nov 29, 2012 8:55 AM EST
Updated: Dec 02, 2012 5:00 PM EST
By WCAX News - bio


WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-


BURLINGTON, Vt. -

As lawmakers try to fix the fiscal cliff, Americans' financial futures hang in the balance. Wayne Braun from People's United Bank appeared on the Channel 3 Morning News to talk about what this could mean to your personal finances.

Q. With the fiscal cliff, Congress has been looking for solutions, can you explain why they are looking at 401(k) plans?

A. Congress is looking at reducing or eliminating various tax deductions and incentives to raise more tax revenue. However, tax incentives for retirement plans are different than other deductions. For example you can deduct mortgage interest from your income and you never pay taxes on that amount. Retirement money is tax deferred, meaning you don't pay taxes now but it will be subject to income tax when withdrawn at retirement. This fact is not being considered in the analysis by Congress.

Q. What would be the impact to the average retirement plan?

A. They are looking to reduce the amount of money that you and I can contribute to these plans from our own paycheck. In addition, they are looking to limit the amount that employers can contribute and deduct on behalf of employees. Both of these options will limit the retirement savings of the over 60 million Americans that contribute to 401(k) plans, 75% of which earn less than $100,000 per year. Limiting employer deductions for these plans could discourage employers from contributing to or maintaining 401(k) plans.

Q. Don't employees have other options for retirement savings such as IRAs?

A. Yes, however, according to data from the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) over 70% of workers earning between $30,000 and $50,000 participated in their employer's 401(k) plan compared to only 5% who save for retirement without a plan at work, such as an IRA. Due to the increased use of these plans, retirement savings now represent over 65% of American families' financial assets. The bottom line is that 401(k) plans are an effective and proven method to help America save for retiremenT.

Q. How can people learn more?

A. They can go to www.savemy401k.com to learn more.


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Statement on the Allegations of Anti-Semitism Charges Against Walter Veith in Germany November 2012

12.12.03 - SPECIAL REPORT: Statement on the Allegations of Anti-Semitism Charges Against Walter Veith in Germany November 2012

The following is a full report of the situation surrounding charges against Walter Veith as of December 2, 2012



On October 20, 2012, Walter Veith preached the lecture “King of the North (Part 2)” from the new series Repairing the Breach in German [German title Sturm aus dem Norden] in Marienberg SDA Church in Nurnberg, Germany, to an audience of approximately 350 people. The lecture was also live-streamed to approximately 1500 people.  Almost immediately after the presentation, Walter Veith received violent opposition by way of an article by EANN  about his claims of Freemason/Jesuit involvement in the creation of the State in Israel after WWII and the way he expressed himself in regards to the Jews during Hitler’s regime. Although EANN is run by a few Adventist individuals, it is not an official institution of the SDA church in Germany but a privately funded online news magazine that designates itself as an “Independent Journal for Religion, Church and Society”. Three points specifically were brought up as points of contention:
  • The usage of the words  “little yellow cloth” [German “gelbes Tüchlein”] in reference to the markings the Jewish people had to wear during the post Napoleonic era and during Hitler’s regime.  
  • The usage of the word “herded” when referring to the situation of the Jews after the end of the war as a result of Hitler’s persecution and their transference to the newly formed State of Israel, as well as the lack of compassion on the part of many countries, including Canada, the UK, and others who refused entrance to Jews that had escaped the Nazi totalitarian regime.
  • The use of quotes from the book Facts are Facts by the Jewish author Benjamin Freedman, as evidence that most Jews aren’t really of Jewish descent, because Freedman is considered an anti-Semitic.
The writer of the EANN article felt these comments were derogatory towards the Jews and as a result raised severe opposition towards Walter Veith, accusing him of anti-Semitism and a “relativization of the holocaust” because Walter connected it to secret plans to create a modern Jewish State in Palestine.

When the SDA leadership of the two German unions was confronted with these allegations, including a personal letter of the EANN author to the two union presidents, it attempted to make contact with Veith without success. Since they felt that the situation was potentially explosive in nature the German Union (including the SDA administrators of Austria and Switzerland) decided to take  immediate action by publishing a statement which condemned in very strong terms Veith’s usage of “herding” and “little yellow cloth”, his manner of dealing with other religions as well as his supposed “conspiracy theories” about the involvement of secret societies in history and in general. They requested that local churches not provide a platform for “events like this”. The statement was to be circulated via email to all pastors and elders, via Adventist press agencies, and printed in the monthly church organ “Adventisten Heute”. Furthermore, the document was styled as a reiteration of an official 2005 statement of the German speaking SDA church where it confessed its shortcomings during the time of the Nazi regime thus lending momentous significance to the statement against Walter Veith.

As soon as Walter returned to South Africa, he wrote the following letter to the German brethren explaining that he did not mean anything derogatory in his remarks, and that the expression “little yellow cloth” was due to German being his second language. The letter follows:
To whom it may concern
Dear Brethren in Germany
I wish to briefly respond to the allegations of anti Semitism during my recent visit to Germany.
Let me assure you brethren that I am not by any stretch of the imagination an Anti Semite.
Indeed, any form of racism is abhorrent to me and having grown up in South Africa I have firsthand experience regarding this issue and have been an ardent campaigner against racist injustice all my life. Also, as South African, I was probably not attuned to the hypersensitivity of the current German nation regarding the injustices perpetrated on the Jews by the Nazi regime and my comments have thus been misinterpreted. As you well know, German is not my first language and I believe that some of the supposed statements regarding belittling remarks such as “gelbesTuechlein” stem from my linguistic inadequacy in this department and certainly not from malicious intent as some hope to surmise. Moreover, the treatment the Jews received in Germany and for that matter from many other nations as well can only be described as diabolical and there was certainly historic ‘herding’ involved to the shame of all who practiced it. Moreover, ‘herding’ is the modus operandi of Christ’s adversary, who is herding the whole world into a collective mindset which will result in the final persecution of God’s antitypical Israel.
This is not a conspiracy theory but a prophetic reality and the Spirit of Prophecy warns that if we associate with those who war against Christ we will soon come to see matters in the same light as they and lose our discernment. I plead with you dear brethren to note the serious times we are living in and heed the warnings that God has so graciously given us through the Spirit of Prophecy.
The purpose of the lecture was to show that literal Israel (both physically and theologically) can in no way represent the ‘Spiritual Israel’ of the Bible and that any theological gymnastics to the contrary cannot negate this fact. Indeed this is the Advent position and stands contrary to most modern theological views held by other evangelicals. My purpose was not to attack the Jews but to defend the Advent position. Of necessity the Advent position will create controversy as it stands in juxtaposition to all other views. It is my sincere wish that that all people, including the Jews, will accept the Advent position which glorifies Christ and firmly establishes Him as Saviour and Ruler of the ‘Israel of God’.
Since it is obvious that some misconstrued my comments as derogatory to the Jews I again wish to reiterate that that was not my intent and I sincerely apologize if it came across that way.
Hopefully this matter can now be laid to rest.
Your brother in Christ
Walter Veith
Veith’s letter was sent to the German Unions, Conferences, and Inter-European Division (EUD) along with the following cover letter written by Amazing Discoveries Germany that contained a significant statement of Arno Hamburger, member of the Nuremberg City Council and first Chairman of the Jewish Religious Community (IKG). In order to put the allegations to rest, AD Germany had taken the DVD in question to him asking for a personal evaluation concerning the charge of anti-Semitism. Here is AD Germany’s cover letter with Hamburger’s comment included:
Nov 16, 2012
[Translated into English from German original]
Dear Günther, Brothers in the Union, Conferences and EUD,
As you all know already,  a “storm” has been unleashed as a result of the biased article by the private news agency EANN. While the negative attitude of EANN towards conservative preachers such as Walter Veith is certainly not news to the SDA leadership, it took us quite by surprise to read with what hasty vehemence the SDA leadership has publicly fallen into line with the allegations, and thereby sided with the accusers without preserving due objectivity.
It is much to our regret that the leadership has not waited for a statement from Walter Veith, but instead “informed” all of the churches [in Germany] immediately.  Of course, we understand that if there was an actual case of anti-Semitism then it is important to react quickly.  If certain expressions of an Adventist speaker revealed an anti-Semitic attitude and  therefore might seriously damage the Church’s reputation, then it would be reasonable and imperative to take action. But these circumstances were definitely not applicable in the case under consideration.
There should be no question with any of us that Walter Veith is no anti-Semite, and a description of the Jewish badge as a "little yellow cloth" [German “gelbes Tüchlein”] is no deliberate trivialization and not to be judged  as anti-Semitic, especially when his mother tongue is not German.
We have taken the trouble to share the DVD with famous and politically influential Jewish citizens to objectively find out whether it can actually be perceived as anti-Semitic. Despite the fact that Jews do not agree with our Christian ideas, Arno Hamburger (Nuremberg City Council and the first Chairman of the Jewish Community “IKG” and multiple winner of the German Order of Merit) commented on November 15, 2012: "I cannot see any anti-Semitism. I would like to talk with this man."
We ask that you please forward the attached counter-statements to all churches, so that they have a fair opportunity to make their own judgment. In addition, Amazing Discoveries [Germany]  will place the entire lecture on our homepage (www.amazing-discoveries.org) (password protected) with password available upon request.
Despite our disappointment, we would like to assure you that we seek and desire brotherly unity. In these difficult times, we wish you wisdom from above and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Eckental, the Nov 16, 2012
Stan Sedlbauer  [President]
Amazing Discoveries Germany
The German brethren formally accepted Veith’s apology but were not impressed by Hamburger’s assessment and did in no way retract or even moderate the expressed accusations.
On November 26, 2012, a police officer contacted the pastor of the Nuremberg-Marienberg church who referred him to Stan Sedlbauer, president of AD Germany, who was then informed by the officer that an inquiry had been lodged at the public prosecutor’s office in Nuremberg to investigate whether Walter Veith in the said presentation had commited sedition [German “Volksverhetzung”] which in Germany includes the belittlement of Nazi crimes and the holocaust. These are serious charges that can be punished with up to five years of prison under German jurisdiction. Stan was interviewed as a witness and also provided copies of the DVD, Walter’s statement to the SDA administration, and the response of the Jew Arno Hamburger to the police for further investigation.  The inquiry was not made by government authorities or the Jewish community but by “a press organ” as the police officer said. EANN has declined responsibility for this process. However, if this case does come to court, the true identity of the accuser will be revealed.
After learning of the ongoing investigation, Walter wrote the following email to the Transvaal Conference explaining the situation to his superiors. It is this email that has gone viral on Facebook. Here it is in its entirety. Included was the above letter from Walter to the German brethren.
Message from Pastor Veith – From: DC Spencer
Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2012 16:03:48 +0200
Subject: Feedback after SMS re Walter Veith
Walter Veith wrote (28 Nov, 2012)
Concerning legal proceedings against myself in Germany:
A case of sedition (incitement against the government) has been lodged against me for apparent anti Semitic statements in my lecture on Daniel 11 (see my response below). It is probable that the people who lodged the complaint are the group from EANN (the German equivalent of SPECTRUM MAGAZINE) because they propagated such action immediately after the lecture. “Spectrum” is our liberal magazine whose first editor claimed that the visions that Ellen White received were as a result of epileptic attacks so the rest of their theology can be deduced from sentiments such as these.
There is no court case as yet, only the charge has been lodged. The police have made their enquiries, and it is up to the government now to decide whether they have a case and this will take until January — then we will know. Ellen White predicted that such things would happen so I am of good spirits because it proves the Spirit of Prophecy right. I have accepted that the matter is now in the hands of the Government and trust that God is in control. Below a few ‘epileptic attacks’ to give us hope and courage.
It is Satan's plan to weaken the faith of God's people in the Testimonies. Next follows skepticism in regard to the vital points of our faith, the pillars of our position, then doubt as to the Holy Scriptures, and then the downward march to perdition. When the Testimonies, which were once believed, are doubted and given up, Satan knows the deceived ones will not stop at this; and he redoubles his efforts till he launches them into open rebellion, which becomes incurable and ends in destruction.--4T 211.  {LDE 178.2}
Men professing to be representatives of Christ will take a course similar to that taken by priests and rulers in their treatment of Paul. All who would fearlessly serve God according to the dictates of their own conscience, will need moral courage, firmness, and a knowledge of God and his word, to stand in that evil day. Persecution will again be kindled against those who are true to God; their motives will be impugned, their best efforts misinterpreted, their names cast out as evil. Then will it come to pass, as foretold by Christ, that whoever shall seek to destroy the faithful, will think that he is doing God service. Then Satan will work with all his fascinating power, to influence the heart and becloud the understanding, to make evil appear good, and good evil. Then it is that he is through his agents to "show great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."  {LP 251.1}

“Satan will excite indignation against the humble minority who conscientiously refuse to accept popular customs and traditions. Men of position and reputation will join with the lawless and the vile to take counsel against the people of God. Wealth, genius, education, will combine to cover them with contempt. Persecuting rulers, ministers, and church members will conspire against them. With voice and pen, by boasts, threats, and ridicule, they will seek to overthrow their faith. By false representations and angry appeals they will stir up the passions of the people. Not having a ‘Thus saith the Scriptures’ to bring against the advocates of the Bible Sabbath, they will resort to oppressive enactments to supply the lack. To secure popularity and patronage, legislators will yield to the demand for a Sunday law.”—5 Testimonies, 450:2-451

Kings, governors, and great men will hear of you through the reports of those who are at enmity with you, and your faith and character will be misrepresented before them. But those who are falsely accused will have an opportunity to appear in the presence of their accusers to answer for themselves. They will have the privilege of bringing the light before those who are called the great men of the earth, and if you have studied the Bible, if you are ready to give an answer to every man that asketh you of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear, your enemies will not be able to gainsay your wisdom.  {Mar 253.2}
When the religion of Christ is most held in contempt, when His law is most despised, then should our zeal be the warmest and our courage and firmness the most unflinching. To stand in defense of truth and righteousness when the majority forsake us, to fight the battles of the Lord when champions are few--this will be our test. At this time we must gather warmth from the coldness of others, courage from their cowardice, and loyalty from their treason.--5T 136 (1882).  {LDE 180.4}
Amazing Discoveries waited until now to release this information in order to obtain full details and to give an opportunity for the German leadership to retract and rethink their false accusations and resolve this issue in a Christian manner. Unfortunately, this has not taken place as of this date. We are saddened that this has come out on the public domain.
On November 30, 2012, Walter Veith received the following letter from Bruno Vertallier, President of the Inter-European Division.
General Conference
Inter-European Division
Schosshaldenstrasse 17
3006 Bem. Switzerland
Tel. +41-31 35915 15
Fax +41-31 359 15 66
E-mail info@euroafrica org
November 30, 2012
Dear Brother Veith,
The Inter-European Division's Administrative Committee was profoundly disturbed by the contents of your presentation at the Seventh-day Adventist Church of Nurnberg-Marienberg in Germany, on October 20, 2012. The committee does not take lightly what you said for it is absolutely inappropriate to speak words like "yellow piece of clothing" and others in connection with the Jewish past. This is not the way we should speak about the Jews in the Seventh-day Adventist church. These comments have hurt people. I have personally tried on a few occasions to contact you by phone and e-mail to discuss this matter with you. However, I did not get a response from you. The committee acknowledges your apology concerning some of the expressions you used in association with the Jewish people. Understanding that, this is of the highest importance the committee asks you that you meet with the Inter-European Division's officers during your next trip to our territories, so that we get some clarification on this issue and also about your theories regarding Freemasons and Jesuits amongst other topics.
Thank you for your attention in this matter.
Bruno Vertallier
President of the Inter-European Division
CC :German speaking fields and Ted Wilson, GC President
Based on this letter from Bruno Vertallier, it is obvious that the issue is not really just a “little yellow cloth”, but rather the long-standing opposition to Walter Veith’s exposure of freemasonry and Jesuits. After several discussions with the German administration regarding these topics, Walter Veith’s last challenge to them still remains unanswered on these issues.  If the German administration is unwilling to hear the SOP quotes on secret societies as already shared with them by Walter Veith, it is our opinion that further discussion with them on this issue would be futile.
We are still hopeful that by God’s grace the repercussions will not damage the reputation of our beloved Church, and that this situation will still be resolved to bring about peace and unity.
We ask you to pray for wisdom for our leaders that they will deal justly with this situation. Please also pray for Walter to continue to stand courageously for the truth, and for AD Germany as they experience continuing opposition.
Stay tuned for further developments.  Amazing Discoveries will issue further updates on our website as this story develops.
To view the presentation in question, click here:  “King of the North” part 2 on youtube
The full series of Repairing the Breach will be released in North America shortly on ADTV with DVDs also available. Contact the office for further information.
May the Lord preside over this matter,
Amazing Discoveries

Monday, December 03, 2012

Dr Walter Veith replies to criticism by Reinder Bruinsma recently published in Adventist Review.

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Recently, Reinder Bruinsma published an article in the Adventist Review where he castigated an Adventist lecturer who had recently visited his native Holland with regard to his emphasis on "conspiracy theories." He states in his article:

My country not long ago had the misfortune to have been visited by an Adventist lecturer who travels the world and gets himself invited to all continents to preach about the events that lead to the end of time. His approach resembles that of best-selling author Dan Brown. The recipe seems to be: You take a few undisputed facts; you then add a large number of unknown facts that are extracted from obscure sources no one can check, and which are at most only partly true; and you mix all this until you have a powerful concoction for the sensation-hungry consumer. It seems to enhance the attractiveness of the resulting product when the speaker assures his audience that the official church, with its ecumenical tendencies, neglects to proclaim these precious truths. And no wonder, for the church has been infiltrated by the very same forces of darkness that he has come to expose!

The recipe is as successful as it is dangerous. It results in fear. It polarizes churches. It cultivates suspicion to church leadership. It fuels that prejudice in the mind of many around us that Adventism, after all, is a sub-Christian sect. But, most serious of all, it eclipses the good news of the message of the Gospel by irresponsible innuendos and speculation and by an unhealthy sensationalism. It was good to see how the Week of Prayer readings of 2008 sounded a clear warning against this approach and highlighted the signs of Christ's coming as signs of hope! The message of the Advent hope is not to be correlated with theories about secret religious societies and the apparently omnipresent Freemasons. The greatest sign of the end is not the spread of New Age thinking or the alleged development of some form of world government but is instead the powerful preaching of the message of Christ's soon coming to every nation and people group, and in every language spoken on earth.


Since this article appeared in the Review I have received a flood of letters from concerned people who are convinced that Bruinsma was apparently referring to me in this article and as a consequence a flood of "conspiracy theories" regarding the Church, were spawned. Now it is true that I recently visited the Netherlands as an invited speaker, but unless there is some unfortunate misinformation he could not possibly have been referring to me (or could he have?) for the following reasons.
I never solicit invitations, so the speaker in question cannot be me because he states that the speaker in question "gets himself invited."

I do not deal in sensationalism but rather in facts and history which are well grounded in the literature and media of the day as well as being substantiated by the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy.
My sources are not "obscure" but very prominent and anyone can check them.

I have shown in my lectures that the ecumenical movement is not from God and have consistently warned against involvement in this movement but I have never spoken about SDA involvement in this movement. Moreover, I have never turned my weapons against the Church militant in any public lecture or forum and have consistently warned against such actions. Nor have I ever suggested a Jesuit or "secret society membership" hunt amongst the Church leaders. His statement, "the speaker assures his audience that the official church, with its ecumenical tendencies, neglects to proclaim these precious truths. And no wonder, for the church has been infiltrated by the very same forces of darkness that he has come to expose!" can therefore not refer to me, as I have never made such suggestions in any of my series. Also, I certainly do not neglect the precious truths of salvation but on the contrary contrast truth and error, thus bringing people to a decision to follow truth rather than error.

In my recent visit to Holland I spoke on the necessity of Rekindling the Reformation. There were no lectures on secret societies, Freemasons or the New Age movement, so unless he got his lines crossed he could not possibly have been referring to me.

Some of the responses I received showed genuine concern for the state of the Church and the apparent divide between those who wish to stick to the traditional values of Adventism and those who wish to introduce a new Gospel of social responsibility and religious detente rather than the preaching of the Three Angels' Messages. Some responses and information received were extremely critical of the author of the Review article himself, even to the point of suggesting infiltration of the Church.

Sadly, it is true that Bruinsma is known for his anti-traditionalist views and has published articles which are extremely disturbing to those who hold to the pillars of Adventism. Some have spawned documents against him accusing him of outside affiliations, but I would wish to warn against such hasty conclusions that could start a witch hunt within the Church. It is not our task to label anyone a Jesuit or an infiltrator within the Church. Our task is to preach the Three Angels' Messages and we are to allow "nothing else to occupy our attention." Sometimes it is necessary to address issues placed in the public realm, as in this instance, but we should not allow ourselves the luxury of wallowing in the controversy raging within the Church.

This Church belongs to Christ and it is He who reads the heart, not us. It is He who will spew out those who are not His; we are not to do the spewing. The Seventh-day Adventist Church is the apple of His eye and we are not to equate it with Babylon no matter how many apostate or deceived members there may be in it. We cannot discern the heart; how are we to judge who is Aaron and who is Caiaphas? We can rebuke the deeds but we may not rebuke the person, let us leave that to the Lord.

Often those with phobias with regard to the "separate" nature of Adventism are born and bred Adventists who feel isolated in this cocoon of safety. In this regard there is something which I tend to call the "blessed curse" of being born an Adventist. What a privilege to be born into the Adventist Church, to grow up with Adventist values and doctrines, to have Adventist families and friends to nurture and sustain you, and to be privileged from childhood to benefit from the Adventist lifestyle. But sometimes it can be such a curse as well. You were born with it, it cost you nothing. No wrenching of family ties, no rejection by lifelong friends, no alienation from the religious environment in which you were raised, no drastic change of mindset and lifestyle-you were spared this pain. The price is high, it costs all you have and it is precious to find Christ and His truth. Even born Adventists have to find this treasure for themselves. It is not inherited; only the nurturing environment is inherited.

Moreover, you want to shout it from the rooftop and warn those still steeped in Babylon to step over from the other side. We are driven, called to make the differences between Babylon and the Truth prominent so as to compel people to come in. Babylon must be exposed and the doctrinal errors of the Babylonian wine must be illuminated so as to wrench the people from its intoxicating power. In doing this, however, we should not confuse the people with the structures. There are beautiful children of God in every church and religion but God is calling them out and those that hear His voice will respond.

Many born Adventists feel uncomfortable when the doctrinal issues that separate Babylon from the truth are made prominent. Why not just preach Jesus? Why not by example draw people to Jesus? Don't all Christian churches preach Jesus? Why should I change my denomination when someone preaches Jesus? If following exemplary individuals is the criterion, then we can emulate any philanthropist and it would not make any difference whether we became Catholics (the faith into which I was born) or not. I became a Seventh-day Adventist because of doctrine. Doctrine did not save me, Jesus did that, but without doctrine I would not have known which Jesus I was following for "there are many false Christs" out there. Dear born Adventists, "take heed to the doctrine" and don't be ashamed of who you are. Don't feel uncomfortable when doctrine is being preached-it's not for you; you already know it, it's for them. They need it, not you, for you already have it. Doctrine is the cleaver to cleave them out of the world and bring them into His wonderful light.

What about the poor atheists out there (of which I was one) who publicly disown God and despise Jesus Christ and Christians as weak, snivelling crutch-seekers? These atheists will say the Bible is a myth, a fairy tale written by ignorant primitives of Stone Age ilk. What answer will you give them; will you preach the love of Jesus when they despise Him? No, you will preach prophecy-good solid prophecy from Daniel and Revelation-and pull the rug of their confidence out from underneath them. Make them wonder if there is a God after all, then preach Jesus. Dear born Adventist, don't be ashamed of prophecy that sets you apart from the world. It is the only tool in your toolbox left to you to reach the atheists who often became atheists (as in my case) because of being fed Babylonian wine which destroyed faith in God in the first place. There are different methods for different people. Some accept the Gospel readily and others are of a sceptical nature and need more proof. We read this in the Spirit of Prophecy:

In the cities of today, where there is so much to attract and please, the people can be interested by no ordinary efforts. Ministers of God's appointment will find it necessary to put forth extraordinary efforts in order to arrest the attention of the multitudes. And when they succeed in bringing together a large number of people, they must bear messages of a character so out of the usual order that the people will be aroused and warned. They must make use of every means that can possibly be devised for causing the truth to stand out clearly and distinctly.-" Testimonies, vol. 9, p. 109. (1909) {Ev 122.3}

As an evangelist, it is my duty to call people out of Babylon into the ranks of Christ's bride. In this time in which we are living this question is being asked more and more: Why should I come out of Babylon and join the Adventist Church when there are members and leaders within the Adventist Church (Reinder Bruinsma being a case in point), who subscribe to the principles of the ecumenical movement and encourage liaison with Rome?

Am I being judgmental here or vindictive? No, I am merely basing my judgment on his actions and from what has proceeded out of his pen. I am not judging his heart, his motives or his affiliations-that is not my prerogative-but I do have to defend my Church and explain to those that have entered the fold, or are considering entering the fold, why it is essential that they enter and stay put and "be separate" in spite of those who would seem to preach the opposite. If issues such as these are placed in the public domain then they must receive a public response lest it be conceived that we condone them.

Reinder Bruinsma was executive secretary of the Trans-European Division from 1995-2001 and succeeded Henk Koning as Union President of the Netherlands Union. Henk Koning was president of the Netherlands Union Conference when he signed the Charta Oecumenica on the 18th of January 2002. Such signing can not be done in a personal capacity, as churches and not individuals are party to the ecumenical movement. Whether Bruinsma was party to the signing or not is not known by me, but by his silence he condoned it and he certainly did not rescind it on becoming Union president himself. Reinder Bruinsma has made his views on relations with the Roman Catholic Church and the traditional view of the Adventist Church, inclusive of the Spirit of Prophecy, very clear even in his doctoral thesis A Historical Analysis of Seventh-day Adventist Attitudes toward Roman Catholicism (University of London, 1993), which was also published by Andrews University Press in 1995 as Adventist Attitudes toward Roman Catholicism 1844-1865.

He also attacked the SDA position on the Papacy being Antichrist in his Spectrum article of summer 1999. This position is by no means unique amongst Adventist leaders, as many have told me personally that that position is archaic and in need of revision irrespective of the clear Spirit of Prophecy statements in this regard. In fact, some argue that it is not part of our fundamental beliefs and therefore should not be preached. However, the Spirit of Prophecy is part of our fundamental beliefs and because it is clearly stated there, it ipso facto becomes part of our fundamental beliefs whether we like it or not. Bruinsma summarizes the anti-papal eschatological views of the Protestant world in the time of the rise of Adventism in his thesis in the chapter titled "Adventists and Catholics-Prophetic Insight or Prejudice." He correctly emphasizes that the Protestant view included the eschatological view that Rome would somehow dominate the world stage again and seek to dominate the New World. Adventism arose in this climate and the pioneers had the same basic prophetic view as prevalent in the general Protestant denominations of that time. He then proceeds to place the writings of Ellen White into this historic time frame lamenting that this placed these anti papal views into the prophetic framework of the Spirit of Prophecy. This would make it harder for Adventists who believe in the prophetic writings of Ellen White to rid themselves of this bias.

Such marginalization of the writings of Ellen White is typical of some of our modern theologians. The dilemma is that we cannot get rid of the Spirit Prophecy as it is entrenched in our fundamental beliefs. So, the next best thing is to make it of non-effect. We hear more and more that her writings cannot be placed on an equal footing with that of the canonical prophets, that her writings have a homiletic flavor but cannot be used for exegesis, that her writings must be interpreted in the framework of her time, and her personal views and prophetic utterances are so intermingled that her writings should perhaps best be used as devotionals rather than a basis for prophetic interpretation. As one of our German theologians and leaders stated it: "We cannot be dictated to by a woman with only three years of education."

Bruinsma concludes his chapter with the following statements:

Although there are many aspects in Roman-Catholic teaching and practice with which Adventists must strongly disagree, honesty demands that they acknowledge that in recent decades, in most places of the world Roman-Catholicism has changed in ways that they must regard as positive. Catholics are now not only allowed to read their Bible but are urged to do so. There is much spirituality in the Roman-Catholic Church of which Protestants can be envious. The Catholic Church has formally accepted the principle of religious freedom. It is not fair to suggest that these and other positive developments in the Roman-Catholic Church are just window dressing and must in fact be watched with suspicion, and be seen as clever tactics to lull other Christians into sleep, while all the time they are just waiting for the fortuitous moment when they will be able to wipe out other Christians, Adventists first and foremost! In their criticism of the Catholic history, Adventists should try to be more balanced than they have often been and should do better than simply offering an extension of the often rather biased and inaccurate picture that many Protestants in past centuries have held of the medieval church. Medieval Christianity also had its positive and beautiful sides! Moreover, Adventists must be willing to acknowledge that modern Catholicism has changed in many ways. It bothers me, in particular, to see how Adventist publications today still refer mainly to nineteenth century sources in their description of Catholic views and intentions. How would Adventists feel if people around them were to base their opinions of Adventism exclusively on sources of more than century ago? Dealing with this issue will, no doubt, be difficult and will take time. Anti-Catholicism is so ingrained in the Adventist world view that change will not come easy, even if the church's administrators and other thought leaders were to agree that a re-orientation would be desirable. But in the meantime, the church could at the very least decide to be less biased in its descriptions of present-day Catholicism.



I wonder what these positive and beautiful sides of Medieval Christianity were that even history labeled The Dark Ages. If God had not cut this time short for the sake of the elect, nothing would have remained of the cause of Christ that could have been salvaged. Should Adventists acknowledge that modern Catholicism has changed; and what are these nineteenth century sources that contradict his statement? None other than the Spirit of Prophecy which stand as a monumental rebuke to the sentiments expressed. The following statements from the pen of inspiration will illustrate this point:

Popery is just what prophecy declared that she would be, the apostasy of the latter times. [2 THESS. 2:3, 4.] It is a part of her policy to assume the character which will best accomplish her purpose; but beneath the variable appearance of the chameleon, she conceals the invariable venom of the serpent. "We are not bound to keep faith and promises to heretics," She declares. Shall this power, whose record for a thousand years is written in the blood of the saints, be now acknowledged as a part of the church of Christ? (GC88, 571.1)


The church that holds to the word of God is irreconcilably separated from Rome. Protestants were once thus apart from this great church of apostasy, but they have approached more nearly to her, and are still in the path of reconciliation to the Church of Rome. Rome never changes. Her principles have not altered in the least. She has not lessened the breach between herself and Protestants; they have done all the advancing. But what does this argue for the Protestantism of this day? It is the rejection of Bible truth which makes men approach to infidelity. It is a backsliding church that lessens the distance between itself and the Papacy. {ST, February 19, 1894 par. 4} And this is the religion which Protestants are beginning to look upon with so much favor, and which will eventually be united with Protestantism. This union will not, however, be effected by a change in Catholicism; for Rome never changes. She claims infallibility. It is Protestantism that will change. The adoption of liberal ideas on its part will bring it where it can clasp the hand of Catholicism (RH, June 1, 1886 par. 13).

On Wednesday, October 21, 2009 a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Netherlands published an article in the Dutch newspaper the Nederlands Dagblad in which he exposed the Pope as the Antichrist of Revelation 13. In this article he quoted from an old book by Edmund Dorschler which was published by Seventh-day Adventists in 1931.

On Thursday, October 22, 2009, Dr. Reinder Bruinsma responded to the article in the Nederlands Dagblad of October 21, 2009, apologizing for that article and, after pointing out that the source material originated from the previous century he assured the public that Adventists no longer believe this. His exact words in Dutch were as follows:

"Ik vrees dat nogal wat lezers gemakkelijk kunnen denken dat de sfeer van dit artikel ook nu nog op deze kerk van toepassing zal zjin. In Nederland onderhoudt deze protestantse kerk echter goede contacten met andere christeljke kerken." -Dr. Reinder Bruinsma.

The English translation reads like this:

"I fear that a large number of readers comfortably may think that the sphere of the article is even now still applicable upon this church [modern Dutch SDA Church]. In the Netherlands this Protestant Church, however, keeps good contacts with other Christian churches" -Dr. Reinder Bruinsma

Now if Bruinsma had apologized for the way in which the message was transmitted, that would have been one thing. But to apologize for the veracity of the message is tantamount to treason. It violates not only sound Biblical exegesis and the Spirit of Prophecy, but also goes against the consistent beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, let alone the blood of saints and martyrs who died upholding this truth.

Called to Expose Man of Sin.--In the very time in which we live the Lord has called His people and has given them a message to bear. He has called them to expose the wickedness of the man of sin who has made the Sunday law a distinctive power, who has thought to change times and laws, and to oppress the people of God who stand firmly to honor Him by keeping the only true Sabbath, the Sabbath of creation, as holy unto the Lord. --Testimonies to Ministers, p. 118. (1903) (Ev 233.2)

We are to give to the people the warnings contained in Revelation. But many workers are engaged in a line of work that is disqualifying them to preach the word and do the very work God has appointed them to do. The truth in regard to the Sabbath of the Lord is to be proclaimed. The seventh-day is to be shown to be the seal of the living God. People are to be shown what they may expect from the papal power. The time has come when the Protestant churches are reaching out to grasp the hand of the power that has made void the law of God...[Here follows lengthy quotations from Revelation 18 and brief comments.] This is the message Satan would have silenced (4MR 426.1).


Her writings on secret societies and their involvement in final events are equally clear:

This terrible picture, drawn by John to show how completely the powers of earth will give themselves over to evil, should show those who have received the truth how dangerous it is to link up with secret societies or to join themselves in any way with those who do not keep God's commandments (14MR, 152.2). 

There are those who question whether it is right for Christians to belong to the Free Masons and other secret societies. Let all such consider the scriptures just quoted. If we are Christians at all, we must be Christians everywhere, and must consider and heed the counsel given to make us Christians according to the standard of God's Word (Ev 618.1).


The picture drawn by John must refer to the book of Revelation and according to this statement, secret societies will play an integral role in end-time events. Particularly the Freemasons are deemed worthy of special mention. It seems devious to me to put anyone who fits modern events into the framework of Adventist eschatology into the convenient drawer of "conspiracy theorist," comparing them with Dan Brown or others of similar sentiment. There is a vast difference between a conspiracy theorist and the Protestant heritage of sound Biblical interpretation-and in the case of Adventists the added inspiration of the Spirit of Prophecy. What a blatant disregard for not only Biblical prophecy, but the Spirit of Prophecy as well, let alone our Protestant heritage. I remember well my baptismal vows which included the belief in the Spirit of Prophecy, which these modern exegetes will sacrifice for a brief moment of papal recognition. It is hard for me to understand how anyone can be so steeped in ostrich theology that they can even assume that the modern Papacy has changed. Don't her present writings condemn her even more than her pompous medieval utterances?

Zenit News published an article on March 8, 2007 on Pope Benedict's speech on papal primacy, entitled "The World Seen From Rome-Benedict XVI Highlights 1st Century Papal Primacy Begins Audience Series on Apostolic Fathers":

Already in the first century, popes exercised their primacy over the other Churches, Benedict XVI says. The Holy Father explained this on Wednesday at the general audience, which he dedicated to Pope St. Clement of Rome, the third successor of Peter. St. Clement's letter clarifies the distinction between hierarchy and laity.

The clear distinction between the 'lay people' and the hierarchy does not mean, in any way, a contraposition but only the organic connection of a body, of an organism with different functions," Benedict XVI explained. "In fact, the Church is not a place for confusion and anarchy, where someone can do whatever he wants at any time; each one in this organism with an articulated structure practices his ministry according to the vocation received. "As pertains to the heads of the communities, Clement specifies clearly the doctrine of apostolic succession.

Benedict XVI added: "The laws that regulate this derive from God himself in an ultimate analysis. The Father sent Jesus Christ, who in turn sent the apostles. These then sent out the first heads of the communities, and established that they would be followed by worthy men."

"The Church is above all a gift of God and not a creature of ours," the Pope contended, "and therefore this sacramental structure not only guarantees the common order but also the precedence of the gift of God that we all need."ii

The acceptance of papal primacy is thus according to the present Pope a "sacramental structure," which in Catholic thinking makes it a salvation issue. This is not a nineteenth century obscure quote, but demonstrates clearly that Rome has not changed. Accepting Jesus is a salvation issue-not accepting an earthly impostor who takes upon himself the prerogatives of Christ. Benedict also elevates the clergy and assigns it a mediatorial role just as the medieval Church did. The Vatican web page (I hope this is not considered an obscure source) says this:

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI TO MEMBERS OF THE EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE OF PORTUGAL ON THEIR "AD LIMINA" VISIT. Consistory Hall Saturday, 10 November 2007

It is a great joy for me to receive you today in the House of Peter, who by the grace of God are solid pillars of that bridge which you are called to be and to create between humanity and its supreme destiny, the Most Holy Trinity. "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Gal 2: 20). A concrete sign of this incarnation is the pouring out of Christ's life which flows forth from me into the lives of others. This is because, "I cannot possess Christ just for myself; I can belong to him only in union with all those who have become, or who will become, his own.... We become "one body', completely joined in a single existence" (Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est, n. 14). This "body" of Christ that embraces the humanity of all times and places is the Church.


Such ecclesiastical superiority assigned to the clergy and to the Pope himself is contrary to the plainest Bible utterances and deserves the same rebuke that Christ uttered regarding the Pharisees.

Malachi Martin also maintains that the pontiff "is the sole living representative of God among men; is endowed with absolute authority to teach God's salvation as revealed through his son, Jesus Christ, who was and is God himself made man.. Catholic teaching holds that any Roman Catholic, any non-Catholic Christian, or any non-Christian of whatever other religion who receives God's salvation receives it through the spiritual office of that one man in Rome and the merits of his Church of believers." On 5 September 2000, the Vatican restated this doctrine under the title Dominus Jesus' ( Malachi Martin, Rich Church, Poor Church (New York: Putnam's, 1984)
...McGuire's Catechism puts it: "Bishops and priests of the Church are called 'other Christs.' They alone have the power to represent or to take the place of Christ, in preaching His Gospel and in offering His sacrifice for the glory of God and the salvation of men.

Through his ordination, a priest is supposed to receive "special supernatural powers," particularly "to change bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and to forgive sins in the sacrament of Penance"

The present Pope has stated categorically that the ecumenical process is to be regarded as irreversible and the signing of the Charta Oecumenica by most protestant churches is indicative of the decay which has set in amidst Protestantism. The Charta is an agreement entered into by the Catholic Council of European Bishops' Conference (CCEE) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC), the Protestant alliance of Europe. This document acknowledges apostolic succession, guarantees that there will be no proselytising, and changes the Gospel message from salvation in Christ to a social Gospel of securing human rights for all. Moreover, it advocates a common Eucharist and recognition of all baptismal rites as practiced in the various churches. John Rogers, who had been an associate of Tyndale and Coverdale in the translation of the Scriptures into English, was led to the stake at Smithfield on February 4th, 1555. His crime was the denial of transubstantiation. It is unthinkable that an Adventist could have signed this document. Moreover the very CEC that went into agreement with the Papacy is now campaigning for Sunday legislation in Europe; this comes directly from their own web page, not some obscure source.

They are campaigning for Sunday legislation and motivating their stand with the European parliament as to "Why Sunday should be included as a weekly rest day in the revised Working Time Directive." They argue this:

More than any other day of the week a free Sunday offers the opportunity to meet one's family.
More than any other day of the week a free Sunday offers the opportunity to meet friends, to establish and maintain social ties.

More than any other day of the week a free Sunday offers workers the opportunity to pursue their spiritual needs.

According to a EUROFOUND survey, the likelihood of sickness and absenteeism problems in establishments that work on Saturdays and Sundays is 1.3 times greater compared to establishments that do not require staff to work on the weekend. Moreover, the inclusion of Sunday, as a weekly rest day, in the revised Working Time Directive would, finally, strengthen the idea of a Europe of citizens, since a large majority of Europeans back the idea of a free Sunday. It would therefore be a concrete example of how the EU can make a tangible contribution to the quality of life of citizens.

This is precisely what the Spirit of Prophecy predicted (conspiracy or no conspiracy), and demonstrates precisely why we should not be involved with those that war against the law of God. If that means exclusivity then so be it, because the directive is not of human devising. Even among the other Protestant churches there are still powerful voices of leaders who stand like the needle to the pole. These bright lights amongst these churches will yet take their stand under the blood stained banner of Prince Emannuel. In 1988, the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland's Clerk to the Synod, Reverend Donald MacLean's comment in his letter to 
The Times stated this:

The Ecumenical movement which you praise is the greatest disaster to affect the Christian church this century. It has reduced the professing churches of this country to a collection of bloodless, spineless and boneless organizations, which can hardly raise a whimper on the side of Christ and His Truth. Small wonder that evil progresses as it does, and spiritual darkness becomes more intense as the years go by. You appear to regard a body of professing Christians, of sober conduct, and deep spirituality of mind, as fanatical and bigoted. If this be so then the eminent men of God, such as John Knox in Scotland, John Calvin and Martin Luther on the Continent, and Archbishop Cranmer in England were bigots in their contests with the errors of Popery. We are glad to be in such company.

What an indictment to Adventists who wish to tow the ecumenical line. I have never before discussed our Church's ecumenical relations, but in view of the nature of current circumstances and my duty as evangelist toward those who are contemplating membership in the SDA family, the time has, it seems, come to clarify a few issues. Are we as a Church involved in ecumenical relations? The answer is obviously yes. In Germany the Seventh-day Adventist Church is affiliated with the ACK and there is ample evidence elsewhere that our church is more involved than we might wish to think. Let there be Light Ministries has distributed a booklet entitled The World Council of Churches and the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which saw its first printing in 1996. I certainly do not support organizations that have nothing better to do than criticize the Church, but sometimes they do have a point, it's what they do with it that's problematic. The evidence presented is compelling, but sadly they then reach the conclusion that the SDA Church is fallen and has thus become part of Babylon. They quote the following Spirit of Prophecy statement where Ellen White warns that we could become a sister to Babylon:

We must as a people arouse and cleanse the camp of Israel. Licentiousness, unlawful intimacy, and unholy practices are coming in among us in a large degree; and ministers who are handling sacred things are guilty of sin in this respect. They are coveting their neighbors' wives, and the seventh commandment is broken. We are in danger of becoming a sister to fallen Babylon, of allowing our churches to become corrupted, and filled with every foul spirit, a cage for every unclean and hateful bird; and will we be clear unless we make decided movements to cure the existing evil (21MR, 380.1).

However, Ellen White also states this:

I do not doubt your sincerity or honesty. I have written long letters at different times to those who were accusing the church of Seventh-day Adventists of being Babylon, that they were not handling the truth. You think individuals have prejudiced my mind. If I am in this state, I am not fitted to be entrusted with the work of God. But this matter has been brought before my mind in other cases where individuals have claimed to have messages for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, of a similar character, and the word has been given me, "Believe them not." "I have not sent them, and yet they ran (2SM, 63.3).

Our Church is unique amongst all the churches in the world and God has seen to it that our structures would be thus organized that we would not become part of Babylon, even if a whole host of leaders were to apostatize and join the ranks of the enemy in trampling upon the precepts of God. Our Church is not run by a synod or a college of cardinals, but we have a bottom-up structure which means that doctrinal changes have to be voted by the worldwide Church delegates at General Conference sessions. If individuals sign the Charta Oecumenica, or even whole divisions for that matter, that does not make the SDA Church apostate, it makes those individuals apostate. The same applies to any other Church doctrine. God has blessed this Church with wonderful leaders and there are still seven thousand that have not bowed the knee to Baal. Amidst the greatest apostasy the light of these representatives of God will shine ever more brightly. A few illustrations might be in order here.

I was privileged to be part of the General Conference faith and science meetings to discuss the relevance of the six-day Creation in our modern world with its evolutionary bias. I was shocked and others were literally moved to tears to witness the level of unbelief that was often displayed by many of our leading lights. The representatives from some of our divisions produced reports that would have made our pioneers spin in their graves if they were not sleeping. Others, however, more than eclipsed these negative sentiments and I was so proud to read the report of my division to the full house of delegates confirming every pillar of our faith. I realized then that God is still ultimately in charge of His Church.

In another instance I was a camp meeting speaker at a major European camp meeting where the youth meeting resembled a heavy metal rock concert more than a religious meeting. One day I was standing outside the hall where the youth was gathering and a young West Indian man was standing outside the door. I asked him why he was standing there and he answered that his friends were inside. I asked him above the din why he was not also with his friends, and he answered that his Jesus was not in there and so he did not feel free to join them. I was amazed and a flood of pride for this young man filled my heart. We sat down and talked and as we talked, more and more young people joined us. What a wonderful experience. There is hope for our Church and the youth is going to play a great part in finishing the work. The pressure to conform to worldly standards is great and even Union Presidents have to take the brunt when they stand for principle. I have met and spoken with many of them and am proud to be a Seventh-day Adventist minister even in these terrible times in which we are living. We need not despair, God is in control and He will take His Church to the finish line. In the meantime the pen of inspiration will sustain us.


When the religion of Christ is most held in contempt, when His law is most despised, then should our zeal be the warmest and our courage and firmness the most unflinching. To stand in defense of truth and righteousness when the majority forsake us, to fight the battles of the Lord when champions are few-this will be our test. At this time we must gather warmth from the coldness of others, courage from their cowardice, and loyalty from their treason -5T 136 (1882). (LDE 180.4).

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