I am Catholic. My husband's family are Seventh-Day Adventists. He doesn't believe in that faith and questions my faith. Recently I visited an SDA church for a Saturday service (out of respect for my in-laws) and the preacher at the pulpit bashed "the Catholics" several times during the service, the congregation agreed and called out "Amen," and it seemed to go on and on. Finally I turned to my husband and told him that I was about to walk out but I didn't. I just stayed there in awe and shock, and took it from these people who are uneducated (in my opinion) in the world of Christianity. How can I defend my faith against these people?

Cathy--

I come from a Seventh-Day Adventist background. My nuclear family was fairly nominal in its practice of Adventism, but there are more devout members among my extended family, including SDA pastors and missionaries. I mention this because I want to assure you that your experience is not necessarily representative of Adventism as a whole. The congregation you visited may either be an anomaly, or they may have been currently participating in an apocalyptic seminar series (which is when Adventist rhetoric against Catholicism can become more strident). Usually though, my experience with Adventism is that individual Adventists tend not to indulge in vitriolic bigotry toward Catholics. For more information about Adventism, please see the links below.

Recommended reading:

Seventh-Day Adventism
Sabbath or Sunday?
How do I talk with a Seventh-Day Adventist?

Michelle Arnold
Catholic Answers

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