Reason for Posting the Dissertation Here

by Mike Vasilovich

Some of you were aware that Nic Samojluk, the SDA forum website manager, has been working on a Doctor of Philosophy in Religion program for the last decade on a part-time, distant learning program, which allowed him to take care of his real estate busines, and at the same time study on his spare time.

At the beginning of 2006, he managed to successfully pass the last examination, and started to work on his dissertation. He was able to submit it at the beginning of December of the same year. His topic of investigation was: "From Pro-life to Pro-choice: The Dramatic Shift of Seventh-day Adventists' Attitude Towards Abortion."

After four months of uncertainty, Nic Samojluk received the exciting good news that his dissertation had been approved by the dissertation committee, and he is scheduled to graduate in the near future.

In response to a few requests from some friends an acquaintances he has decided to post on this forum the entire text of his dissertaion for the benefit of those interested in reading it. In the event you might have any comments or questions, see the Readers Corner:

The doctor of Philosophy in Religion

by Nic Samojluk, Ph.D.

The Doctor of Philosophy in Religion Mr. Samojluk originally signed up for and completed included the following required subjects:

* Hebrew Culture in Biblical Times

* Olt Testament History I

* Old Testament History II

* The Life and Teachings of Jesus

* Jewish History I

* Jewish History II

* Pre-Reformation Christianity

* Christianity in America

* World Religions

* Bible Archaeology

* Christian Apologetics

* Thesis Proposal

* Advanced Research and Thesis

The Doctoral Dissertation Title Page

FROM PRO-LIFE TO PRO-CHOICE

THE DRAMATIC SHIFT OF

SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS’ ATTITUDE

TOWARDS ABORTION



By

NIC SAMOJLUK



A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN RELIGION

ANDREW JACKSON UNIVERSITY


BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA

2006

Acknowledgments

Many books have been written and many studies have been conducted dealing with the controversial issue of abortion, but very few of them have been authored by Seventh-day Adventist scholars, and much less by someone who is not a paid employee of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Actually, none has been written by someone who is completely detached from the trappings of church employment, where fear of loosing the source of one’s income might tempt the author to compromise on the integrity of the data available to the investigator.

At the same time, engaging in an adventure of this nature without knowing where the financial resources will come for keeping the body and soul together is a rather scary proposition. This is why, the author of the present study owes a rich debt of gratitude to the individuals named below, and to many others who have contributed by their patience, understanding, encouragement and example to the happy conclusion of this task.

• God, the creator and sustainer of life, and the ultimate provider of all the blessings we receive from his generous hands.

• Marta, my life partner, for her Christian example and devotion to the service of God and frail humanity.

• My parents, siblings, and many relatives, for their devotion to the rich religious heritage we were blessed with.

• My Friend, Hugo Schmidt, for challenging me to try the impossible, and for encouraging me to proceed in the midst of opposition and adversity.

• My late friend Hector Hammerly, for his scholarly advice and for encouraging me to attempt what seemed like an undaunted task.

• My many spiritual mentors for their commitment to serious scholarship and their dedication to a life of service to the Seventh-day Adventist church, among whom are: Leon Gambetta, Victor Ampuero Matta, Daniel Hammerly Dupuy, Hector J. Peverini, Niels Wensell, David Rhys, Jack Provonsha, David Larson, Fritz Guy, Bernard Taylor, James Walters, Dalton Baldwin, and many others whose names are fading from my memory, but whose example and devotion to truth and integrity stand out like bright beacons in the midst of a storm.

 Abstract

From the moment of its inception the members of the Seventh-day Adventist [SDA] religious denomination portrayed themselves as the apocalyptic Remnant that keep the commandments of God in the midst of almost universal apostasy.

One of those commandments clearly forbids killing, yet abortions are taking place inside SDA operated hospitals, both therapeutic and even elective in some of them, while conflicting statements are made by leading officials of the church, with the current president of the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist affirming that the SDA church is pro-life.

To elucidate this apparently enigmatic contradiction, the author of this study decided to investigate this incongruous ethical situation, and made the following discoveries:

A. The early SDA pioneers manifested a most determined opposition to abortion.

B. Two thirds of those who have expressed their opinions in the leading, recently published, SDA books and periodicals seem to be on the pro-life side of this issue, but lack the power to set the official policy of the church.

C. The leaders of the church have delegated the decision power dealing with abortion to the ethicists connected with the medical institutions of the church.

D. Most SDA owned hospitals were providing therapeutic abortion several years before the legalization of abortion.

E. Fear of revenue loss prompted some SDA hospitals to offer abortion on demand in response to the demands of non-Adventists physicians employed by them.

F. One of these church-owned hospitals was recently labeled as an “abortion mill” by a leading church official.

G. When pressed for an official statement by the church back in 1970, Neal Wilson, the president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists at the time predicted that the church would adopt a pro-choice position regarding abortion, and rationalized said practice as a reasonable way to control the population.

H. The official “Guidelines on Abortion” voted by the church seems to be a mixture of lofty pro-life statements mingled with pro-choice exceptions that render the apparently pro-life document meaningless.

I. Said official guidelines on abortion are non-prescriptive in nature, and each SDA institution is free to set their own policies dealing with abortion.

J. Official church documents call for the protection of human life, but a leading SDA ethicist has declared that the church has decided not to pinpoint when human life begins.

K. Several of the leading pro-life movers within the SDA church have since left the community in order to pursue their independent ministries.

L. There has been a seemingly dramatic shift in the SDA attitude towards the sanctity of human life immediately prior and following the legalization of abortion by the Supreme Court of the United States of America.

CONTENTS

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ………………………………………………………. iv

ABSTRACT ……………………………………………………………………….... v

I. INTRODUCTION & HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ……………....... 1

II. A PRO-LIFE BEGINNING …………………………………………......... 16

III. A PRO-LIFE HERO………………………………………………............. 24

IV. THE LEAST OF THESE……………………………………………............ 37

V. THE GREAT CONTROVERSY [I] ………………………………….......... 63

VI. THE GREAT CONTROVERSY [II] …………………………………....... 98

VII. THE TIME OF TROUBLE …………………………………………........ 133

VIII. THE GREAT BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON ……………………...... 166

IX. THE CALM AFTER THE STORM …………………………………......... 217

X. REDEFINING PERSONHOOD & THE LIMITS OF HUMAN LIFE. 233

XI. SHOUTING FROM THE ROOFTOP …………………………….......... 251

XII. IN SEARCH OF THE REMNANT …………………………………........ 278

XIII. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS & CONCLUDING REMARKS ………. 310

APPENDIX A: A DRAMATIC SHIFT…………………………………………. 318

APPENDIX B: PRO & CON ARGUMENTS ……………………………….....326

APPENDIX C: PRO-LIFE & PRO-CHOICE LISTS ……………….......... 345

BIBLIOGRAPHY ………………………………………………………………….... 349

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