My parents are in town this weekend and they stayed with my brother, his wife, and their daughter. My parents and brother are all Seventh-day Adventist; I am the lone member of this family unit to have strayed from righteousness. This, as you can imagine, has led to some interesting (read: awkward) interactions. I tend to avoid the plague-ridden religion topic at all costs and to bite my tongue when it comes up on their end. I usually love to join in with a discussion, but tonight I found myself sitting mute and lonely once again as they began to speak of life as they know it.
I can't even remember how this came up, but my dad launched it with the words, "Ellen White said..." If you are unfamiliar with Adventist culture, Ellen White is the (now deceased) prophetess of the church. She had many miraculous visions that she transcribed into such magnificent tomes such as "The Great Controversy" and "Steps to Christ" (the former being the one my Norwegian great-grandfather bought from a colporteur many years ago. I just have to wonder, how did the damn colporteur make it all the way out to my great-grandpappy's dairy farm in rural Alberta? Or rather, WHY did he???).
A fact that the Adventist church is open about is that Ellen White was severely injured as an adolescent by being hit in the head with a rock. Yes, you read that right. She was hit in the head with a rock. Yes, the Adventist church is aware of it. Yes, they sanction her visions as being from God.
So, back to my dad. When my dad launched into his comment with the dreaded words, "Ellen White said," I was prepared for the worst. My dad proceeded to explain how Ellen White had written that the antediluvians had had IQs ranging into the thousands, how their culture had been remarkably advanced, and how they'd lived to be hundreds of years old. My brother chimed in something about the "de-evolution" of mankind since that time. My father chuckled and agreed.
I don't even know how to describe my feelings of powerlessness sitting with these people that I love but wondering HOW THE HELL they could POSSIBLY believe this shit.
MY THOUGHTS AS I'M SITTING THERE:
Thought #1 - How did Ellen White know so much about this lost "antediluvian" culture? Was she a learned historian? Also, did she have a strong science background? (No and NO).
Thought #2 - How come we haven't found any fossils of these amazingly tall antediluvian men and women?
Thought #3 - Why haven't we found any sign of the magnificent cities they must have built? (Oh right, the FLOOD wiped out all signs of those, along with the fossils).
Thought #4 - I love my dad so much, but I am really embarrassed that he believes this. He's a smart man, but he just can't seem to think rationally about this.
Thought #5 - I think my dad's "rationale" is fucking nuts, but he thinks my "rationale" is fucking nuts.
