Did anyone else get an odd little book in the mail?

[dflprincess]

It was addressed to "resident" and apparently everyone in my building got one. It is by on A. Jan Marcussen and is titled "National Sunday Law". The guy is 7th Day Adventist who claims there is a plot by other denominations to make Sunday the legal sabbath (and other rantings that might just make Glen Beck look sane).

Here's a link to what Wikipedia says http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Marcussen

Then I found some reviews at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/review/RHE5PKMCUONMT/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#RHE5PKMCUONMT

Originally, I had no plans to review A. Jan Marcussen's National Sunday Law. It appeared unsolicited in the mail one day and after skimming it over briefly, I placed it on a shelf in a bookcase thinking it might be worth a laugh or two. There it remained forgotten until recently when I moved and in restocking my bookcases, I came across it again. This time I recognized it as a book referenced by several Seventh Day Adventists' websites and decided to give it a read.

Having read poor apologetical works by numerous groups, I had come across my share of illogical and at times illucid treatises. Yet National Sunday Law belongs in a class of its own - it may be to apologetics books what Plan 9 from Outer Space is to science fiction movies. Attaining a level of historical ignorance and logical absurdity reached in the past only by Jack Chick, Marcussen weaves a fabric of factual errors, paranoia, and anti-Catholic bigotry that is as fascinating as it is appalling. ....
So, one might ask, who are the evil villains behind this nefarious plot? Well, besides the devil himself, it is the Catholic Church (big surprise, huh?). Marcussen spends considerable time "proving" the Catholic Church is the Beast of the Book of Revelation (fundamentalist fringe groups always debate whether they're the Beast or only the Whore of Babylon). He pulls out all the usual evidence common to all anti-Catholic bigots with a dog-eared copy of Alexander Hislop's tribute to historical inaccuracy and know-nothing religious bigotry, Two Babylons. One of the more amusing points is when he recycles the old canard of translating the Latin for an alleged title for the papacy, Vicar of the Son of God (Vicarius Filii Dei) into Roman numerals and comes up with 666 - the number of the Beast. Of course, the problem is the title for the papacy alluded to is actually Vicar of Christ - whose Latin does not add up to 666. Vicar of the Son of God has never been used by the papacy. On the other hand, "Ellen Gould White", the real name of the founder of the Seventh Day Adventists movement, does add up to 666! What does all this prove? Not much, actually.

Like most "restorationists", Marcussen's understanding of Church history merely recycles long discredited "baptist successionist" theories into his own ecclesial context. In his weak grasp of historical facts, Marcusson lines up the usual villains with the emperors Constantine and Justinian getting special mention. How he missed his chance to demonize St. Augustine I'll never know. He, of course, goes on about the underground "remnant Church" that believed just what he believes but was in hiding. Who they were or the location of their hiding place is never revealed - primarily because it didn't exist.

Though, if you really want a few laughs, read some of the ones that give the book 4 or 5 stars.

[Lucian]

1. It's always fun to watch two branches of Christianity duke it out.

They both have the same underlying concepts, yet they fight over the stupid details.

[glinda]

2. This type of mail aided in my mother's health failing. These books should be banned from

mailings. My mother is 85 and became increasingly paranoid to the point of having a heart attack and also talking abut things that she would read in these crazy religious books that were sent in the mail.
They are dangerous to people who are elderly and to mentally unstable individuals. I find this no laughing matter.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

3. While living in a small town in Oregon, population 15,000.

I received a pamphlet in the mail from Jews for Jesus, claiming that Jesus was the true culmination of Judaism and that all Jews should recognize this and join a Hebrew Christian congregation.

We all scratched our heads over that one, because an article had recently appeared in the local paper, telling about Chanukah, and it had mentioned that there were five Jews in the entire town.

I guess Jews for Jesus didn't do their market research before they decided to spam a town made up almost entirely of Gentiles.

[demigoddess]

4. reminds me of my childhood.

churches in town were arguing over whether Jesus was divine or merely the Son of God. Apparently they are very different and depending on which side you take, you may or may not go to hell.
:eyes:

[geardaddy]

5. I believe that the Catholic church considers you a heretic

if you believe Jesus is fully divine or fully human. I thought I learned that somewhere. I may be wrong.

[mascarax]

6. Wonder who they targeted? And who's funding?

Glad we didn't get this crap.

And I agree with glinda they should be banned. I'm sorry it hurt your mother (I know others in similar situations where their elderly parents were susceptible to this type of garbage or telemarketers scamming). But how?

I've heard of 7th Day Adventists but don't really know what they're about...I could search but probably just don't even want to know.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

7. 7th Day Adventists grew out of a group that predicted the return of Christ in

the 19th century. (Obviously, they were a bit off.)

They worship on Saturday instead of Sunday, and they endorse vegetarianism and abstention from alcohol and caffeine.

[mascarax]

9. Thanks, Lydia, but once Christ didn't show up in the 19th century...

Uh, where do you go from there?
Just decide, "oh, maybe in a few more centuries?" Or ignore that part? I do not get (not for me to get, I guess!).

[USA_1]

8. No surprise

About 20 years ago I was on a bus stop and came across a typed essay written by a 7DA who was so prejudiced against other religions that he referred to Jews as 'kikes' and Catholics as 'papists'. Such lunacy!