Articles, scans, and other resources from early Adventism
“During 1895 and 1896, no less than seventh-six Seventh-day Adventists were prosecuted in the United States and Canada for existing Sunday laws. Of these, twenty-eight served terms of various lengths in jails, chain-gang, etc., aggregating 1,144 days, or nearly three and one-half years for a single person.”
An excerpt reporting Sunday law persecution taking place c. 1896
“The prosecuting attorney, Mr. J.H. Lewis, is reported as saying that he now proposed to drive Adventists into the Mississippi River.”
“We believe in true civil and religious liberty. . . We are opposed, therefore, to a union of church and state. By this we mean not simply the union of some particular church with some particular state, but a union of any religion, or church, or any combination of churches, with any state or form of civil government whatever.”
Early Adventists had principled reasons for protesting the Sunday Law beyond simply “Mrs. White said.” These writings are reproduced to educate and inspire modern readers regarding the same principles, that they may be prepared to take the same stand today on all such religious legislation.
