As a lifelong gamer and former member of the Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) church, I understand the anguish one goes through when facing the decision to leave behind a community and belief system you‘ve known for years. Getting to that point involves wrestling with contradictions, re-examining long-held assumptions, and ultimately concluding the values no longer align with your conscience.
This is a process many passionate gamers are familiar with—whether it‘s departing from a beloved game franchise that takes a disastrous turn under new leadership, or abandoning a studio revealed to have enabled toxicity and injustice despite seeming righteous from the outside.
Leaving the SDA church was the hardest choice I‘ve made, but just like quitting a game you once loved, I believe examining the issues that led me to this point can help others navigating similar conflicts of faith and identity.
The Allure and Danger of "Absolute Lore"
I was drawn to Adventism from a young age specifically because of their emphasis on Bible prophecies and the end times. Growing up devouring games like The Legend of Zelda, Chrono Trigger and the Final Fantasy series, I was always fascinated by mystical "chosen one" narratives involving apocalyptic stakes.
The SDA church has a uniquely compelling eschatology centered around the Sabbath, the second coming of Christ, judgment day and the conflict between those bearing the "seal of God" and the "mark of the beast" in Revelation. Ellen G. White took these cryptic biblical prophecies and created an entire corpus of lore rivaling the silmarillion.
This lore even came with its own ultimate villain—the Catholic church and its alleged future partnership with American protestants to change sabbath from Saturday to Sunday, persecuting those who refused to comply. As a gamer this good vs. evil narrative was enticing; who wouldn‘t want to join the righteous underground resistance?
The danger of "absolute lore" in games or religion, however, is how inconsistencies and contradictions get swept under the rug. Unlike open-ended games like Skyrim with debated "canon", SDA doctrine relies on Ellen White‘s writings being unimpeachably inspired. Challenging her claims risks being branded a heretic.
Games like Skyrim embrace debated "canon" unlike SDA reliance on Ellen White
When I initially discovered major discrepancies between her writings and biblical texts I respected growing up, it felt similar to watching the Game of Thrones showrunners butcher the lore and character arcs. I tried justifying the issues like many fans do, but ultimately had to confront the reality—this was no longer aligned with the original vision I fell in love with.
Cherry-Picking Lore and Rules to Control Players
Another parallel I noticed between the SDA church and corrupt gaming studios is how scriptures and lore get cherry-picked to control players while ignoring inconvenient truths.
A prime example in Adventism is the prophecy claiming the U.S. government will eventually mandate national Sunday observance, leading to widespread persecution of Sabbath-keepers who refuse to comply. This prophecy is crucial for fostering an isolated "remnant" identity against the outside world.
However, this same Ellen White source has a preceding passage saying slavery will be revived in America right before this event. This proves historically problematic, and the Adventist response has been trying to sweep that detail under the rug while still claiming the Sunday persecution passage remains valid.
This is no different than modern gaming studios like Blizzard, Bethesda and Jagex using nostalgic lore to whip up player hype while declaring past promises as non-canon. Diehard fans convince themselves to trust the "vision" while uneasy at the inconsistencies piling up behind the scenes.
Issues like this ultimately become a battle for control. When questioning apocalyptic teachings and policy changes favoring institutional power, members get accused of being contentious troublemakers threatening unity.controlled by the allure of popularity and profits. Truth and transparency lose out to PR-friendly messaging manipulating followers through sacred lore.
Ellen White‘s conflicting prophecies fostered doubts like gamers facing studio lore contradictions
Leaving My Longtime Guild Behind
After years spent trying to fix glaring issues in Adventism from within, I finally reached a breaking point realizing the rot came from the top down. Continuing to participate and fund an organization violating its own principles felt morally bankrupt, like refusing to uninstall games run by companies covering up misconduct.
Parting ways with my longtime faith community was painful, akin to disbanding a guild that raided together for years. Close friendships formed around shared beliefs and culture don‘t disappear overnight. Walking away means losing relationships along with identity and purpose.
But loyalty to toxic systems solely for nostalgia and community eventually hits a limit. True ethical standards require acknowledging harm perpetrated behind the PR façade. True empathy involves advocating for those traumatized rather than defending neglectful leaders.
Just as gamers unite to pressure companies toward positive change through boycotts and speaking truth to corporate power, leaving the SDA church seems the only conscionable choice given their doubling down on regressive Ellen White teachings and ongoing injustices ignored.
Remaining complicit with organizations violating their own principles poisons one’s conscience every bit as much as supporting misconduct and lies from beloved gaming studios. Though traumatic, building a new identity and purpose rooted in truth remains far healthier than living a lie wearing a superficial label.
Joining the Right Resistance
Rather than seeing departure from Adventism as entirely negative, I‘ve come to view it as a liberation from the cognitive dissonance gnawing at my spirit like a endless, unpatched bug slowly draining life.
Biblical Christianity centers around grace, love and bearing one another‘s burdens—not fearful rule-keeping and accusations over disputed doctrine. I realize now that fixating on eschatological lore and speculation misses the heart of Jesus‘ simple teachings on serving humanity. I plan to direct more energy toward that mission rather than debating apocalyptic timelines like gamers arguing over irrelevant lore minutiae.
That being said, I still believe the ultimate battle comes down to fear vs. love in one’s heart. Though no longer seeing the Catholic church as especially sinister, I do believe ideologies that demonize outsiders while ignoring internal shadows often stem from negative emotional patterns—not divine truth.
My quest now comes down to embracing courage and hope over fear and judgment—values many noble game protagonists embody. I leave behind hypocritical factions obsessed with forcing rigid playstyles on others while empowering authoritarian leaders. Instead I seek communities promoting freedom through truth and justice for all.
Rather than wallowing over previous time and relationships lost, I look ahead to joining the resistance against all forms of oppression and corruption. My passion now lies in fighting alongside those truly advancing love, ethical standards and positive systemic change—be they gamers or anyone else.
In the end, that’s the cause every protagonist worth their salt fights for. And it’s the only guild worth pledging lifelong allegiance to.