Millerites: Encyclopedia II - Millerites - Distinguished from the other groups and movements

Millerites - Distinguished from the other groups and movements

The "Adventist" or "Latter-day" churches arose during the same period as the Latter Day Saint movement (Mormonism), and share some comparable features of doctrine and history, but there is no conclusive evidence that the Millerites and Latter Day Saints directly influenced one another. The two movements do have in common some connection with the Restoration Movement. Many Millerites and Latter Day Saints including prominent Millerite and Latter Day Saint leaders, were Campbellites or belonged to other Restoration Movement sects before converting. Still, there are radical differences between all of these groups. Only a few, tiny Latter Day Saint sects are regarded as Evangelical, while several Campellite and Millerite groups are so regarded. Non-adherents may account for similarities between the movements by pointing to the cultural forces at work in the post-Revolutionary United States, and the folk-religious spirituality that typified the Burned-over district of New York at the time, where both of these religious movements were born. Coincidentally, Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of Mormonism, was murdered by a mob in 1844, the same year invested with cosmic meaning by the Adventist movement. Earlier that year, in March 1844, Smith organized a political council (The Council of Fifty) to help establish the millenial Kingdom of God on the earth.

Similarly, dispensational Premillennialism is a trans- denominational movement, that is sometimes mistakenly connected directly with the Millerites. Dispensationalism arose during the final third of the 19th century, and unlike the Millerites interprets prophecy in a primarily futurist fashion. This movement developed independently, borrowing heavily but indirectly from earlier Millerites, with radical re-interpretation, so that dispensationalists rarely if ever display unitarian tendencies. Sabbatarianism is excluded, along with British Israelism, and in general end times Dispensationalism is considered protestant and mainstream evangelical, being a very common belief among Christian fundamentalists. Some dispensationalist groups, upon venturing to calculate the date of Christ's return or interpreting the signs of the times, take on many of the apocalyptic characteristics of Millerite pioneers, but strictly speaking none of them are part of the Millerite Adventist movement.

The followers of the self-proclaimed prophetess, Englishwoman Joanna Southcott, are frequently listed in the Millerite tradition, for lack of a similar place to put them, chiefly because of interesting parallels in the careers of Ms. Southcott and the Adventist Ellen G. White. Ms. Southcott is believed by her followers to be, in fact, the woman clothed with the sun, in the Book of Revelation. She prophesied that she herself was pregnant with the true Messiah, who was to be born on October 19, 1814 — these particular beliefs have no representation among Millerites. Ms Southcott died of dropsy in December of that year, but her followers continued to believe in the truth of her published prophecies and in the soon coming of Shiloh (a prophetic name for the Messiah). Her visions beginning in 1792 have strong affinity with Adventism, but are stylistically very unlike the writings of Mrs. White. The post-Disappointment Adventist Movement is frequently compared to the followers of Ms. Southcott, and there are some superficial resemblances of language and theme. The leaders of some branches of Southcottites are believed to have been post-Disappointment Millerites. Swedenborgianism and The United Order of Believers (Shakers), two other earlier millennial movements begun by ecstatic visionaries, have comparable similarities to the Millerites, and like the Mormons these groups had some influence on the religious climate of northwest New York state and territories to the west — but direct borrowing is not acknowledged, and after all, they are distinct movements. It is notable that a number of post-Disappointment Millerites joined the Shaker communities.

Charles Taze Russell's Bible Student movement (which eventually gave birth to the Jehovah's Witnesses) also traces its roots to the Millerite movement.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Distinguished from the other groups and movements", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki