p. 1 | CAN SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS JOIN THE GRANGERS?

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 13, 1876

FromThe Review and Herald, Review and Herald, Vol. 47, No. 15.

CAN SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS JOIN THE GRANGERS?

By Dudley Marvin Canright

Of course they can, but what I mean to ask is, Can they do it consistently with their profession as Seventh-day Adventists? To this we unhesitatingly say, No; and propose to give a few reasons why we say so.

1. Because Seventh-day Adventists, as a body, are utterly opposed to all secret societies. This doctrine our people have always held. It has been taught by all our preachers, in our publications, through our Conferences, &c. All our people understand that this is our position, and the world understand us to take that position. Whoever, then, among us departs from this by joining some secret society takes one back step toward leaving our people, bringing in division, and throwing discredit upon the teachings of the whole body. He has no right to make division, and Paul says that such should be marked and avoided. Rom. 16:17. Those who have been members of secret societies before they embraced the truth of course are not so censurable, though equally unfortunate.

2. Those who join the Grangers have to fellowship ungodly and wicked men. Infidels, spiritualists, blasphemers, gamblers, horse-racers, and many such like characters, can, and do, join the Grangers. It is claimed that openly immoral men, such as adulterers, thieves, drunkards and the like are excluded. This may be so to a certain extent, yet there are characters as above mentioned who are not excluded, as a man’s religion is not inquired into. All who join the Grange are called brothers and sisters, and they have to and do call each other so. Here, then, is a Seventh-day Adventist in fellowship with Sabbath-breakers, with blasphemers, with infidels, with spiritualists, with worldlings, with tobacco-users, with the covetous, and other unholy spirits. They call him brother, and he calls them so. Now read what Paul says, “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.” 1 Cor. 5:11. “Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” 2 Cor. 6:14–18. My brother, I earnestly commend to you a careful consideration of these Scriptures.

3. Ungodly men are put forward to offer prayer to God in the Grange. Some form of religion is professed to be practiced even in the Grange. A Granger told me that he had to stay at one time and hear a drunkard offer a prayer to God, and that he was half drunk while doing it. To this our brother had to say, Amen. What a solemn mockery for a child of God, a believer in the present truth, to be partner in such blasphemy.

4. Call no man master. Jesus says, Call no man master, neither be ye called master. But both these precepts of Christ are disregarded in the Grange, because one man among them is called master, and all the members have to call him so. Brethren, when you are bowing your necks to that yoke, remember this precept of your divine Lord.

5. You have to assent to, and indorse doctrines which you believe to be false. The immortality of the soul, going to Heaven at death, &c., is believed and taught in all the Granges. When a member dies, certain ceremonies are gone through with at his grave, teaching that this brother is not dead, but has simply passed to a better world. An evergreen bough is cast into the grave by the members to indicate this. Among these is a Seventh-day Adventist who believes that this is all a lie of the devil, and yet, by his association with them, he gives his consent and approbation to it, without any protest. Furthermore, the dead man may have been a non-professor, an ungodly man, or even an infidel, and yet our brother stands by and says that he believes that he has now gone to Heaven. Shame on you, my brother. And what is the glorious object for which you will thus sacrifice your faith and conscience? It is the mean consideration of being able to save a few dollars in money by joining this society; because this is the object proposed by the Grange, and the very inducement for every one to join.

6. Festivals, dances, gambling, &c., are indulged in by the Grangers. One prominent feature of the Grange is that they frequently have festivals; and in connection with them there is generally a dance. Both of these things Seventh-day Adventists are utterly opposed to, and yet all who join the Grange, to say the very least, have to fellowship these things. They join a Grange; they pay in their money; they give their influence to it, and then that Grange with this influence and this money either builds, buys, or hires a hall, fits it up, buys the provision, hires the musicians, and has a grand festival, concluding with a dance. Suppose our brother does not attend, yet his money and his influence has been lent to get this up. He simply absents himself and tries to save his conscience in that way, but it is of no use. It is only a dodge. A man is always held responsible for the actions of any society, company, firm, or association to which he belongs unless he protests against their actions and withdraws from them. No principle in the world is better established than this. Society so regards it, the law so regards it, and so God regards it. Take the case of Achan in the Old Testament. Josh. 7. When he committed a sin by stealing, God held his whole regiment accountable for it, and punished them till they ferreted it out and punished the transgressor. To the Corinthians Paul said, “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.” 1 Cor. 5. So if a man is a Granger he is responsible for what his Grange does. A short time ago I heard a sister tell how she was led away from the truth and the Lord by going to a Grange festival. Little by little she was led on till at last she found herself taking part in the dance on the floor. Passing through a village in the northern part of Michigan a short time ago, I observed that the whole conversation and excitement was about a certain quilt to be drawn as a prize that evening at a Grange festival. The quilt was made, costing some $13. Then two hundred tickets, fifteen cents each, were issued, one of which was to draw the quilt. Every body was urged to buy. What was the inducement? To obtain $13 for fifteen cents. This is unvarnished gambling. Brethren, how do you quiet your consciences on such matters as these?

7. The Grange is a business company. Indeed, this is the main feature of the Grange. The one sole object proposed is to make and save money to the members. It is a regularly organized company, having officers, records, clerks, agents, places of business, capital, &c. A man who joins this joins the company, shares in its profits and loss, the same as a member of any company. But this company does its business upon the Sabbath. It buys and sells upon the Sabbath; indeed, its chief meetings, so far as I have been acquainted, have been held upon the Sabbath. It is a Sabbath-breaking company. Who is responsible for this? Public opinion answers, the law answers, God answers, Every member of the company. Suppose a company is formed to carry on blacksmithing, lumbering, the mercantile business, or any other business, could one of our brethren conscientiously join that company, and simply absent himself from business on the Sabbath? No, indeed. We say that by doing so he would break the Sabbath just as truly as though he worked himself. So we say that all our brethren who join the Grange are guilty in the same manner and for the same reason.

8. We must regard our brother’s conscience. How plainly Paul lays down the principle that we must not offend our brother’s conscience, even if the act itself is not wrong. See Rom. 14. “It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.” Verse 21. “Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.” 1 Cor. 8:13. Now it is a cause of offense among our brethren generally for a brother or sister to join the Grangers. Any brother or sister who does it, knows beforehand that he will offend not only his own church, but the whole body of our brethren. He knows that it will grieve them and probably bring trial into the church. How any brother can take such a course is more than I can comprehend. It is very evident to my mind that either he has not been properly informed as to what he is doing, or else the love of the church and the brethren has become very small in the heart.

9. The advantage gained by joining the Grangers is exceedingly small. The one leading object proposed by the Grange is to put money into the pockets of the producing class,—farmers, mechanics, &c. It holds out the inducement that they can buy what they need much cheaper, and sell what they market at much better prices. But I have inquired into this in many places, and find that largely it is a delusion. The gain, if any at all, is very small. Several members of the Grange have told me that they have paid out much more for membership, &c., during the year than they had saved on what they bought and sold. Taking what a person has to pay for initiation fees, and other expenses during the year, for time wasted in running to their Grange meetings, &c., and what little an ordinary farmer would make through them, even if it is anything, is exceedingly small, and yet, I am sorry to say, the uncertain hope of making $5 or $10 a year is enough to induce some of our brethren to risk all the considerations above pointed out. He professes to believe that the Lord is immediately coming, and that all earthly things are soon to perish, and yet he will run all this tremendous risk to gain a little filthy lucre.

Many other good reasons might be added to the above why Seventh-day Adventists should not join the Grange. To all our brethren and sisters we say, Beware. We all believe that the following scripture has a special application to this time; I think it is good counsel and we had better heed it:—

“Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces. Take counsel together, and it shall come to naught; speak the word, and it shall not stand; for God is with us. For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying, Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense to both houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken. Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him. Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth in Mount Zion. And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep and that mutter, should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isa. 8:9–20. D. M. Canright.