Proclamation! Online Magazine | Former Adventist Fellowship

Author: Carolyn Ratzlaff

Carolyn grew up in a Seventh-day Adventist Christian home attending SDA schools through high school. Many years later when she was taking a class at a community college she was offended to read in one of her textbooks that the Seventh-day Adventist organization was listed with the cults. When arguing this point with her teacher Carolyn was challenged to write a paper defending her position. She was happy to do this as she firmly believed in and closely followed the teachings of the SDA church and wrote a paper reflecting her beliefs that the SDA church was not a cult. However, a short time later when she was employed by the SDA church as a Bible Instructor, she and her husband were shocked to learn that they had been deceived by the church they loved regarding its teachings. They soon left that organization and became strong evangelical Christians. Carolyn wrote about this experience in her book, My Cup Overflows. Carolyn has always been a positive person enjoying life and outdoor activities such as hiking and gardening, and she and her husband currently raise a good portion of their own food in small grow boxes. She also reads many health journals and is often surprised at the contrast between what was taught through the writings of Ellen White on forbidden items of diet and health, and the beneficial evidence of these same items which is supported by a plethora of scientific studies. She and her husband Dale Ratzlaff have two married sons and four grandchildren.