"Soul sleep," the doctrine that there is no soul separate from the
body, and that all there is of you after death is in that hole in the
ground, is a "truth" of tremendous magnitude to the church. Most
members will become extremely agitated, or even angry, when discussing
the topic. They do, however, believe in a bodily resurrection, which,
again, is the entire being, as body and soul are one entity. They go
the Bible one better on resurrection, though. Where the Good Book tells
of a first and a second resurrection, the Adventists have a third,
"special resurrection,"10 it is termed. Ellen White said, as usual, "I
saw," which is supposed to indicate a "vision" directly from Heaven,
"The graves were opened, and those who had died in faith under the
third angel's message, keeping the Sabbath, came forth from their dusty
beds, glorified, to hear the covenant of peace that God was to make
with those who had kept his law." Somehow Mother found it reasonable to
follow a church founded and nurtured by a woman - an ill woman at that
- and she convinced Daddy that they should be baptized, notwithstanding
they had been baptized before. Mama Miles came in on profession of
faith. With Mother it was "whole hog or none," so they went back into
the water, giving up their God-given freedom on Independence Day, July
4, 1941. Daddy was somewhat reluctant. Mother always said he would not
have joined had she not pushed him.
Trouble ensued immediately. When Daddy wouldn't take his turn at
the weekend shift, he was fired from the job he had worked for nearly
eight years. He was blackballed at the other refineries. They thought
he'd lost his mind!
