Merikay Silver was working for the Pacific Press Publishing Association in 1974 when she confronted Ted’s Father, Neal C. Wilson, as she was struggling against the ‘fungal’ plots of male SDA administrators.
(As the ‘country’ song says,
“. . . Them politicians treat me like a mushroom,
'Cause they feed me bull and keep me in the blind.”
~ lyrics from, Lord Have Mercy On the Working Man, performed by Travis Tritt,
Written by Kostas Lazarides • Copyright © Universal Music Publishing Group)
She ultimately lost her SDA membership and her husband, simply for attempting to hold the SDA church accountable for following their own stated policies against workplace discrimination.
Policy, though, is only as good as the ‘policer’ who wields it.
In 1903 that same ‘Pacific Press’ published a pamphlet written by another ‘rebel’ who simply wished that the ‘Protestant’ SDA church would live up to their high, Heavenly ideals, instead of mucking around down in the dark, dark bottomlands inhabited by this world’s ‘principalities and powers’.
The title of Alonzo Jones’ 21 page pamphlet is “One-man Power”.
Isn’t this really what Merikay Silver had to confront ?
. . . and isn’t this really what the whole SDA congregation is now confronting –
‘Like father. Like son.’ ?
We should NOT laugh at the ‘conspiracy theorists’ who throw ‘accusations’ of ‘Freemasonry’ at those who act just like Freemasons . . . Freemasons who thrive through ‘fungal’ plotting in ‘low places’ in order to pamper their ‘queen’, in the darkness behind closed doors. My own father had to deal constantly with that ‘ring-waver’ ‘brotherhood’ in his own career and business. Finally, his business partner, my mother’s brother, joined the bottom-dwellers. And, turning against my father to secure my father’s former high position for another Freemason in the company they had both left to compete with, my uncle broke my father’s heart. They split up. My father had mortgaged everything at 55 to take a big risk with my uncle, and he never recovered from my uncle’s betrayal and subsequent escape from the ‘partnership’.
When my father died of fast-acting lung cancer in 1987, the well-known Freemason ‘spy’ in his company quickly ‘organized’ the shop workers into the local labor union every member knew was controlled by the Freemasons, even while my father was home in bed, struggling against the many distracting pains of inevitable, gruesome death. . . . And after the largely-attended (by hypocrites) funeral, that labor union’s infamous and longstanding ‘ring-waving’ business agent came uninvited to my father’s business, found me
( non-union, and a ‘vice president’ of my father’s corporation)
out back in my own father’s shop, arrogantly gloated over the organizing of my father’s shop employees, and lectured me on how I did not want to get involved in my own father’s lucrative pharmaceutical-industrial electrical construction accounts . . . right after telling me how he
(a long-time Freemason, as well as business agent)
respected the principle of a son following in his father’s footsteps . . .
betrayal, betrayal, betrayal . . . .
‘Betrayal’ was the title of Merikay Silver’s book published in 1985. And, neither that one word, nor ‘Papal’ is a large enough description of the slimy mass that has been growing for too many decades in the darkness of the GC ‘closet’, at least, since the times of Elder Jones’ personal experience with its roots.
Here is some of his 1903 reaction to that personal experience that is as Heavenly, and open, and fresh, and applicable as when he sent it to the ‘Pacific Press’, 38 years before George R. Knight knew what a pen was.
("I think this crusade is basically one man and his theological advisers.
Sometimes we seem to think the problem with “kingly power” ended in 1901 — but if we look at the principles undergirding Ellen G White’s use of the phrase we can see that kingly power is still being used in the present day."
~ George Knight, from Spectrum interview published online October 4, 2017,
George Knight Talks About Trying to Slow Ted Wilson’s Crusade)
BY ALONZO T. JONES.
The Spirit of Combine.
“TO-DAY many remarkable things are occurring, and so openly before the eyes of all that every thoughtful person is compelled to query, What do these things mean? One, among the most remarkable of these remarkable things of to-day, may be best defined as the universal spirit of combine. Everywhere, among all classes, and in all lines of effort, there prevails this spirit of combine.
{July, 1903 ATJ, OMP 1.1}
This spirit of combine is not merely an extension of the sound principle of cooperation or unity of action of individuals acting collectively toward a common purpose. It is not, in any sense, the principle of cooperation of unity of action of individuals acting as such, collectively toward a common purpose. It is instead the principle of one mind, of one individual, dominating all others possible, and using all these to the one purpose of that one mind or individual.
{July, 1903 ATJ, OMP 1.2}
This truth and this distinction are demonstrated in the universally-known fact that the first effect of this spirit is to deny, to override, and to crush out, all right and all freedom of the individual; as instanced in the trust, whether it be the Standard Oil Trust, the Steel Trust, or a fruit trust. Whatever business is may be that is comprehended in the trust, no individual is allowed to do anything in that line of trade except as the servant of the trust, and absolutely subject to the dictation of the trust. If the “combine” takes the form, not of the trust as such, but of the labor union, then no individual is allowed to work, except as the servant of the union and under the absolute dictation of the union.
{July, 1903 ATJ, OMP 2.1}
The second effect of this spirit, wherever entertained, is to destroy all individuality of the individual himself; so that he can not do the simplest and easiest thing, a thing the virtue of which consists entirely in its being individually done, unless a combine, a club, or a society, is first created, and he do that simple and easy individual thing in the name and by the power of the combine. If, for instance, a person wants to rest one day in the week, he insists that he can not rest unless everybody else rests at the same time; and so a combine must be formed, requiring everybody to rest when he wants to, so that he can rest because they do. A member of the church knows that it is only plain, simple Christianity to visit and help the afflicted, the poor, and the needy; and he knows that this is what the church is for; yet he can not do this simple Christian thing as an individual Christian; but must first form within the church a combine, called a “band” or a “society,” for the purpose, and then do it in the name of this combine, and because the combine requires it.
{July, 1903 ATJ, OMP 2.2}
Another effect, and the direct logic of the combine, is a one-man power. This is to-day manifest on every hand; the head of the trust can dictate daily what the whole people shall pay for their sugar, their kerosene, their nails, etc; the head of the union can dictate just what the employer shall do, and how he shall conduct is business, or whether he shall conduct it at all. . . .
{July, 1903 ATJ, OMP 3.1}
The logic of a one-man power is always a despotism. This is certain, because of the nature of man himself. And it has proved so universally true that it is universally understood. Indeed, it was the character of the rule of the man who held the innocent office of despot that gave to that word its terrible meaning.
{July, 1903 ATJ, OMP 3.2}
The logic of a one-man power is a despotism, and it is a despotism in all relations, religious as well as other. This, too, is inevitable, because, as we have already seen, the spirit of the combine is the spirit that leads one mind to usurp the place and power of God over the minds, the rights, the persons, and the property of others, and by force compel them to his one purpose. And as it is certain that a man in the place of God will always act unlike God, it is also certain that his power will always be exerted in compelling that his power will always be exerted in compelling them to do things contrary to the righteousness of God. This has been the unvarying history of it from the mighty despotism of Nimrod, the first that arose since the Flood, to be partly but growing ones of to-day. For Nimrod was not only a mighty hunter of beasts, but of men, also. He pursued and compelled men to recognize his authority in all things; they must worship as he dictated, and his example has been invariably followed. It was followed by Pharaoh, by Nebuchadnezzar, by Darius, by the Cesars, and by the popes.
{July, 1903 ATJ, OMP 4.1}
It never has failed, and it never will fail, that a one-man power develops a despotism, and a despotism in religion as well as other affairs of life. And those who disregarded the spirit of the combine and maintained their individual integrity, have always been in the right, and are the true heroes of the ages.
{July, 1903 ATJ, OMP 4.2}
Abraham disregarded the spirit and power of the combine established by Nimrod, and maintained his individual integrity with God; and God vindicated him, called him out of it unto an eternal reward, and made him an example unto all men, “the father of all them that be of faith,” and “the friend of God.”
{July, 1903 ATJ, OMP 5.1}
Moses did it in Egypt. God maintained his cause, delivered him and his whole people from it, made him the greatest legislator of all times, and took him to an eternal reward.
{July, 1903 ATJ, OMP 5.2}
In the face of a blazing furnace of sevenfold heat the three Hebrews did it in the presence of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. God vindicated their course, preserved them in the midst of the fire, brought them forth unscathed, changed the king’s word, and made the circumstance a lesson to all kings and all combines forever.
{July, 1903 ATJ, OMP 5.3}
Daniel did it individually alone in the presence of the Medo-Persian combine and the den of hungry lions. God vindicated him, because of his “innocency” in the matter, and again made the individual an example to all men, and the circumstance a lesson to all one-man powers and combines, forever.
{July, 1903 ATJ, OMP 5.4}
John the Baptist did it, Jesus Christ did it, Stephen did it, all the apostles and early Christians did it, not in a “combine,” but wholly as individuals, each for himself alone, in disregard of the greatest one-man power, and so the greatest despotism, of all ancient times.
{July, 1903 ATJ, OMP 5.5}
John Wycliffe, John Huss, and Martin Luther did it against the greatest one-man power, and so the greatest despotism, of all time, ancient or modern.
{July, 1903 ATJ, OMP 5.6}
These are the ones who have kept alive liberty and the rights of mankind through the ages, and have saved the world from being engulfed long ago in the vortex of unmitigated despotisms.
{July, 1903 ATJ, OMP 6.1}
~ ~ ~ * * * ~ ~ ~
“Moles”, then, are not of the blind, slimy darkness, but are open-eyed, budding, healthy individuals.
Let us thank God for giving them ‘eyes that see’.
ADDED in reply to David Benton’s suggestion:
“We ought to begin with a humble apology to Merikay Silver McCleod and Lorna Tobler.”
YES !
And, there are even more, innocent, ‘ripples’ which must have been hurt by this ‘splash’ in Merikay’s (AND Lorna Tobler’s) life.
Don’t forget. Merikay came from a highly sociable, public and visible family in the SDA congregation and school I grew up in. They all had a great sense of gentle humor and kindness that often put them in the public spotlight.
I owe her mother for my loathing of the Christmas season.(Much too frequently she got me involved in her school Christmas program !) I was on the school ‘tumbling team’ with her brother Pat (‘Pete’), and younger sister, Beth. ‘Pete’, at least, performed with the ‘Youth For Eternity’ singers. I believe he was later an Andrews U ‘Gymnic’ and later, performed with the Heritage Singers . . . and their father was a grinning, very good-humored, more ‘shy’, construction-worker-type.
The abusive, negative treatment of their older sister and daughter HAD to be painful to the whole McCleod family – as well as to the Silvers – given their greater than average public involvement in SDA church programs. And, I’m sure all of the negative publicity would have strained the ties between Merikay and her birth-family, and church-family, just as it did her marriage ties.
