Nathaniel Field (Adventist) facts for kids

Nathaniel Field (1805–1887) was an American doctor and a preacher. He was also a strong supporter of ending slavery, known as an abolitionist. He helped many people who were enslaved find freedom.

Early Life and Career

Nathaniel Field was born in Jefferson County, Kentucky in 1805. He studied medicine at Transylvania medical school in Lexington, Kentucky. After graduating, he worked as a doctor in Alabama for three years.

In 1829, he moved to Jeffersonville, Indiana. He lived there for the rest of his life. From 1838 to 1839, he was a member of the state legislature. In 1839, he helped create the city government of Jeffersonville. He wrote the plan for the city, and the legislature approved it.

As a doctor, Field wrote about medical topics. He wrote a paper on Asiatic Cholera and other articles. He was interested in both religion and science. This led him to give talks on subjects like "The Mosaic Record of Creation." He also wrote funny pieces, such as "Arts of Imposture and Deception Peculiar to American Society" in 1858.

Fighting Against Slavery

Nathaniel Field's family had owned several enslaved people. When he inherited them, he immediately set them free. This was a brave act at the time.

In 1834, the town of Jeffersonville wanted to force freed Black people to leave. Field was the only person who voted against this idea. Because of his vote, a crowd of angry people gathered outside his house. He had to block his doors to keep them out.

Field was related to another abolitionist, Stapleton Crutchfield. Field went even further than Crutchfield. He helped enslaved people escape to freedom using the Underground Railroad. This was a secret network of safe houses and routes. He also believed that the death penalty was wrong.

Religious Beliefs

In 1830, Nathaniel Field started the first Campbellite church in Jeffersonville. He served as its pastor for 17 years. He did not take any money for this work. He believed it was wrong to "make merchandise of the gospel." This meant he thought religious leaders should not earn money from their faith.

Later, Field moved away from the ideas of Alexander Campbell. In 1847, he founded the Second Advent Christian Church (SACC) in Jeffersonville. He was the pastor there until he died in 1887. Again, he did not take any pay.

Field held some different beliefs from many traditional churches. For example, he did not believe in the idea of the immortality of the soul. This is the belief that a person's soul lives forever after death. In 1852, his debate on the "State of the Dead" was published as a book.

He also did not believe in the Trinity. This is the Christian idea that God is three persons in one. Field also thought that the idea of a supernatural devil was a story, not a real being. He believed that traditional ideas about heaven and hell were later traditions. He felt they were not found in the Bible. Many other people at the time, like John Thomas and Joseph Marsh, shared some of these views.

Field organized two conferences in 1855 and 1856. Other believers, like A.N. Seymour and P.B. Cook, spoke at these meetings. However, Field was sad that the groups could not form a strong church together.

By 1860, different groups with similar beliefs began to separate. This became even clearer during the American Civil War. Churches had to register their names for people who did not want to fight, known as conscientious objectors.

Field's church became the Second Advent Christian Church. Other groups formed, like the Christadelphians and the Church of God of the Abrahamic Faith. Many groups had similar ideas before the Civil War.