Here’s Why People in Maine Are Receiving This Book in the Mail Unprompted

Whether we want it to be or not, political season has arrived in Maine and across the nation. The next several months will be filled with hard-lined stances over issues and culture wars until election day arrives in November.

While most people receive their political fodder from ads on the internet, television, or radio, one religious group is spreading their message directly to the mailboxes of people all across the state of Maine, whether you asked for it or not.

People have been opening their mail and finding a copy of a book called The Great Controversy. If you're thinking it's a mistake on behalf of the USPS, it's not. It's a large-scale campaign by the Seventh-day Adventist Church to recruit new followers and plant their flag when it comes to which side of the political spectrum they sit on.

The book itself is broken down into two parts. The first half is a historical perspective told through the eyes of a devout Seventh-day Adventist believer. The second half leans into prophecy, predicting an unbreakable union between state and church before the second coming of Jesus. And of course, what will happen to those who don't believe. Maine is now one of the least religious states in the country.

While it may seem strange to mail a book like this to strangers across Maine, one of the reasons may surprise you. The author behind The Great Controversy, Ellen G. White, was born in Gorham, Maine, in 1827, and is credited as a co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

If you're wondering how the church found you and was able to mail something directly to your residence, well, it works just like some of those political advertisements you'll receive in the coming months.