Ellen
G. White -- the Myth and the Truth
by Å. Kaspersen
11
-The Mormon connection
The Mormon prophet Joseph
Smith experienced his first vision in 1820-23, some four years before Ellen
White was born. Seven years later (1830) he published the first edition of the
"Book of Mormon", and at the same time the Mormon Church was established. Fourteen
years later the mormon prophet was shot and killed while in jail, and he ended
his days as a "martyr". This was in August 1844, at a time when the Miller-movement
spread like a wildfire, and two months before the "great disappointment".
In later years a growing number of researchers have noted the similarities between
the early visions and experiences of Ellen G. White and the early visions and
experiences of Joseph Smith. Even the online version of "Latter Day Saint News"
featured a lenghty article, entitled"Similarities Between James and Ellen G.
White's Suppressed 1880-Edition of 'Life Sketches' and 'Testimonies for the
Church', with Joseph Smith's 'Pearl of Great Price' in 'The Book of Mormon,'"
along with a picture of Ellen G. White.
The Seventh-Day Adventist Church is well aware that a bomb may detonate in the
near future, and is making preparations by publishing books which they hope
will soften the effects of the explosion. The Bible however says that all that
have been hidden in darkness will be brought to light (1 Cor. 4:5), and this
is happening these days. The amount of long hidden documentation on Ellen White
and early adventism is increasing, and the Seventh-Day Adventist Church is unable
to stem the tide other than denying and explaining away and blackmail people
who are uncovering long hidden, embarassing documentation. When I say documentation,
I do not mean the stereotyped, glossy pictures, but information which places
both Ellen White and early adventism in a somewhat surprising new light.
At this time the documentation on Ellen White's extensive literary borrowing,
or plagiarism, from other authors without giving due credit, is overwhelming.
The same applies to her false visions and testimonies. Ellen White is in the
progress of being disrobed as an untruthful person who did not dodge a lie in
order to protect her own "integrity". Maybe she was honest in all this, but
that does not make lies into truth. Much material from her pen, which adventists
believe are "inspired" matter she received directly from heaven, show up to
be borrowed, at times verbatim, from other authors, and published under the
name of Ellen White as a "pipeline from heaven", a "thus saith the Lord". This
is dishonesty.
Documentation has been uncovered, showing James and Ellen White participating
in extreme, fanatical movements in the years following the "great disappointment",
and other documentation shows that Ellen White did not follow her own "heaven-sent"
counsels, at the same time condemning others for not heeding them.
At this time the connection between Ellen White's early visions and experiences
and Joseph Smith's ditto has been placed under the spotlight. And what has been
discovered, is alarming from an adventist point of view.
It has been claimed that the adventist teaching on "the Investigative judgment"
in
fact has been derived from Joseph Smith. The Mormon prophet also claimed
that the tower of Babel was built before the Flood. Ellen White probably borrowed
this information from Smith when she put it into Spiritual Gifts - which says
that the tower of Babel was built before the Flood (Vol. 3, p. 301). This of
course is not in harmony with Scripture.
In his book Ellen G. White &
Inspiration, Maurice Barnett says, after having compared Ellen White's first
vision with the visions of William Foy (where the similarities are striking),
"Similar likenesses can
be made between Ellen White and Joseph Smith of Mormonism. She also borrowed
from Mormon standard works. Joseph Smith was killed in the Summer of
1844, bringing him more national attention right at the height of Millerite
expectations. One researcher points out that Ellen White especially
liked the book of Alma in the Book of Mormon." (Maurice Barnett, Ellen
White & Inspiration, p. 41. Emphasis supplied.)
Researchers in the Mormon Church
are beginning to get their eyes opened for these things, and are making their
own research. These scholars have access to the mormon genealogies, and will
probably come up with some amazing documentation showing the connection between
the early Mormon Church and the early Adventist Church. They will document that
several well known early adventist pioneers had close relations with well known
mormon leaders.
There are many things adventists
do not know about early adventism and their prophetess - information which now
begins to come out of the closet. Maybe what we have been learning so far is
just the tip of the iceberg.