by Mark Swarbrick

Who Was Ellen G White?

Ellen G White was an uneducated woman who lived 1827 to 1915 and was a self-proclaimed prophetess and the founder of the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Similar to many cult organizers, she became quite wealthy by claiming to have visions and dreams that revealed new doctrines for her followers. Her home, built with donations from her disciples and money from her published visions, was an extravagant mansion for the time, especially compared to the residences of her followers. Today it is kept by the church as a sort of shrine to her memory. Tours are offered to her disciples, wherein she is spoken of with great reverence and devotion, just as Mormons do for their false prophet, Joseph Smith.

A number of early church leaders who had worked closely with Mrs. White, claimed that she was lacking in the fruit of the Spirit, being domineering, controlling, and often hard to get along with. She tended toward emotional instability and often suffered from depression, doubt, and despair.  Her husband said that she would often wake up in the night and shake him awake, saying she was terrified that she would become an infidel.

Adventists consider White’s writings to be inspired, just like the Bible. She and her husband were originally part of the fanatical Millerite Movement, wherein people quit their jobs, sold all their possessions, and went and sat on hilltops waiting for Christ’s return on the day specified by William Miller. When that didn’t happen, White claimed Miller’s prediction was correct, but was only wrong in one point: That Christ entered a sanctuary in heaven (as opposed to earth) in 1844. By “correcting” Miller’s error, she was able to induce many Millerites to follow her and thus was born the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

Plagiarist 

Adventists admit that Ellen G White had little education, but they claim that proves she is inspired by God, for otherwise, they say, “how could an uneducated woman become such an accomplished author?” Plagiarism is part of the answer. Many cult leaders copied much of what they wrote from other authors and claimed the material for their own. Ellen White is no exception. She had little formal education much beyond the 3rd or 4th grade, along with some tutoring from her mother. Having not completed elementary school, she could not attend a university. Thus, plagiarizing material helped her produce the books which she insisted her followers purchase. She copied from some of the top Christian authors of her era. Some researchers have discovered that in some of her books, as much as 90% was copied from others.

Additionally, she nearly always had assistance with her writing. In the beginning it was her husband, James White. When she became wealthier, she hired a professional staff to write her articles, books, and personal letters. A professional writer by the name of Marian Davis, along with another writer, Fannie Bolton, were hired to assist with the writings of her books.

Brain Damaged Delusions

Mrs. White, suffered a severe brain injury when she was nine years old. The severe blow to the head from a rock put her in a coma for three weeks. Her brain injury caused Temporal Lobe Epilepsy with Hysterical Dissociative Episodes wherein she would hear voices in her head and see hallucinatory visions. She told her disciples that she had been given over 2,000 visions which she at various times claimed came from her spirit guide, or an angel, or Jesus Christ himself.  See Ellen White’s Medical Diagnoses.

It was the opinion of several physicians who were personally acquainted with Ellen White that she suffered from Complex Partial Seizures (TLE). Neurologist Dr. Charles D. Willis, M.D, wrote: “In view of my specialized training I correctly made a diagnosis that she was in true fact a case of Post Traumatic Temporal Lobe Epilepsy with some hysterical symptoms.”

Ellen G White’s Errors

Ellen White espoused many errors, so absurd that one wonders how the SDA defends them. Very easily, in fact, for this simple reason: For every false teaching that Ellen White propagated, she frequently taught just the opposite later. It is very easy for her disciples to dig up one of her contradictory statements and say, “See! These are all lies, she did not teach that; look here what she says…” Mormons use the same trick. Here is a partial list of some of Ellen White’s false doctrines:

1. She believed Christ was returning in 1843.
2. Then she believed Christ was returning in 1844.
3. She wrote that God put wings on her so her body could fly through outer space. She claimed to have flown through the universe, visiting other planets and observing the inhabitants. She did not want to come back to planet earth, but she claims an angel told her if she was faithful and stayed saved, she could fly back there someday – her and the other 144,000 members of the Seventh Day Adventist Church. She did not explain how wings are any benefit in outer space where there is no air. Apparently, she was unaware of that scientific fact. (Early Writings, pp. 39, 40)
4. She wrote that only 144,000 living Seventh Day Adventists would be saved when Christ returns (Great Controversy, page 452, 1884 Version, by Ellen G White). All the rest of mankind, Baptists, Methodists, Assembly of God, Independent churches, indeed, all other churches, and all who believe in Christ, will be destroyed, along with all unbelievers. Think about that – if Christ returned today, only 144,000 Adventists are going to be saved. What absurdity! Yes, but it get’s worse: White claimed she would be one of the 144,000 that is still living when Christ returns. But she died in 1915!  Adventists might have been deceived by this point of false doctrine back in Ellen White’s time in the 1800s, for there were less than 90,000 Adventists worldwide then. Now there are nearly twenty-two million. So only 144,000 Adventists out of twenty-two million will be saved? That means only one person out of every one-hundred-fifty-two Adventists are going to make it to heaven. That is supposed to be God’s Church? If you are SDA, look around you next Saturday and count the people in church. If less than 152, most likely neither you nor anyone else in the service is going to be saved. If there are over 300 people, maybe two of you will make it. That is according to Ellen G White. All the rest will be destroyed. This is the one and only true church? That is what Adventists believe. Why is God’s one and only true church so full of lost people?
5. She said the Sanctuary was on Earth. Later she changed her mind and said it was in Heaven.
6. She said the door of mercy was shut in 1844 and no one else could get saved. Later she changed her mind.
7. She claimed to have had a vision that all women must where pants under their dresses. Later she abandoned the idea.

The Most Serious Error

There is an eighth error of Ellen G White and it is the most serious one of all, for this false teaching attacks the very foundation of the Gospel. The word “Gospel” in our English Bible comes from the Greek word euangelion, which means “good news.” The good news, or the Gospel, is that if we come to Christ in repentance and faith we can be forgiven all and know that we have eternal life:

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13)

Let me repeat that last part: “You may know that you have eternal life.” That is integral to the Gospel, knowing we are saved, not by our own righteousness but by Christ’s righteousness and sacrifice on the cross. Jesus said:

“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24)

The Gospel teaches, clearly and repeatedly, that we currently have eternal life. It is not something we hope to get someday if we are good enough. It is a current and present possession of all those who have faith in Christ and we can know that we have it. This assurance of salvation, this good news, is essential for our hope and joy and strength to continue serving God, in spite of our imperfections or failures. Without it, we would give up in discouragement.

Ellen G White has utterly destroyed this hope and confidence in her followers. For she wrote:

“Those who accept the Saviour, however sincere their conversion, should never be taught to say or to feel that they are saved.” (Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 155)

Think about this staggering statement. A Christian can “never…feel that they are saved.” Never! Not ever! That is abominable and indefensible! No amount of context, twisting, or wrangling can redeem such an unbiblical statement. No wonder so many Adventists backslide and drop out of church.

Clearly this statement is in direct contradiction to the word of God. No doubt, the supposedly infallible pope of Adventism got some flack for her unbiblical statement, for she later stated the exact opposite:

“You need not stand where you say, ‘I do not know whether I am saved.’ Do you believe in Christ as your personal Saviour? If you do, then rejoice” (General Conference Bulletin, April 10, 1901)

One can imagine how confusing and troubling these contradictory statements must be for SDA disciples. Indeed, even Andrews University, the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, has stated:

“According to a recent survey, less than 70% of Adventists worldwide have confident assurance of present salvation.” (“Three Strategic Issues: A World Survey,” Institute of World Mission, Andrews University, 2002)

That is horrendous! By their own admission, seventy percent of Adventists don’t know if they are saved. In spite of belonging to what they believe is the one true church, in spite of all their law-keeping and Sabbath observance, most Adventists don’t know if they are saved. How very, very sad.

Remember, The SDA church holds the writings of Ellen G White to be infallible and inspired, just like the Bible. So consider: First Ellen White writes that no Christian should ever consider themselves saved, shattering the hopes of SDA adherents and darkening the truth and joy of the Gospel. Then she reverses her infallible writing, saying that an Adventist does not need to doubt they have salvation. Which is it? Which of the infallible utterances of Ellen G White is correct? No wonder her followers are confused and doubtful about their salvation.

I have read the Adventist writings on this matter and it is incredible how they tie themselves into knots trying to defend her contradictory statements and shield Ellen G White’s position as an infallible prophetess. It is reminiscent of how Catholics twist themselves into a pretzel to defend the crazy and contradictory statements of their popes. Adventists decry Catholicism and papism with a vengeance. Yet, Adventists do the exact same thing for their popess.

Adventists admit that they consider Ellen White’s writings to be infallible and inspired and claim these two statements are actually reconcilable. And how do they defend her contradiction? By claiming what they are required to prove; They say she is inspired by God, therefore any seeming contradiction must be the fault of the reader for not understanding her correctly! And that is their explanation! Only the most gullible of the dupable would accept such circular logic.

Shameful Submission to a Troubled Woman

Ellen G. White taught that her church was the one and only true church on earth. All other people were doomed, especially people who went to other churches, saying they all had (or would) receive the mark of the beast because they worshipped God on Sunday (Reader beware: she says otherwise in other places).She exercised absolute strict control over the cult that she founded, going so far as to tell people where they could work or live and who they could marry and what they should believe or not believe. Many of Ellen G White’s early writings have been altered because some of what she said is now disproven or considered to be utterly ridiculous. In later years she suffered from dementia and lost her mind. Yet, shamefully, the men of the SDA have abdicated their masculine role by giving ecclesiastical authority and establishment of doctrine to this woman, positions that God gave only to the Bible and to male elders.

Adventists are very keen on keeping the law and obeying every point of Scripture. Yet, there is one teaching by the Apostle Paul which they completely ignore…

“Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.” (1 Timothy 2:11-14)

“As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission…If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.” (1 Corinthians 14:33-35)

Because of these commands, most churches for the past 2,000 years have not allowed a senior pastor to be other than a man. Not even Seventh Day Adventist churches will ordain a female. Yet for some reason, they have allowed a prophetess to instruct them in doctrine and organize their church. They consider her writings as inspired by God, quoting her the way Christians quote the Apostle Paul. It is a shameful disregard of Scripture. Paul warned that the woman was first deceived and that letting a woman authoritatively teach doctrine to men would lead to false teaching. And so it has. The cult of Adventism is the result.

In spite of these orders from the apostle, Adventists have let this brain-damaged woman, who calls herself a prophetess, run their church and run their lives. Even today, after she is long dead, Adventist men surrender their manhood and allow this woman’s writings dictate doctrine to them from the grave.

Ellen G White was wrong many times about many things. So why believe anything she has said?

 

If you enjoyed this article you would like the author’s comprehensive book on Adventism. Available in Kindle eBook, Paperback, and Audiobook. Only $2.99 on Amazon. Click HERE to purchase. 175 pages of documented facts. Learn about:

• • False predictions of Ellen White
  • The Investigative Judgment
  • Soul Sleep
  • Sabbatarianism

 

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Books by Mark Swarbrick…

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Other books by Pastor Mark Swarbrick, click the image below…