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.

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