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+#REDIRECT [[Ellen G. White#Criticism]]
-{{Multiple issues|
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-{{main|Ellen G. White}}
-{{Seventh-day Adventism}}
-A number of critics have voiced doubts as to the reliability of [[Ellen G. White]] as a true prophet and the authenticity of her visions, a few of which are summarized here.
-==Criticism==
-===Mental illness===
-At the age of nine, Ellen was struck with a rock thrown by a fellow student. The injury severely disfigured her nose, and left her in a [[coma]] for three weeks. Some [[neurology|neurologists]] have commented that this may have caused partial complex [[seizure]]s and [[hallucination]]s which led her to believe that she had visions of God.<ref>Gregory Holmes and Delbert Hodder(1981). Ellen G. White and the Seventh Day Adventist Church:Visions or Partial Complex Seizures? Journal of Neurology,31(4):160-161.</ref>  Ellen White was posthumously diagnosed as having symptoms of temporal lobe epilepsy by the pediatrician Delbert H. Hodder in 1981 and again in 1984 by Molleurus Couperus, a retired dermatologist.<ref>Delbert H. Hodder, M.D., “Visions or Partial-Complex Seizures?” Evangelica, vol. 2, no. 5 (November 1981), p. 35</ref><ref>Molleurus Couperus, “The Significance of Ellen White’s Head Injury,” Adventist Currents, vol. 1, no. 6 (June 1985), p. 31</ref> Dudley M. Canright, a one-time Seventh-day Adventist minister who later left the church, claimed that she had a “complication of hysteria, epilepsy, catalepsy, and ecstasy” and stated that her “visions were merely the result of her early misfortune.<ref>D. M. Canright, Life of Mrs. E. G. White (Cincinnati: The Standard Publishing Company, 1919), p. 171</ref>
-The symptoms experienced by patients who are recovering from a severe head injury include headaches, dizziness, depression, slowness in thinking, and impairment of concentration and memory. These symptoms are noted in Ellen White's writings following the head injury, she states that "it was almost impossible for me to study, and retain what I had learned." When she did attend school her hand trembled so much that she could make no progress in her writing; and when studying she says "the letters of my book would run together, large drops of perspiration would stand upon my brow, and I would become dizzy and faint." Her teacher advised her to leave school until her health improved, which she did. Three years later, when she was twelve, she attempted to go to school again; but her health failed once more and she was forced to leave school permanently.<ref>E. G. White, Testimonies for the Church, 13</ref><ref>White and White. Life Sketches, 136</ref>
-Her physical experiences during the visions revolved around, becoming unconscious, losing control of her arms and legs, shallow breathing and visual phenomena all of which are symptoms of an epileptic fit such as automatic movements of the hands or mouth, altered ability to respond to others, unusual speech, or unusual behaviors all of which were experienced during these visions.<ref name="state.nj.us">Sample New Jersey, USA, medical report form: http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/pdf/Violations/MVC-Form_MR-4.pdf</ref> Moreover, following each of these seizures, there is some period of recovery in which neurological function is altered. This is called the postictal state. These states were independently witnessed by Ellen G. White's followers,<ref name="state.nj.us"/>
-"When she came out of vision, all was total darkness whether in the day time or a well-lighted room at night. She would exclaim with a long-drawn sigh, as she took her first natural breath, “D-a-r-k.” She was then limp and strengthless."<ref name="autogenerated122">White, Arthur L. 1985, “Chapter 7 – (1846-1847) Entering Marriage Life”, Ellen G. White: The Early Years, Vol. 1 1827-1862, pages 122-124</ref>
-Another symptom of temporal lobe epilepsy, as noted by Sachdev and Waxman in 1981, is the frequency and degree of [[hypergraphia]]. This is seen continuously throughout Ellen White's life noted in her writings 'I felt that I should have rest, but could see no opportunity for relief. I was speaking to the people several times a week, and writing many pages of personal testimonies.... The blood rushed to my brain, frequently causing me to reel and nearly fall. I had the nosebleed often, especially after making an effort to write. I was compelled to lay aside my writing, but could not throw off the burden of anxiety and responsibility upon me.... I then wrote out a portion of that which was shown me in regard to the Institute, but could not get out the entire subject because of pressure of blood to the brain....I supposed that after resting a few days I could again resume my writing. But to my great grief I found that the condition of my brain made it impossible for me to write. The idea of writing testimonies, either general or personal, was given up, and I was in continual distress because I could not write them."114 (Testimonies, vol. 1, pages 576-577).<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Sachdev | first1 = H. S. | last2 = Waxman | first2 = S. G. | year = 1981 | title = Frequency of Hypergraphia in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: an Index of Interictal Behaviour Syndrome | journal = Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry | volume = 44 | issue = | pages = 358–360 | doi=10.1136/jnnp.44.4.358 | pmid=7241165 | pmc=490963}}</ref> Remaining congruent with modern medical symptomatology and following examination from the perspective of current clinical knowledge it remains plausible that the visionary experiences of Ellen G. White and her behavioral characteristics may have been influenced from an underlying neurological disorder.
-===Writings on masturbation===
-Many critics cite Ellen White's views on [[masturbation]], which she called "self-indulgence" or "a solitary vice," to claim she is a false prophet. In her book ''A Solemn Appeal'' she writes:
- <blockquote>
-"If the practice  [self-indulgence] is continued from the age of fifteen and upward, nature will protest against the abuse she has suffered, and continues to suffer, and will make them pay the penalty for the transgression of her laws, especially from the ages of thirty to forty-five, by numerous pains in the system, and various diseases, such as affection of the [[liver]] and [[lungs]], [[neuralgia]], [[rheumatism]], affection of the [[Vertebral column|spine]], diseased [[kidneys]], and [[cancer]]ous humors. Some of nature's fine machinery gives way, leaving a heavier task for the remaining to perform, which disorders nature's fine arrangement, and there is often a sudden breaking down of the constitution; and [[death]] is the result."<ref>{{cite book|title = Solemn Appeal, A|author = Ellen G. White|year = 1870|publisher = The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association|page=63}}</ref>
-</blockquote>
-<blockquote>
-Females possess less vital force than the other sex, and are deprived very much of the bracing, invigorating air, by their in-door life. The result of self-abuse in them is seen in various diseases, such as [[catarrh]], [[dropsy]], [[headache]], loss of memory and sight, great weakness in the back and loins, affections of the spine, and frequently, inward decay of the head. Cancerous humor, which would lie dormant in the system their lifetime, is inflamed, and commences its eating, destructive work. The mind is often utterly ruined, and [[insanity]] supervenes."<ref>{{cite book|title = Solemn Appeal, A|author = Ellen G. White|year = 1870|publisher = The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association|page=73}}</ref>
-</blockquote>
-[[Ronald Numbers|Ronald L. Numbers]], an American historian of science and a graduate of the [[Loma Linda University School of Medicine]], criticized Mrs. White for her views on health and upon masturbation, the gist of his criticism being that she followed the [[Consensus (medical)|medical consensus]] of her epoch (which was before the advent of [[evidence-based medicine]]).<ref name=numbers>{{cite book|last1=Numbers|first1=Ronald L.|authorlink1=Ronald Numbers|title=Prophetess of health: a study of Ellen G. White|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TNRP8NLNyvEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=prophetess+of+health&hl=nl&ei=uOoMTsuPJtDtOeCjvacL&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false|accessdate=June 30, 2011|edition=3rd|year=2008|origyear=1976|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co|location=Grand Rapids, Michigan|isbn=978-0-8028-0395-5|pages=207–218|chapterurl=https://books.google.com/books?id=TNRP8NLNyvEC&pg=PA208&dq=prophetess+of+health+masturbation+appeal+to+mothers&hl=nl&ei=Oe8MTpPmJciSOuqrgLIL&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false|chapter=Short Skirts and Sex|quote=Ellen White followed another well-marked trail when she ventured into the potentially hazardous field of sex. From the appearance of Sylvester Graham's ''Lecture to Young Men on Chastity'' in 1834 this subject had played an integral and highly visible role in health-reform literature. Alcott, Coles, Trail, and Jackson, among others, had all spoken out on the dangers of what they regarded as excessive or abnormal sexual activities, particularly masturbation, which was thought to cause a frightening array of pathological conditions ranging from dyspepsia and consumption to insanity and loss of spirituality. By carefully couching their appeal in humanitarian terms, they had largely avoided offending the sensibilities of a prudish public. Theirs was a genuinely moral crusade against what Jackson called ''"the great, crying sin of our time."''}}</ref><ref>David Larson, [http://spectrummagazine.org/article/column/2008/08/06/revisiting-ellen-white-masturbation Revisiting Ellen White on Masturbation] Spectrum, 6 August 2008.</ref> Numbers shows that she [[plagiarism|plagiarized]] [[vitalism|vitalist]] writers (such as [[Horace Mann]] and Larkin B. Coles)<ref>Numbers (2008:213-214)</ref> for her arguments against masturbation.<ref name=numbers/> In fact the ''Appeal to Mothers'' contains a quite odd remark, namely that Ellen White did not copy her text from the health reform advocates and claiming that she independently reached such conclusions.<ref>Numbers (2008:211)</ref> Numbers' criticism is acknowledged as significant by the staff of the White Estate, which sought to refute it in ''A Critique of the Book Prophetess of Health''.<ref>The Staff of the Ellen G. White Estate [http://www.whiteestate.org/issues/Prophetess-of-Health.pdf A Critique of the Book Prophetess of Health], 2008. Upon the criticism of Mrs. White's views on masturbation see p. 72 of the publication.</ref> Specifically, Richard W. Schwarz from the Department of History, Andrews University, has tried to explain away such plagiarism through supernatural inspiration of all those authors, which spoke in more or less the same words to all of them.<ref>The Staff of the Ellen G. White Estate ''[http://www.whiteestate.org/issues/prophetess-of-health.pdf A Critique of the Book Prophetess of Health]'', third edition (2008), p. 9</ref>
-==Plagiarism charges==
-Some critics have accused Ellen White of plagiarism. One such was [[Walter T. Rea]], who argued against the "original" nature of her supposed revelations in his book ''The White Lie.'' Another critic is Ronald Numbers.<ref>{{cite book
-  | title = Prophetess of Health: Ellen G. White and the Origins of Seventh-Day Adventist Health Reform
-  | author = Ronald Numbers
-  | year = 1992
-  | publisher = University of Tennessee Press
-  | isbn = 0870497138
-}}</ref> Numbers argues that her understanding of health reform was simply plagiarized from other health reformers and therefore did not come from divine revelation.
-A lawyer employed by the SDA as legal defense,<ref>http://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/762.98</ref> Vincent L. Ramik, undertook a study of Ellen G. White's writings during the early 1980s, and concluded that they were "conclusively unplagiaristic."<ref>[http://www.whiteestate.org/issues/ramik.html The Ramik Report Memorandum of Law Literary Property Rights 1790 - 1915] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214221522/http://www.whiteestate.org/issues/ramik.html |date=December 14, 2007 }}</ref> When the plagiarism charge ignited a significant debate  during the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Adventist General Conference commissioned a major study by Dr. Fred Veltman. The ensuing project became known as the "'Life of Christ' Research Project".<ref>[http://www.adventistarchives.org/documents.asp?CatID=13&ShowDateOrder=True&SortBy=1 General Conference Archives] of the Seventh-day Adventist Church</ref> Dr. Roger W. Coon,<ref>[http://www.andrews.edu/~fortind/EGWPlagiarism-Coon-98.htm ''Ellen G. White as a Writer: Part III - The Issue of Literary Borrowing'']</ref> David J. Conklin,<ref>[http://dedication.www3.50megs.com/David/index.html ''An Analysis of the Literary Dependency of Ellen White'']</ref> Dr. Denis Fortin,<ref>[http://www.andrews.edu/~fortind/EGWWhite-Conybeare.htm ''Ellen G. White as a Writer: Case Studies in the Issue of Literary Borrowing'']</ref><ref>[http://www.andrews.edu/~fortind/EGWPlagiarism-Encyclopedia.htm ''The Ellen G. White Encyclopedia'']</ref> King and Morgan,<ref>{{cite book
-  | title = More Than Words: A Study of Inspiration and Ellen White's Use of Sources in The Desire of Ages
-  |author1=E. Marcella Anderson King |author2=Kevin L. Morgan | year = 2009
-  | publisher = Honor Him Publishers
-}}</ref> among others, undertook the refutation of the accusations of plagiarism. At the conclusion of his report, Ramik states:
-<blockquote>
-''"It is impossible to imagine that the intention of Ellen G. White, as reflected in her writings and the unquestionably prodigious efforts involved therein, was anything other than a sincerely motivated and unselfish effort to place the understandings of Biblical truths in a coherent form for all to see and comprehend. Most certainly, the nature and content of her writings had but one hope and intent, namely, the furthering of mankind's understanding of the word of God.  Considering all factors necessary in reaching a just conclusion on this issue, it is submitted that the writings of Ellen G. White were conclusively unplagiaristic."'' <ref name="Also appears in Review article">{{cite web|url=http://www.whiteestate.org/issues/ramik.html |title=Archived copy |accessdate=November 28, 2007 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214221522/http://www.whiteestate.org/issues/ramik.html |archivedate=December 14, 2007 }} Also appears in ''Review'' article</ref>
-</blockquote>
-[[Ronald L. Numbers]] stated "Despite their pretense to scientific rigor, McMahon's books are riddled with pseudoscientific claims, historical errors, and misleading comparisons."<ref name="Numbers2008">{{cite book|author=Ronald L. Numbers|title=Prophetess of Health: A Study of Ellen G. White|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TNRP8NLNyvEC&pg=PR24|date=2 July 2008|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing|isbn=978-0-8028-0395-5|page=24|quote=Despite their pretense to scientific rigor, McMahon's books are riddled with pseudoscientific claims, historical errors, and misleading comparisons.}}</ref>
-== See also ==
-* [[Prophet]]
-* [[Ellen G. White]]
-* [[Teachings of Ellen White]]
-* [[Inspiration of Ellen White]]
-* [[Criticism of the Seventh-day Adventist Church]]
-== References ==
-{{Reflist|2}}
-== External links ==
-===Critics===
-* [http://www.cultorchristian.com Cult or Christian: Does Seventh-day Adventism Teach the Trinity?]
-* [http://www.ellenwhiteexposed.com Ellen White Exposed]
-* [http://www.exAdventist.com exAdventist Outreach]
-* [http://www.ex-sda.com/ Examination of Seventh-day Adventism & Ellen G. White]
-* [http://www.truthorfables.com/ Truth or Fables]
-===Apologists===
-* [http://www.ellengwhitetruth.com/ EllenGWhiteTruth.com]
-* [http://www.whiteestate.org/issues/issues.asp White Estate: Answers for the critics and criticisms]
-* [http://ellen-white.com/ Examines the Critics Allegations]
-* [http://www.sabbathpulpit.com/adventist_books_in_pdf_format Free Ebook - Was Ellen White a Plagiarist?]
-* [http://willfults.com/category/sprit-of-prophecy/ Christian Media Ministry - Will Fults]
-{{Criticism of religion}}
-{{DEFAULTSORT:Criticism Of Ellen G. White}}
-[[Category:Ellen G. White]]
-[[Category:Criticism of individuals|White, Ellen G.]]