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27 August 2001 ... updated 5 November 2001
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Mis-information #1
Seventh-day Adventism officially teaches that the writings
of Ellen White, their prophetess, are inspired by God, and therefore
equal to the Bible. Ellen White is their prophet, and these
are her words I will quote to you.
See the following quote, where it is even implied that her writings
are BETTER than the Bible, because they are longer, more recently
written, better organised, and can be read in the original language.
"As Seventh-day Adventists we are uniquely fortunate in approaching
this question. We are not left to find our way, drawing conclusions
only from writings penned 19 centuries ago, which have come down
to us through varied transcriptions and translations. Concerning
inspiration, with us it is an almost contemporary matter, for
we have a prophet in our midst... What is more, rather than having
in our possession only relatively short documents or a handful
of letters, as is the case with the extant records of the Bible
prophets, we have the full range of Ellen G. White writings penned
through a period of 70 years, embodying her published books, her
4,600 periodical articles, and her manuscripts, letters, and diaries.
We have also the testimonies of her contemporaries - eyewitness
accounts of those who lived and worked closely with her. Both
she and they discussed many points touching on the visions and
on the manner in which the light was imparted to her, and how
she, in turn, conveyed the messages to those for whom they were
intended. In other words, the eyewitnesses discussed the operation
of inspiration... Further, she wrote in a modern language, so
a large number of people today can study her writings in the original
language, without needing to depend on a translation. Rarely,
too, is it necessary to depend upon a transcription." - Inspiration
and the Ellen G. White Writings, reprint, p. 3.
Read also the following:
"Yet, now when I send you a testimony of warning and reproof,
many of you declare it to be merely the opinion of Sister White.
You thereby insulted the Spirit of God." Testimonies 5, p.
64.
"In these letters which I write, in the testimonies I bear,
I am presenting to you that which the Lord has presented to me.
I do not write one article in the paper expressing merely my own
ideas. They are what God has opened before me in vision-the precious
rays of light shining from the throne." Testimonies 5 p.
67.
"If you lessen the confidence of God's people in the testimonies
He has sent them, you are rebelling against God as were Korah,
Dathan, and Abriam." Testimonies 5 p. 66.
"The Testimonies are of the Spirit of God, or of the devil.
In arraying yourself against the servants of God you are doing
a work either for God or for the devil." Testimonies 4 p.
230.
Thus we can see that Adventism officially teaches that Ellen White
is inspired, that her writings are the word of God, and since
all God's words are equally and fully the word of God, Ellen White
is equal to the Bible.
This is false doctrine.
Mis-information #2
I want to present another false teaching of the Adventist
church - Arianism, the idea that Jesus is not God. This
teaching is contradicted by many texts in the Bible, such as John
1:1, but, as with many such matters, Adventism teaches it anyway.
Here are some quotes from early Adventists, including their prophet
Ellen White and her husband, James White.
James White:
Here James is referring to 2 Tim 4:4, "they will turn their
ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables,"
and gives an example of such a fable: "Here we might mention
the Trinity, which does away the personality of God and His Son
Jesus Christ." - Review end Herald, Dec. 11, 1855. p. 85.
Also: "... the old unscriptural trinitarian creed, viz. that
Jesus is the Eternal God." - The Day-Star, Jan 21, 1846.
Joseph Bates:
"Respecting the trinity, I concluded that it was impossible
for me to believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father,
was also the Almighty God, the Father, one and the same being."
- Autobiography (Battle Creek, 1888), 205.
J N Loughborough:
On the Trinity: "There ore many objections which we might
urge, but on account of our limited space we shall reduce them
to the three following: 1. It is contrary to common sense. 2.
It is contrary to scripture (sic). Its origin is pagan and fabulous."
- Review and Herald, Nov. 5, 1861.
R. F. Cottrell:
"To hold the doctrine of the trinity is not so much an evidence
of evil intention as of intoxication from that wine of which all
the nations have drunk, The fact that this was one of the leading
doctrines, if not the very chief, upon which the bishop of Rome
was exalted to the popedom, does not say much in its favor."
- Review and Herald, July 6, 1869.
N. Andrews:
He teaches that everything in the universe except God the Father
had a beginning, and we cannot take literally the phrase "having
neither beginning of days" in Heb 7:3, and then writes: "And
as to the Son of God, he would be excluded also, for he had God
for his Father, and did, at some point in the eternity of the
past, have a beginning of days." - Review and Herald, Sept.
7, 1869.
W. W. Prescott:
"Christ as twice born, once in eternity, the only begotten
of the Father, and once in the flesh ..." - Review and Herald,
April 14, 1986, 232.
Uriah Smith:
He calls Jesus "the first created being" - Thoughts,
Critical end Practical, on the Book of Revelation (Battle Creek,
1865), 59.
Ellen White:
"A special light beamed in his (Satan's) countenance, and
shone around him brighter and more beautiful than around the other
angels: yet Jesus, God's dear Son, had the pre-eminence over all
the angelic host. He was one with the Father before the
angels were created, Satan was envious of Christ, and gradually
assumed command which devolved on Christ alone. "The great
Creator assembled the heavenly host, that he might in the presence
of all the angels confer special honor upon his Son... The Father
then made known that it was ordained by himself that Christ, his
Son, should be equal with himself; so that wherever was the presence
of his Son, it was his own presence... His Son would carry
out His will and His purposes, but would do nothing of himself
alone." - Spirit of Prophecy, 1:17, 18
Ellen White also refers to the Holy Spirit as "it" -
"O my brethren, will you grieve the Holy Spirit, and cause
it to depart?" - Selected Messages, book 1, p. 126.
See also Testimonies to the Church, 1:124; 1888 Material, 1249;
Pamphlet 154, 4; Youth Instructor, 8-1-1895.
Obviously, Adventist belief is unscriptural.
What it all means
Arianism is NOT an official Adventist teaching,
although all the quotes are authentic.
Ellen White is NOT considered equal to the Bible by Adventism,
even though these quotations are the real thing, and even though,
in practice, this is often the case.
I have made this phoney claim to make a point. Such an extreme
is perhaps necessary - some Adventists refuse to acknowledge
that quotes need to be taken in context, and they refuse to acknowledge
the difference between official Catholic sources and the opinion
of Catholics who happen to get published in unofficial sources.
By giving them a list of damning quotes from well-known Adventist
founders and elders from the past, they will see that merely quoting
unofficial texts does not prove anything, because they know well
that Adventism does not officially teach these things (although
many do consider Ellen White to be inspired, and Arianism is certainly
on the increase within Adventism.)
Hopefully, their response will be to deny these claims, at
which point they need to realise that they must be prepared
to treat my religion with the same honesty they want me to apply
to their religion.
Click here to find out HOW Adventists mistreat Catholicism in this way.
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