Heavenly Visions

DEFENDS ORIGINALITY OF WHITE PROPHECY

In her Feb. 5 Sun story “Adventists keep Faith, despite advent of doubt,” staff writer Roberta Green observes that the charges of “plagiarism” against Ellen White, who, with her husband, James White started the 1844 religious awakening that led to the creation of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, “questions the very foundation of the church’s teachings.” HEVI 130.2

This could be true,-if the charges were true-which of course, they are not. Christ himself had a doubting Thomas as well as a traitor among his 12 disciples. So why should a whole church of almost 4 million members fall apart just because one out of the 4 million lost his way? HEVI 130.3

Our Lord predicted the coming of unstable believers among his followers who have “no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.” HEVI 130.4

Walter Rae was the defrocked minister who lost his “roots” and went astray when tempted by a hunger for publicity to write a book, which was so sensational that a reporter he had asked to come to his house for an interview put his picture on the front page. HEVI 130.5

I shall quote from the published interview, which is supposed to show “examples of similar writings” that Rae calls “plagiarism.” HEVI 130.6

These “examples” are the basis for his “plagiarism” charges, and they are so far out that the L.A. Times reporter must have been having an exceptionally dull day in order to fall for it(L.A.Times,Oct.23,1980). HEVI 130.7

He takes as his examples: HEVI 130.8

“The eagle of the Alps is sometimes beaten down by the tempest into the narrow defiles of the mountains” (This poetic description is somewhat similar to that of another writer-strictly back-ground material. What it has to do with “the church’s teachings nobody knows) HEVI 130.9

Another example: “Satan has a large confederacy....Christ calls them the synagogue of Satan...” (Taken from the Bible.) HEVI 130.10

Still another “example“: “The greatest want of the world is men who will not be bought or sold” This “example” had been printed earlier in the official SDA Church paper. Editor: Mr. White, Ellen White’s husband. HEVI 130.11

These, plus two more similar “examples”-that’s all the proof this so-called “scholar” gives in this unbelievable interview. If Shakespeare were alive today to face the small cult that to this day accuse him of plagiarism, he probably would call it, “Much ado about nothing.” HEVI 130.12

Even legitimate authors seek interviews for publicity purposes when they launch a new book. This is OK if truthful. But no reporter should allow himself to be “used” to malign millions of fine people in order to get a “scoop.” Unfortunately, as the executive editor of the Boston Globe said in a speech before the convention of newspaper editors in Washington, D.C., “Many reporters are neither accurate nor fair,” and urged them to improve upon their methods. HEVI 130.13

The unfortunate interview between Walter Rae and reporter John Dart of the Times opened up a Pandora’s box of evil reports that have slandered one of the greatest women this country ever fostered. HEVI 130.14

Thanks to her “genius,” as Dr. Clive McCay of Cornel University called her, and “her revolutionary theories a century ago” as famous newscaster Paul Harvey spoke of her, over 5,000 schools, churches, hospitals and health institutes around the world she was responsible for creating, including the Loma Linda Medical Center and Medical School, the White Memorial Hospital in L.A. and the Glendale Medical Center-all this and much more was created by this great woman, a modern-day prophetess whose remarkably accurate predictions were copyrighted by the U.S. government years before they were fulfilled (50 copyrighted books). H.C. RUST Loma Linda HEVI 130.15