Why I Believe in Mrs. E. G. White

A Frank Admission

We freely admit that pseudo prophets, designing and otherwise, seem particularly to flourish when there is a religious awakening, or when a new religious movement is beginning. But we do not agree with those who would therefore summarily dispose of Mrs. White as simply one more such creature. The conclusion does not necessarily follow. Let us examine this point. A new movement does not immediately possess a well-organized church government or means of defining church membership. That is why it is easy for eccentric and designing persons to claim membership or even leadership in such a movement, hoping thereby to gain some hearing, perhaps even enjoy a transient prosperity. Yes, transient, for such persons almost certainly soon reveal themselves for what they are, and only an equally weird group of hearers would long continue to give ear to them. But the long years have only enhanced Mrs. White’s status among an ever-enlarging body of anything but fanatical people—Seventh-day Adventists. No, Mrs. White cannot be explained away as a crafty by-product of a religious awakening. WBEGW 20.3

This evident fact has led some of Mrs. White’s critics to attempt to dispose of her by patronizingly declaring, not that she was a designing fraud, but simply that she was a neurotic, emotionally unstable creature, who had hallucinations. They have indulgently freed her from the guilt of studied deception only by charging her with mental instability, irrationality, delusions. WBEGW 21.1

Now, if she were an emotionally unstable neurotic, or psychotic, we should expect to see her easily swayed by dominant, and even fanatical, persons around her. Indeed, it is into the snare of fanaticism that most such false prophets fall erelong—particularly if weak-minded or emotionally unstable—thus destroying, sooner or later, the influence they might have over all except a small, hard core of blind followers. WBEGW 21.2

But what does the record reveal? Was Mrs. White carried away with fanatical elements that tried to attach themselves to the early Sabbathkeeping Advent Movement? Is her record stained with incidents of idiotic, embarrassingly fanatical exercises? Did she write in those early days in endorsement and support of weird, erratic behavior? Certainly if she had, critics would long ago have loudly announced that fact, to our confusion. On the contrary, her writings from the very beginning speak clearly and vehemently against any and every variety of fanatical activity. The early record repeatedly tells of her standing before one or another Adventist company and exposing certain persons who tried to lead the Advent believers into fanatical excesses, and actually rescuing some who had fallen into such excesses. WBEGW 21.3

But let us not run ahead of our story. Mrs. White was soon to begin providing proof that she was illumined and guided in a manner uniquely beyond that of others. One of the earliest and most striking of these proofs presented itself within ten months of the time that she first made claim to having visions from God. WBEGW 22.1