Ellen G. White

[[File:Egw1899.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Ellen G. White in 1899]]{{christianity|1}}
{{cquote|Indulgence in unlawful things has become a power to deprave mankind, to dwarf the mind and to pervert the faculties. Just such a state of things as exists today existed before the [[global flood|flood]] and before the [[Sodom and Gomorrah|destruction of Sodom]]. Dissipation is on the increase in our world. Handbills on which [[pornography|indecent pictures]] are printed are posted up along our streets to allure the eyes and deprave the morals. These presentations are of such a character as to stir up the basest passions of the human heart through corrupt imaginings. These corrupt imaginings are followed by [[sex|defiling practices]] like those in which the Sodomites indulged. But the most terrible part of the evil is that it is practiced under the garb of sanctity. Our youth will be defiled, their thoughts degraded, and their souls polluted unless they are barricaded with the truth.|||Ellen White, ranting about pornography and homosexuality in 1875<ref>[https://m.egwwritings.org/ro/book/122.594#601 Testimonies on Sexual Behavior, Adultery, and Divorce,] Chapter 16—Homosexuality. egwwritings.org.</ref>}}

'''Ellen G. White''' {{lived|1827|1915}} co-founded [[Seventh-day Adventism]] (SDA) in 1863. Some followers of her writings consider her a [[prophet]], an opinion which makes it difficult for them to dispute/criticize her opinions. Her best-known books, ''The Great Controversy'' (1858), ''Steps to Christ'' (1892), and ''The Desire of Ages'' (1898), circulate widely, and the distribution of them is a core outreach of Adventism, thus they can often be had for free. ''The Great Controversy'' offers a [[Restorationist]] narrative of the [[apostasy]] and later restoration of the [[Christian Church]], the key issue for White being the abandonment and later restoration of Saturday (or Sabbath-day) worship. ''The Desire of Ages'' is a long book on the person and life of [[Jesus]], while ''Steps to Christ'' is a shorter evangelistic book. White also wrote on health matters and espoused [[vegetarianism]], [[teetotalism]], and exiting the cities to move to rural areas and become self-sufficient,<ref>See, for example, [https://m.egwwritings.org/pl/book/25.3#0 ''Country Living'',] a booklet compiling her writings on this subject.</ref> both for health reasons and because of her belief in the coming [[end times]], perhaps within her lifetime. The back-to-the-land belief is a sort of forerunner to more recent [[survivalism|survivalist]] practices of some Christians who believe the end times are imminent. Those who consider her a prophet take her visions of the end times seriously, including a vision of hers cited by believers as purportedly predicting [[9/11]].<ref>[http://www.truthorfables.net/nyc_wtc_9-11_terrorist_attacks.htm The September 11 World Trade Center Attacks.] The Ellen White Research Project at truthorfables.net.</ref>

One can view White as the mother of [[Young Earth creationism]] (YEC), though not that many people noticed while she was alive.<ref name=trollinger>
''Righting America at the Creation Museum'' by Susan L. Trollinger & William Vance Trollinger Jr. (2016) Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 1421419513.</ref> White proclaimed that [[YHWH]] constructed the Earth in 6 literal days and furthermore that [[The Flood]] rearranged the geological record, both key elements of YEC.<ref name=trollinger/> A fellow-SDA member, {{wpl|George McCready Price||,}} published three books that helped popularize White's pronouncements: ''Outlines of Modern Christianity and Modern Science'' (1902), ''The Fundamentals of Geology'' (1913) and ''The New Geology'' (1923).<ref name=trollinger/>

In addition to White's irrational obsession about a particular day of the week, her writings are filled with rants about [[sexuality]], [[pornography]], [[masturbation]], and other examples of what she called "moral depravity".<ref>Ellen G. White, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/120.1512 ''Testimonies for the Church,''] vol. 2, Chapter 51—Moral Pollution.</ref><ref>Ellen G. White, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/122.607 ''Testimonies on Sexual Behavior, Adultery, and Divorce,''] Chapter 17—Masturbation.</ref><ref>Ellen G. White, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/8.2071 ''Child Guidance,''] Section 16—Preserving Moral Integrity, Chapter 68—Prevalence of Corrupting Vices.</ref> White has been accused of [[plagiarism|plagiarizing]] contemporary sources in her writings about the ill-effects of masturbation and that she was merely reflecting the prevailing beliefs of her times.<ref>Robert L. Numbers, [https://books.google.com/books?id=TNRP8NLNyvEC&pg ''Prophetess of Health: A Study of Ellen G. White,''] 2008, p. 207-208. ISBN 0802803954.</ref>

==See also==
*[[National Sunday law]]

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Ellen G.}}
[[Category:Creationism]]
[[Category:Cult leaders]]
[[Category:Homophobes]]
[[Category:Plagiarists]]
[[Category:Prophets]]
[[Category:Purity culture]]
[[Category:Racists]]

Categories: Creationism, Cult leaders, Homophobes, Plagiarists, Prophets, Purity culture, Racists