"If God requires His people to abstain from swine's flesh, He will convict them on the matter. He is just as willing to show His honest children their duty, as to show their duty to individuals upon whom He has not laid the burden of His work. If it is the duty of the church to abstain from swine's flesh, God will discover it to more than two or three. He will teach His church their duty." [1]
Mrs. White's thrashing of the Curtis family leads one to speculate that she was not very amenable to church members arriving at their own theological conclusions without the approval of James and herself. This was a matter of insubordination and it must be dealt with. After all, Mrs. White thought that her husband had settled the matter forever a few years earlier when he published an article on the subject in the now-defunct Present Truth:
"Some of our good brethren have added 'swine's flesh' to the catalog of things forbidden by the Holy Ghost, and the apostles and elders assembled at Jerusalem. But we feel called upon to protest against such a course, as being contrary to the plain teaching of the holy scriptures. Shall we lay a greater burden on the disciples than seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and the holy apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ? God forbid. Their decision, being right, settled the question with them, and was a cause of rejoicing among the churches, and it should forever settle the question with us."[2]
When James said "We feel called upon to protest against such a course," the "we" he was referring to must have included his wife, the prophetess of God. Thus the Whites must have been grieved that some of their followers were bringing up the subject again after James had settled the question "forever."
A friend of the Curtis family, H.E. Carver, takes us behind the scenes and explains what happened:
Brother and Sister Curtis were among my most intimate friends for many years, and as we lived side by side a portion of the time, I knew some of the circumstances connected with the vision instruction given above. Sister Curtis was a very conscientious woman, and becoming satisfied (long before any movement was made in that direction by Eld. and Mrs. White) that pork-eating was injurious, she tried to banish it &om the table. This produced trouble. Sister C. was a sincere believer in Mrs. White's divine inspiration, and from the extract [testimony] given above, it appears that she must have written to her for instructions, which she received as above; and that professedly through vision... Bro. Curtis also stated that Eld. White had endorsed on the back of the letter the following in substance: 'That you may know how we stand on this question, I would say that we have just put down a two hundred pound porker. [3]
It certainly would have been difficult for the Whites to agree with the Curtis family inasmuch as the Whites had just "put down" a 200-pound pig! Whether or not the Curtis family ever accepted this testimony we may never know. We do know, however, that Mrs. White believed that when she wrote out a testimony, God was speaking through her: "In ancient times God spoke through the mouths of prophets and apostles. In these days he speaks to them by the Testimonies of his Spirit."[4]
In a matter of a few years, Mrs. White was seeing the subject in a new light. The next time she gave voice to God on the subject she wrote: "Never should one morsel of swine's flesh be placed upon your table."[5]
What brought about Ellen White's dramatic shift in health reform? Was it learned by studying the Bible? Was it a vision from God? Not exactly. The White boys had become ill with Diphtheria in January of 1863 and at that time, the Whites had the good fortune to find the writings of a prominent American health reformer named Dr. James Jackson. In the mid-1800s the most prominent medical institution in the United States, featuring reforms in diet and in the treatment of the sick, was operated by Dr. Jackson at Dansville, New York. Dr. Jackson was foremost in promoting a vegetarian two-meal-a-day diet, "water cures (hydrotherapy), and are formed style of dress for women. Grandson Arthur White explains the good fortune of the Whites finding Dr. Jackson's article:
"Fortunately — in the providence of God, no doubt — there had come into their hands, probably through an exchange of papers at the Review office, either the Yates County Chronicle, of Penn Yan, New York, or some journal quoting from it, an extended article entitled 'Diphtheria, Its Causes, Treatment, and Cure.' It was written by Dr. James C. Jackson, of Dansville, New York."[6]
James was so impressed that he reprinted Jackson's article on Diphtheria in the February 17, 1863, edition of the Review and Herald. In June of 1863, James wrote to Dr. Jackson requesting some of his books. James apparently received the books sometime in the late summer or early fall because he printed an article out of Jackson's book Laws of Life in the October 27 issue of the Review and Herald.
In August of 1864, the Whites decided to travel to Dansville, New York, to meet Dr. Jackson. This was quite a step forward for the Whites. Eighteen years earlier, in 1849, Mrs. White had taken a strong stand against the remnant using physicians for their health problems: "If any among us are sick, let us not dishonor God by applying to earthly physicians, but apply to the God of Israel."[7] But times had changed, and perhaps the 1849 statement no longer applied to modern physicians. Besides, this was one of those controversial statements that James had "whited out" when he reprinted Mrs. White's earliest writings in 1851, under the title A Sketch of the Christian Experience and Views of Ellen G. White. Since few were aware of the original statement, it was probably safe to visit a physician.
Mrs. White was apparently impressed with the reforms she witnessed at the Dansville institution, and she and Dr. Jackson became cordial friends. Later, such a close relationship developed that Mrs. White could write that she was warmly received as a guest when she visited Dr. Jackson's home: "The same day I saw Dr. Jackson at his home and he kindly granted me an interview."[8]
Dr. Jackson gave Mrs. White a physical examination. His diagnosis matched that of her Adventist physician. They both diagnosed her unusual medical problems as hysteria. (Hysteria is a medical condition typically beginning during adolescence or early adulthood and occurring more commonly in women. Symptoms of hysterical attacks include visual and auditory hallucinations, paralysis of muscular groups, and unresponsiveness to external stimuli. Hysterical attacks usually diminish as the patient ages and often cease by midlife.)
While Dr. Jackson may have attributed her visions to hallucinations, most Adventists believed the visions came directly from God. Interestingly enough, Mrs. White began to have visions on the subject of health during this time period. When she published The Health Visions, church members who were familiar with Dr. Jackson's writings were incredulous to find that her health reforms so closely resembled his writings. So many questions were raised about their authenticity, Mrs. White was forced to defend her visions in the church's paper:
"As I introduced the subject of health to friends where I labored in Michigan, New England, and in the State of New York, and spoke against drugs and fleshmeats, and in favor of water, pure air, and a proper diet, the reply was often made, 'You speak very nearly the opinions taught in the Laws of Life, and other publications, by Drs. Trail, Jackson, and others. Have you read that paper and those works? ' "My reply was that I had not, neither should I read them till I had fully written out my views, lest it should be said that I have received my light upon the subject of health from physicians, and not from the Lord"
"And after I had written my six articles for How to Live, I then searched the various works on hygiene and was surprised to find them so nearly in harmony with what the Lord had revealed to me."[9]
While Mrs. White was "surprised" by the harmony between her writings and Dr. Jackson's books, some were not surprised at all. For them, here was yet another incident where the writings of others became the visions of Ellen White. While church members were still debating whether Mrs. White read How to Live before or after she published her health articles, Mrs. White decided to publish her first book on health reform. This book would later raise even more difficult questions for the young prophetess. The book, published in 1864, was entitled An Appeal to Mothers: The Great Cause of the Physical, Mental, and Moral Ruin of Children of Our Time. What precious light on health reform had Mrs. White received from God for His remnant people? The whole intent of the book was to warn parents of the dire consequences of masturbation!
Following in the footsteps of health reformer Sylvester Graham, who two decades earlier had written a book on the subject, Mrs. White decided her church members needed to be warned about the health dangers of masturbation. On the first page of her book, she warns of the astonishing number of deaths caused by masturbation: "Have you observed the astonishing mortality among the youth?" She then goes on to explain how masturbation is causing the deaths of young people.
Mrs. White developed a long list of ailments supposedly caused by masturbation. In addition to causing death masturbation also supposedly causes the following ailments:
• Insanity
• Epilepsy
• Impaired eyesight
• Bleeding in the lungs
• Spasms of the heart and lungs
• Diabetes
• Rheumatism
• Affected perspiration
• Consumption [tuberculosis]
• Asthma
Besides these, she lists more than a dozen other ailments caused by masturbation. She warns "self-abuse opens the door for...almost every disease &om which humanity suffers" and "self-abuse is a sure road to the grave.[10]
Let us examine a few excerpts from her book:
"I feel alarmed for those children and you who by solitary vice are ruining themselves...you listen to numerous complaints of headaches, catarrh, dizziness, nervousness, pain in the shoulders and side, loss of appetite, pain in the back and limbs...and have you not noticed that there was a deficiency in the mental health of your children?" "Secret indulgence [masturbation] is, in many cases, the only real cause of the numerous complaints of the young."[11]
"The state of the world is alarming. Everywhere we look we see imbecility, dwarfed forms, crippled limbs, misshapen heads, and deformity of every description... Corrupt habits are wasting their energy, and bringing upon them loathsome and complicated diseases... Children who practice self-indulgence [masturbation] ...must pay the penalty."[12]
"If the practice is continued from the ages of 15 and upward, nature will protest...and will make them pay the penalty...by numerous pains in the system, and various diseases, such as affection of the liver and lungs, neuralgia, rheumatism, affection of the spine, diseased kidneys and cancerous humours... There is often a sudden breaking down of the constitution, and death is the result."[13]
"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... The mind is often utterly ruined, and insanity supervens... Such are just as much self-murderers as though they pointed a pistol to their own breast... Among the young, the vital capital, and the brain are so severely taxed at an early age, that there is deficiency and great exhaustion, which leave the system exposed to diseases of various kinds. But the most common of these is consumption [tuberculosis]... They must die."[14]
Mrs. White goes on to describe the case of a two-year-old child suffering from epilepsy and paralysis whose problems were supposedly brought on by masturbation. She writes, "By the most vigilant use of mechanical means for confining the hands, covering the genitals, etc. the child was at length cured; he now enjoys good health." If such measures were performed by healthcare providers today, they would most likely lose their license to practice, and may even be jailed for child abuse.
According to Mrs. White, not only does masturbation cause death and a wide range of physical ailments, it also causes mental health problems: "The mind is often utterly ruined, and insanity takes place."[15]
Mrs. White continues:
"I saw a young woman in a town in Massachusetts who made herself an idiot by masturbation."[16]
"In the fall of 1844, the writer visited the Massachusetts State Lunatic Hospital... Our attention was suddenly arrested by a peculiarly haggard, frantic, wild, fiendish appearance of a young man, with his eye turned back over his shoulder. Struck with his shocking aspect, we inquired...what was the cause of his insanity. 'Solitary vice,' was the ready reply."[17]
From a modern medical perspective, Mrs. White's statements certainly seem outlandish. Medical research during the 20th century completely disproved the old myths that masturbation leads to insanity, stunts growth, causes blindness, etc. Research has shown no adverse short-term or long-term effects of masturbation. Researchers found that on average, those who masturbated had no higher incidence of disease, eyesight problems, or insanity than the general population. There was also no difference in life expectancy. Even among Seventh-day Adventist physicians, there is now a near-universal belief that masturbation does not cause the illnesses mentioned by Mrs. White. In 1981 physician Dr. Gregory Hunt evaluated Mrs. White's statements on masturbation:
"Anyone can see that these diseases are not caused by masturbation. Tuberculosis is caused by a germ, a specific bacterium. In fact, the germ that causes tuberculosis was discovered shortly after these writings of Ellen White... After reading these wise counsels and realizing Ellen White claimed divine inspiration for them, I would say there is only one class of person who could continue to believe that Ellen White is a true prophet. This type of person can only be classed as an idiot."[18]
Mrs. White's statements may appear idiotic to us today, but in the mid-1800s myths about the perils of masturbation abounded. Health reformer Sylvester Graham helped to popularize the dangers of masturbation. In his Lectures to Young Men on Chastity published in 1834, he lectured on the dangers of "self-abuse" or "self-pollution." Graham believed the symptoms were easy to recognize — victims were usually shy, suspicious, languid, unconcerned with hygiene, jaundiced. According to Graham, a masturbator grows up "with a body full of disease, and with a mind in ruins, the loathsome habit still tyrannizing over him, with the inexorable imperiousness of a fiend of darkness."[19]
Graham warned that masturbation could lead to death:
“...ulcerous sores, in some cases, break out upon the head, breast, back and thighs; and these sometimes enlarge into permanent fistulas, of a cancerous character, and continue, perhaps for years, to discharge great quantities of fetid, loathsome pus; and not infrequently terminate in death."[20]
It is very likely that Mrs. White was familiar with Graham's teachings. In fact, some of Mrs. White's health reforms appear to closely resemble those of Mr. Graham. In 1849, some 14 years before Mrs. White's first vision on this subject, Sylvester Graham expounded upon health reform in his book Lectures on the Science of Human Life. Here are the reforms he proposed:
• Avoid all simulating and unnatural foods, living "entirely on the products of the vegetable kingdom and pure water."
• Butter should be used "very sparingly."
• Fresh milk and eggs were frowned upon but not proscribed.
• Cheese was permitted only if mild and unaged.
• Condiments and spices, such as pepper, mustard, and cinnamon, were banned as being "all highly exciting and exhausting."
• Tea and coffee, like alcohol and tobacco, poisoned the system.
• Pastries, with the exception of fruit pies, were "among the most pernicious articles of human ailment."
• Sleep was preferable before midnight.
• Sleep should be taken in a well-ventilated room.
• A sponge bath every morning was desirable.
• Clothing should not be restrictive.
• "All medicine, as such, is itself an evil." [21]
To avid readers of Ellen White the above reforms sound all too familiar. As the years advanced and medical science advanced, people undoubtedly began to question whether Mrs. White's counsel on "self-abuse" had originated with God or Sylvester Graham. Even Ellen White seems to have backed away from the subject in later life. Despite writing prolifically on the topic during her early career, she did not write a single word about masturbation during the last 40 years of her life.
Today, most Adventists are completely unaware that the book Appeal to Mothers ever existed. One would expect that a prophet's first book on health reform would contain valuable insight from heaven for her followers. Not so in this case! The book was removed from publication many years ago. Like so many of her other writings and visions that were proven incorrect, this book simply disappeared from the public sight. Unlike fellow prophet Mary Baker Eddy — whose first book Science and Health, published in 1875, sold over 10 million copies — Mrs. White's first health reform book was a dismal failure. Later efforts would prove more successful. With the assistance of her staff of professional writers and editors, she was able to produce a much better health reform book that is still available today, entitled Ministry of Healing. Not surprisingly, the subject of "self-abuse" is never mentioned. Appeal to Mothers may have been the first book to disappear from publication, but it was not to be the last.
Footnotes:
1. Ellen White, Testimonies, vol. 1, p. 206.
2. James White, Present Truth, "Swine's Flesh„" Nov. 1850.
3. H.E. Carver, Mrs. E.G. 8%ite s Claims to Divine Inspiration
4. Ellen White, Testimonies, vol. 4, p. 148.
5. Ibid., vol 2, p. 93.
6. Arthur White, Early Years, Vol. 2, p. 13.
7. Ellen White, "To Those Who Are Receiving the Seal of the Living
8. Ellen White, Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, February 27,
9. Ibid., Oct. 8, 1867.
10. Ellen White, Appeal to Mothers, pp. 84,85,90.
11. Ibid. pp. 11,13.
12. Ibid. pp. 14.
13. Ibid. pp. 14,15.
14. Ibid. p. 17.
15. Ibid., p. 27
16. Ibid., p. 3.
17. Ibid., p. 4.
18. Gregory Hunt, M.D., Beware This Cult, "' The Masturbation Connection *', 1981.
19. Sylvester Graham, Lectures to Young Men on Chastity, 1834.
20. SylvesterGraham, Lectures on the science of Human Life, pp. 224- 286, 1849
Source: "White Out: An Investigation of Ellen G. White" by Dirk Anderson pp. 92-103
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