"She didn’t know it was plagiarism.""She just took notes and wrote in her own voice.""James White should’ve taught her better.""Plagiarism laws were different in the U.S. than in England.""Even the Gospel writers copied each other and didn’t cite sources."
Let’s break these down honestly, while also remembering that Ellen White isn’t just seen as a Christian author—she is considered a prophet, messenger, and source of truth equal to Scripture in the SDA Church (Fundamental Belief #18).
1. “Plagiarism Laws Were Different in the U.S.”
Some Adventists say that plagiarism, especially in the 1800s, wasn’t illegal in the U.S. the way it was in England. And that’s partly true — U.S. copyright law in Ellen White’s time wasn’t as strict as modern laws, and some borrowed content could be legally reused.
But here's the key issue:
Just because something wasn’t illegal doesn’t mean it wasn’t unethical.
Biblically, God’s prophets were not evaluated based on civil laws but on God’s moral standards and truthfulness.
“Behold, I am against the prophets... that steal my words everyone from his neighbor.” — Jeremiah 23:30
Even if there was no lawsuit filed, Ellen White repeatedly claimed her books were not her own but were divinely inspired. That’s a much bigger issue than whether or not copyright was enforced.
Plus, in her own time, Ellen and James White actively denied she used other sources, even though they had clear knowledge of it. That’s deception.
How about Vincent Ramik?
Vincent Ramik’s name often comes up in defense of Ellen White. He was a Catholic copyright lawyer hired by the SDA General Conference in the early 1980s, and yes, he said she didn’t break any U.S. copyright laws. But here’s the thing: not breaking copyright laws doesn’t automatically mean she didn’t plagiarize—at least not in the ethical or moral sense. Copyright laws back in Ellen White’s day were way more relaxed than they are now. So even if something wasn’t “illegal,” it doesn’t mean it was honest, especially when we’re talking about someone claiming divine inspiration.
Even Ramik himself admitted that Ellen White borrowed a lot from other authors. He just argued it didn’t break the law. But borrowing huge chunks of other people’s work without credit and then claiming it came straight from God that’s what people are really questioning.
So, this isn’t just about legal stuff it’s about integrity, transparency, and whether her writings were truly unique and inspired the way she claimed. That’s why this issue keeps coming up.
2. “Even the Gospel Writers Didn’t Credit Their Sources”
Another common SDA defense is this:
“Matthew, Mark, and Luke reused material from each other without citation. So if that’s okay in the Bible, Ellen White copying other authors must be okay too.”
Here’s why that argument fails:
➤ A. The Gospel writers were guided by the Holy Spirit
The Gospels do share similar content (called the "Synoptic Problem"), but we believe—along with the historic Christian church—that the writers were:
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Inspired by the Holy Spirit
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Guided into all truth (John 16:13)
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Writing with divine authority, not claiming originality
None of the Gospel writers denied their dependence or claimed, “These are all my original visions,” like Ellen White did. In fact, Luke was transparent about it:
“Many have undertaken to draw up an account... I myself have carefully investigated everything... to write an orderly account.” — Luke 1:1–3
Luke admitted he used sources! Ellen White never did—until she was caught.
➤ B. Gospel similarities don’t equal plagiarism
The writers were not copying word-for-word large blocks of text like Ellen White did. There is no deception or false claim of originality in the Gospels. In contrast, Ellen White used other writers' ideas, words, and even health principles—without telling anyone—and then claimed divine authorship.
“I do not write one article in paper expressing merely my own ideas. They are what God has opened before me in vision.” — Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 67
You can’t say, “God showed me this in vision,” if it came from someone else’s book.
3. How Was Much of Her Writing Copied?
The SDA Church’s own commissioned study by Dr. Fred Veltman found:
- Around 31% of the sentences in The Desire of Ages were clearly dependent on other sources
- Some chapters were up to 90% copied
- She borrowed from non-Adventist Protestant, Catholic, and even health-reform authors
- She rarely gave credit—and usually denied using outside material
Even worse, she often changed the meaning of texts or rearranged events in Jesus’ life to fit her own theology, despite lacking any linguistic or theological training.
4. The Bigger Issue: The Cover-Up
The plagiarism itself is troubling. But even more disturbing is the decades-long cover-up:
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Church leaders denied, minimized, or excused the evidence
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Some early documents, letters, and source lists were destroyed
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Many SDA members today still don’t know the extent of the copying
This wasn’t just a misunderstanding of 19th-century copyright laws—it was a willful concealment to preserve her prophetic status.
5. Why This Matters
This is not about nitpicking Ellen White's personal habits. It’s about spiritual authority.
If she’s just a helpful devotional writer, then perhaps it wouldn’t be such a big issue.
But if you’re claiming:
“Her writings are a source of truth that God has given for the remnant church...”
“The same Spirit that inspired the Bible writers inspired her...”
...then copying, covering up, and attributing other people’s thoughts to God is not just problematic—it’s blasphemous.
Let’s Go Back to the Real Source: Scripture
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable... that the man of God may be complete.” — 2 Timothy 3:16–17
“Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.” — Proverbs 30:6
We don’t need Ellen White’s “lesser light” when we have the complete, sufficient, and inerrant Word of God.
Conclusion: It’s Time for Full Honesty
Ellen White was not transparent. She copied heavily, denied it, and the church defended her instead of correcting her. That’s not how prophets behave.
If you are an SDA friend reading this, I invite you to ask yourself:
Can you follow Jesus fully while holding on to a prophet who borrowed and misled—even unintentionally—about the source of her messages?
The gospel is good news, not secret knowledge delivered by a “last-day prophetess.” Jesus alone is enough.
Former Adventists Philippines
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