Ellen White's Push for Vegetarianism
Ellen White, a prominent figure, made strong declarations against eating meat, presenting vegetarianism as a crucial part of God's final health message. She stated:
"God is trying to lead us back, step by step, to His original design that man should subsist upon the natural products of the earth. Among those who are waiting for the coming of the Lord, meat eating will eventually be done away; flesh will cease to form a part of their diet." (Ellen G. White, Counsels on Diet and Foods, p. 380)
She further claimed that physical strength doesn't rely on animal products:
"It is a mistake to suppose that muscular strength depends on the use of animal food." (Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing, p. 316)
And she argued that meat was never ideal, especially with the increasing number of animal diseases:
"Flesh was never the best food; but its use is now doubly objectionable, since disease in animals is so rapidly increasing." (Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing, p. 313)
She even linked meat consumption to spiritual peril:
"Those who use flesh meat disregard all the warnings that God has given concerning this question. They have no evidence that they are walking in safe paths." (Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 9, p. 159)
Ellen White's Contradictory Concessions
Despite her firm stance, White also made statements that seemed to contradict her earlier pronouncements:
"Where plenty of good milk and fruit can be obtained there is rarely a necessity for eating animal food. It is not necessary to discard it entirely, but it should be used with great care." (Ellen G. White, Letter 14, 1901, in Counsels on Diet and Foods, p. 394)
Even more explicitly, she wrote:
"A meat diet is not the most wholesome of diets, and yet I would not take the position that meat should be discarded by everyone." (Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 9, p. 162)
This appears to be a clear example of contradictory statements.
Ellen White Herself Ate Meat
Despite her severe condemnations of meat-eating, historical accounts indicate Ellen White consumed meat on various occasions, even years after claiming to have received divine visions against it.
Ellen White Ate Oysters
"Mrs. White’s fondness for oysters and her willingness to eat them was well known to her family and friends. She partook of oysters during her trip to the East in 1882." (D.M. Canright, Life of Mrs. E.G. White, Chapter 15; also cited by Ronald Numbers in Prophetess of Health, p. 195)
Ellen White Ate Chicken and Duck
In a letter from 1887, she wrote:
"We have not had one particle of meat in our house since we came to Basel, excepting a little chicken broth for May Walling. We have eaten no meat since we came here, but I have cooked meat several times." (Letter 19a, 1887)
She states they ate no meat "excepting a little chicken broth," but then admits to cooking meat several times, showcasing an inconsistency in practice.
Ellen White Ate Wild Game
"On one occasion during a camp meeting in the 1890s, Ellen White was served duck, and she partook of it." (Arthur L. White, The Ellen G. White Biography, Vol. 5, p. 395)
These instances suggest that Ellen White violated her own prohibitions, consuming animal flesh even after advocating it was unclean and spiritually dangerous. This appears to be a clear case of hypocrisy.
Examining Vegetarianism Biblically
The claim that vegetarianism is a moral or spiritual imperative is challenged by biblical passages.
The Bible Permits Meat-Eating from the Beginning
Genesis 9:3 states:
"Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything."
The Hebrew text, "כָּל־רֶמֶשׂ אֲשֶׁר הוּא חַי לָכֶם יִהְיֶה לְאָכְלָה כְּיֶרֶק עֵשֶׂב נָתַתִּי לָכֶם אֶת־כֹּל," grants divine permission to eat all animals after the flood, including more than just "clean" animals.
Daniel Did Not Promote Vegetarianism as a Moral Law
Daniel 1:8 mentions Daniel refusing the king's food. However, this refusal was not because it was meat, but because it was defiled. The Hebrew word for "defile" is yitgā’al (יִטְגָּאָל), which implies ritual contamination, not a health concern or a universal vegetarian ethic. The issue was likely the food being sacrificed to idols or ceremonially unclean according to Mosaic law.
Furthermore, in Daniel 10:3, he later stated:
"I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth..."
This implies that he normally did eat meat and wine, and his abstinence was temporary for mourning. Therefore, Daniel was not a lifelong vegetarian.
Jesus and the Apostles Ate Meat
Jesus considered a perfect model, consumed meat:
Luke 24:42–43: "They gave Him a piece of broiled fish, and He took it and ate before them."
John 21:9–13: The resurrected Christ served grilled fish to His disciples.
If eating meat were sinful, then Jesus would have sinned, which is deemed impossible.
Debunking Ellen White's Health Vision and Its Legalism
The Health Vision of Ellen White
Ellen White claimed to receive a health vision on June 6, 1863, in Otsego, Michigan, stating:
"I was shown that meat eating is detrimental to health and increases the animal passions." (Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 2, p. 63)
This "vision" is presented as directly contradicted by Scripture.
Scriptural Rebuttals to Her Health Legalism
Colossians 2:14–16: "...having canceled the written code with its regulations... Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink..."
The Greek phrase brōsis kai posis (βρῶσις καὶ πόσις) encompasses any food law, not just ceremonial ones.
Colossians 2:21–22: "Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch... according to human precepts and teachings."
Ellen White's enforcement of vegetarianism is argued to fall directly under these human regulations.
1 Timothy 4:1–4: "...some will depart from the faith... commanding to abstain from foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving..."
The Greek term for "foods" is brōmatōn (βρωμάτων), which is general for all edible foods, including meat. Paul's statement is interpreted as forbidding meat being a "doctrine of demons," not divine health guidance.
Romans 14:1–3: "One believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables."
Paul refers to the vegetarian as "the weak in faith," not the enlightened one.
Romans 14:17: "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."
This suggests that Ellen White's emphasis on eating and drinking made it central to her gospel, which is seen as a "gospel of flesh," not of grace.
Final Analysis: Ellen White's Promotion of Hypocrisy and Legalism
The author concludes that Ellen White's teachings demonstrate hypocrisy and legalism:
- She condemned meat-eaters as spiritually weak yet privately consumed meat.
- She presented health regulations as divine revelation, which is seen as contradicting biblical liberty.
- She allegedly built a Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) culture of legalism that binds consciences beyond the Word of God.
- This behavior is labeled as "hypocrisy of the highest order." Her teachings are considered not "gospel-centered" but akin to Colossians 2:23:
"These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism... but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh."
The true gospel, according to the author, emphasizes freedom:
- "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." – John 8:32
- "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free." – Galatians 5:1
Conclusion
Ellen White’s vegetarian doctrine is presented as unbiblical, hypocritical, and legalistic. Her personal lifestyle is argued to contradict her claimed visions. The New Covenant is seen as freeing believers from dietary laws, making meat-eating not a spiritual issue. Her teachings are deemed refuted by Scripture, lexical analysis, and reason.
The call to action is for believers to "stand complete in Christ, not in diet," and to "live by grace, not by gastro-legalism."
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