Alam mo ba na ang isa sa pinaka-explosive historical finds ng Seventh-day Adventist movement ay hindi galing sa vision ni Ellen White—kundi sa isang old newspaper clipping? Oo, legit.
March 1986, isang seminary student ng Andrews University na si Bruce Weaver ang nakahanap ng record tungkol sa arestuhan at trial ni Israel Dammon, close friend ni Ellen White. Ang nakita niya? Isang scandalous na pagkakaiba sa kwento ni Ellen White kumpara sa court testimony mismo.[1]
Eh bakit magkaiba? Sino ang dapat paniwalaan—yung self-proclaimed prophetess o yung mga eyewitness na nagsalita under oath?
Para maintindihan, balik tayo sa 1845.
Fanatic Frenzy After the Great Disappointment
Bagong-bago pa ang sugat ng “Great Disappointment.” Kaya naman puno ng religious confusion at fanaticism ang mga Millerite. Meetings nila? Hindi sa church, kundi sa mga bahay-bahay. At guess what—hindi ito yung tahimik na prayer meeting na iniisip mo.
Ang eksena? May “holy kissing,” malakas na sigawan at kantahan, mga tao naglalabasan ng visions habang nakahiga sa sahig, mixed footwashing, multiple baptisms, at minsan pati "crawling at barking." [2]
Ganyan ang backdrop nung dumating si Ellen Harmon (later White) sa Atkinson, Maine, February 16, 1845.
Kasama niya si Israel Dammon (isang dating sea captain turned preacher), at kapwa prophetess na si Dorinda Baker. Nandoon din si James White.
Eyewitness Testimonies: Chaos in the Name of God?
Sa korte, nag-testify ang isang 37-year-old lawyer na si William Crosby:
“They would at times all be talking at once, hallooing at the top of their voices... A woman on the floor lay on her back with a pillow under her head; she would occasionally arouse up and tell a vision... By spells it was the most noisy assembly I ever attended.”[3]
Talaga bang presence ng Holy Spirit ‘yan, o parang drunken frolic lang? Sabi nga ng isa pang witness, si Deacon James Rowe:
“Of all the places I ever was in, I never saw such a confusion, not even in a drunken frolic.”[4]
Dagdag pa ni Loton Lambert: may babaeng nakahiga sa sahig na tinawag nilang “Imitation of Christ” na nagre-relate ng visions, at nag-uutos sa mga tao na iwan lahat ng kaibigan nila o else… diretso impyerno. [5]
At alam mo kung sino yung “Imitation of Christ”? Si Ellen Harmon mismo.[6]
Ellen White’s Story: Supernatural vs. Sheriff’s Report
Ngayon, fast forward sa mismong arestuhan.
Sabi ni Ellen White sa kanyang libro Spiritual Gifts (1860): nung dumating ang sheriff, tinangkang arestuhin si Dammon pero… “the power of God” daw ang pumigil sa mga pulis. Kahit 12 men, hindi raw nila maigalaw si Dammon sa sahig. After 40 minutes, miracle-style, binuhat na lang siya “as easily as a child.”[7]
Wow. Kung movie, parang Avengers scene! Pero teka—ano ba sabi ng mismong Sheriff Joseph Moulton under oath?
“I went to the prisoner and took him by the hand... A number of women jumped on to him—he clung to them, and they to him. So great was the resistance, that I with three assistants, could not get him out... After more help arrived we overpowered them and got him out in custody.” [8]
So alin ang totoo? Supernatural miracle or simpleng physical obstruction? At kung may “glory of God” talaga, bakit walang ni isa sa 30 witnesses na nag-testify in support of Ellen White’s version?
Trial Verdict: Released or Jailed?
Ayon kay Ellen White, acquitted daw si Dammon at nagkaroon pa ng opportunity to share his faith at kumanta ng hymn. [9]
Pero ayon sa Piscataquis Farmer (yung newspaper mismo), guilty si Dammon sa “disturbing the peace” at sinentensyahan ng 10 days sa jail. [10]
So alin na naman ang totoo? Released, o jailed?
Fanatic Practices: Crawling, Barking, Holy Kissing
Maraming details ang iniwan ni Ellen White sa kanyang account. Hindi niya binanggit na may mga taong nag-creep sa sahig on hands and knees “as a mark of humility.” Witnesses testified na minsan pati si Dammon mismo gumagapang kasama ng iba. [11]
Nakakatawa? Nakakahiya? O nakakatakot? Is this really how the Spirit of God works—through crawling, barking, and shouting?
Interestingly, by 1894, si Ellen White mismo nagsulat na:
“Wild methods and strange freaks and confusion are not authorized by the God of order.” [12]
Eh pero noong 1840s, siya mismo ang nasa gitna ng ganitong eksena!
The Disappearing Dammon Story
Nung nirepublish ang Spiritual Gifts sa title na Spirit of Prophecy (1877), nawala bigla yung Dammon incident. Bakit kaya? Maybe dahil by that time, si Dammon mismo had publicly rejected Ellen White at ang “shut door” visions niya.[13]
How convenient na mawala ang kwento once the “hero” of her miracle turned against her.
Conclusion: A Pattern of Contradictions
Kung yung arrest and trial ni Israel Dammon ay ganito ka-contradictory, paano pa yung ibang supernatural claims ni Ellen White—yung tipong she held up a 40-pound Bible, or stopped breathing for hours?
Kahit si SDA General Conference President A.G. Daniels (1919) nagtanong: “How much of that is genuine, and how much has crawled into the story?” [14]
Kung mismong mga leaders nila doubtful, dapat ba tayong maniwala agad?
At higit sa lahat—kung totoong prophet of God si Ellen White, bakit ang dami niyang mismong eyewitness contradictions?
Baka nga mas tama si Israel Dammon, na after seeing her visions firsthand, walked away and never looked back.
References
Former Adventists Philippines
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