Changes made to Ellen White’s books – What to do?

The following is what I wrote for someone who said that they didn’t just take other SDAs word for it, but studied the Spirit of Prophecy books for themselves, and had read all the Testimonies etc. They said all the common things I’ve heard – that the later books were better, that Uriah Smith was great, that the words are not so important as they aren’t from God etc.
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That is great that you have delved into many of the books that are pillars of our Seventh-day Adventist faith. That is what a good Berean should to. 🙂
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I wonder if you have read all 33 volumes of “Testimony for the Church”? If so, I wonder what you thot when you found that several testimonies addressed to Uriah Smith were cut up or taken completely out of the 9 volume “Testimonies to the Church”?

And regarding other writings:
1. What did you think about the 1888GC saying that the Roman Catholic Church was not part of Babylon, but the 1911 edition says it is?
2. What did you think about the 1884GC saying that Christ had “warned his disciples”, but the 1888 version says he “warned the world”?
3. What did you think about many places in the 1888GC being a nearly word-for-word copy of Uriah Smith’s books?
4. What did you think of Uriah Smith forming a committee of 5 people to “remove the imperfections” in Ellen White’s books?
5. What did you think of Ellen White’s writing that no one had done more to harm her work than Uriah Smith in the 1890-1892 time frame?
6. What did you think about the Review and Herald not publishing Steps to Christ, so Ellen White had to get Fleming Revell to print it?
7. What did you think about the first chapter in the current Steps to Christ not being in the original at all, and only being put in to secure copyrights in the U.K.?
8. What did you think about Ellen White’s vision where she saw fellow SDAs from Battle Creek marching around her home in a Catholic-like procession, saying “The goods in this house are proscribed?
9. What did you think about Selected Messages and the Preface to 1888/1911GC saying basically that the words in the Bible are not inspired (not God’s words), when that goes against everything in the Bible regarding inspiration, and when Ellen White herself used the phrase “inspired words” 6 times, and “God’s words at least once?
10. What did you think about the quote that says Ellen White used her own words except where the angel told her, which she always put in quote marks, then checked the books to see that she almost never put what the angel told her in quote marks?
11. What did you think about where it says “trumpet after trumpet” is yet to sound, and compare that to the idea that we are currently in the time of the 7th Trumpet?
12. What did you think about the idea that Ellen White wrote the later Great Controversy books for evangelism purposes for the world because the earlier ones were too strong and just for SDAs, when she wrote that she wished all her books would be published, and that we have records that the 1884 Great Controversy sold like hotcakes, even tho Uriah Smith tried to keep in on the shelves, and pushed Bible Readings for the Home instead?
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UPDATE:
The person I wrote this to gave a sadly typical response, saying that I was probably just referring to the “Special Testimonies”, and that Uriah Smith was led of God, and that I shouldn’t be picking at molehills……. That’s what happens when people don’t believe the words are from God.

2 thoughts on “Changes made to Ellen White’s books – What to do?”

  1. Let’s compare:
    The 1888 edition of the Great Controversy says on page 382:

    The message of Revelation 14 announcing the fall of Babylon, must apply to religious bodies that were once pure and have become corrupt. Since this message follows the warning of the Judgment, it must be given in the last days, therefore it cannot refer to the Romish Church, for that church has been in a fallen condition for many centuries.

    But in the 1911 edition it says:

    The message of Revelation 14, announcing the fall of Babylon must apply to religious bodies that were once pure and have become corrupt. Since this message follows the warning of the judgment, it must be given in the last days; therefore it cannot refer to the Roman Church alone, for that church has been in a fallen condition for many centuries.
    It’s not possible that they are both correct.

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