With all that said Avonia, we desperately need a new catagory between true and false.
It's easier to deify or vilify people than it is to come into relationship with them.
My family was possibly a bit out of the ordinary in the sense that Ellen White was understood as a remarkable teacher, but we did not make the demands or have the expectations that many SDAs did.
Some of her writing reflects a high level of perception - contributions on education being a good example. And some of her writing reflects projections stemming from fear.
So, there are some things she said that are highly relevant and useful, some things that are sort of ordinary, and some things that are skewed - and as BFA and others have pointed out - potentially harmful. Said more simply, she was human. The same is true with every other teacher on the planet - including each of us as learners/teachers.
Our work is coming into a deeper understanding of the mix so we can benefit from the contributions teachers make that support right action, mitigate the potential harm from the projections based in fear, and understand the middle of the spectrum - as you pointed out Crib - where it doesn't really matter one way or the other.
It's easier to deify or vilify people than it is to come into relationship with them.
My family was possibly a bit out of the ordinary in the sense that Ellen White was understood as a remarkable teacher, but we did not make the demands or have the expectations that many SDAs did.
Some of her writing reflects a high level of perception - contributions on education being a good example. And some of her writing reflects projections stemming from fear.
So, there are some things she said that are highly relevant and useful, some things that are sort of ordinary, and some things that are skewed - and as BFA and others have pointed out - potentially harmful. Said more simply, she was human. The same is true with every other teacher on the planet - including each of us as learners/teachers.
Our work is coming into a deeper understanding of the mix so we can benefit from the contributions teachers make that support right action, mitigate the potential harm from the projections based in fear, and understand the middle of the spectrum - as you pointed out Crib - where it doesn't really matter one way or the other.
It's easier to deify or vilify people than it is to come into relationship with them.
My family was possibly a bit out of the ordinary in the sense that Ellen White was understood as a remarkable teacher, but we did not make the demands or have the expectations that many SDAs did.
Some of her writing reflects a high level of perception - contributions on education being a good example. And some of her writing reflects projections stemming from fear.
So, there are some things she said that are highly relevant and useful, some things that are sort of ordinary, and some things that are skewed - and as BFA and others have pointed out - potentially harmful. Said more simply, she was human. The same is true with every other teacher on the planet - including each of us as learners/teachers.
Our work is coming into a deeper understanding of the mix so we can benefit from the contributions teachers make that support right action, mitigate the potential harm from the projections based in fear, and understand the middle of the spectrum - as you pointed out Crib - where it doesn't really matter one way or the other.
Avonia, I can relate to what you wrote in that my family wasn't very "traditional" in their view of Ellen White's writings either. As a result, I didn't grow up with a lot of the expectations that many Adventists put on people. I also agree with you that she wrote some things that are relevant and useful and other things that are skewed or even harmful. My main disagreement with Adventism on this is in their calling her writings "a continuing and authoritative source of truth." There may be some truth in her writings, but there is also error, so I can't accept her as authoritative.
If Adventism were to simply view her as a teacher, as many other Christians view the prominent leaders and founders of their denominations, I wouldn't see this as such a big deal. Traditionally, though, I think that many Adventists have elevated her to a much higher level than they should have. And her writings have encouraged them in that because she said, for example, that her testimonies were either all from God or all from Satan.
__________________ Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)
My main disagreement with Adventism on this is in their calling her writings "a continuing and authoritative source of truth."
This is the 800 lb gorilla in the room for Adventists.
Many of the binary classifications in Christianity are an issue: authoritative or not, inspired or not, prophet or not. Christianity is too often more interested in deciding than knowing.
We are all Aspects of the Divine - children of God - there is no way to loose this identity. If we did, we would instantly cease to exist. Said another way, we are children of God, currently expressing as humans, participating in the Christian community. We get confused and think we are "Christians."
But there is a wide range and degree of distortions among the children! I suspect there were some rays of truth accentuated in Ellen White, and some distortions that were also accentuated.
We are more comfortable using the label "prophet" or "fraud" because it's easier than doing the hard work of understanding the person. Paul (Bible) is a good example of this. He had so many beautiful rays of Light streaming through his life. And he had a few distortions. This is not a surprise - Paul too was human.
This is the 800 lb gorilla in the room for Adventists.
Many of the binary classifications in Christianity are an issue: authoritative or not, inspired or not, prophet or not. Christianity is too often more interested in deciding than knowing.
We are all Aspects of the Divine - children of God - there is no way to loose this identity. If we did, we would instantly cease to exist. Said another way, we are children of God, currently expressing as humans, participating in the Christian community. We get confused and think we are "Christians."
But there is a wide range and degree of distortions among the children! I suspect there were some rays of truth accentuated in Ellen White, and some distortions that were also accentuated.
We are more comfortable using the label "prophet" or "fraud" because it's easier than doing the hard work of understanding the person. Paul (Bible) is a good example of this. He had so many beautiful rays of Light streaming through his life. And he had a few distortions. This is not a surprise - Paul too was human.
What are Paul's distortions? Is it possible that you are finding fault with Paul in order to explain the errors of Ellen G. White?
BFA, you are projecting. That question is about you, not me.
I'm not sure that I understand this response. To my knowledge, I have not found any distortions in Paul's writings. I am, however, interested to learn more about the distortions you have found. If I've misunderstood your response, please clarify.
I'm not sure that I understand this response. To my knowledge, I have not found any distortions in Paul's writings. I am, however, interested to learn more about the distortions you have found. If I've misunderstood your response, please clarify.
BFA
I don't explain away errors of Ellen White. I have no interest in that particular SDA pursuit. Only a few posts ago, I shared my sense that both her insights and her errors were accentuated.
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