Ellen White on photographs

[The Liturgist]

I agree. There seems to be more than a smidgeon of hypocrisy for any individual who stridently preaches one thing (the vanity of photography) and, on the other hand, engages in the practice herself. If the motivation was to spread her prophecies, then her image would merely distract from her message. There is more than a whiff of personal self-promotion here.

I myself am not accusing her of hypocrisy, but rather am lamenting the fact that she did not include in her letter her entire perspective on photography. This is actually my main criticism of her writing style, that being that in order to get her full view on an issue, one must read across multiple books, since individual books tend to treat each issue in a highly simplified, black and white manner, which works in some disciplines like computer science, but in theology, where nuance is important, it leads to confusion. I suspect there would be less controversy about The Great Controversy if rather than being one book among many which set out her beliefs, her entire belief system was presented in a concise manner, including her Trinitarian theology.

 

[splish- splash]

I think here, she may have been trying to discourage christians from turning this into an unhealthy trend. I mean the issue on photographs.

Oh yeah! & I also do remember she would sometimes mention her instructor in her writings, what I seem to have forgotten though is, if she was referring to a real person or an angel who was specially assigned to guide her.

 

[bbbbbbb]

I think here, she may have been trying to discourage christians from turning this into an unhealthy trend. I mean the issue on photographs.

Oh yeah! & I also do remember she would sometimes mention her instructor in her writings, what I seem to have forgotten though is, if she was referring to a real person or an angel who was specially assigned to guide her.

A comparison might be made today with Facebook. Many have lamented the fixation of large numbers of people with Facebook and have tried to deliver them from the time-consuming habit. It is one thing, however, to tell folks that they are wasting precious time on Facebook and quite another to tell them that the salvation of their eternal souls depends on their avoiding Facebook completely. I think she probably crossed the line in regard to the fixation of people with photography.

Regarding her source of inspiration, it is certainly not unreasonable to view, in hindsight, the possibility that she may have suffered from some form of mental disorder such as schizophrenia.

 

[The Liturgist]

Regarding her source of inspiration, it is certainly not unreasonable to view, in hindsight, the possibility that she may have suffered from some form of mental disorder such as schizophrenia.

Could such a condition result from the traumatic brain injuries you mentioned previously in this thread? Perhaps our friend @Andrewn might know.

 

[bbbbbbb]

Could such a condition result from the traumatic brain injuries you mentioned previously in this thread? Perhaps our friend @Andrewn might know.

Although I was not the one who mentioned the traumatic brain injuries, I think that something like that could have results such as mental disorder. However, I am not a doctor and can only speculate.

 

[splish- splash]

A comparison might be made today with Facebook. Many have lamented the fixation of large numbers of people with Facebook and have tried to deliver them from the time-consuming habit. It is one thing, however, to tell folks that they are wasting precious time on Facebook and quite another to tell them that the salvation of their eternal souls depends on their avoiding Facebook completely. I think she probably crossed the line in regard to the fixation of people with photography.

Regarding her source of inspiration, it is certainly not unreasonable to view, in hindsight, the possibility that she may have suffered from some form of mental disorder such as schizophrenia.

She has some great teachings though in some of her health reform messages. I tend to sift and take out only things that I can apply to my daily life with regards to her teachings, e.g healthy eating habits & the like. But as for her doctrines pertaining to salvation, I just send them flying through the window and no longer entertain none of that.

 

[bbbbbbb]

She has some great teachings though in some of her health reform messages. I tend to sift and take out only things that I can apply to my daily life with regards to her teachings, e.g healthy eating habits & the like. But as for her doctrines pertaining to salvation, I just send them flying through the window and no longer entertain none of that.

That is a parallel universe to the LDS, which has some fairly decent teachings regarding a healthy diet and lifestyle. Their theology, however, is pathetic in the extreme.

 

[The Liturgist]

I would argue the best source for guidance regarding a healthy diet and lifestyle is to be obtained from one’s physician, who we are advised to honor (Ecclesiasticus 38:1-15).

 

[bbbbbbb]

I would argue the best source for guidance regarding a healthy diet and lifestyle is to be obtained from one’s physician, who we are advised to honor (Ecclesiasticus 38:1-15).

I agree entirely. Modern medicine has made tremendous advances since the nineteenth century when doctors were considered to be the last resort, only to be used when at death's door. Thus, alternatives, such as the SDA, the LDS, the Mary Baker Eddy flourished with their versions of "health and science, with key to the scriptures".