Page 63 - BV18

Ellen G. White -- Messenger or Medium? 63

According to Ronald L. Numbers, "Mother Ann Lee of the Shakers had long since passed
away, but her devoted followers perpetuated her reputation as the female Messiah. In the 1830s an
EPIDEMIC OF VISIONS spread through the Shaker communes as YOUNG girls 'began to sing,
talk about angels, and describe a journey they were making, under SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE, to
heavenly places.' Frequently those afflicted 'would be STRUCK TO THE FLOOR, WHERE
THEY LAY AS DEAD, OR STRUGGLING IN DISTRESS, until someone near lifted them up,
when they would begin to speak with great clearness and composure."' (Prophetess of Health: A
Study of Ellen G. White. Pages 15-16.)

William Sargant, in The Mind Possessed, states that "Quite early on, subjects in hypnotic
trance not only experienced the phenomenon of POSSESSION BY DEMONS, or by God [?] or the
DEVIL, but, as today, also travelled through space on tremendous imaginary journeys." (J.B.
Lippincott Co., Phila. & New York. 1974. P.41.)

"Mesmeric space exploration" was, in fact, all the rage in the early 1800s. In November,
1813, we read of a girl of fifteen, daughter of a Mr. Romer, seized with CONVULSIVE
ATTACKS, followed by catalepsy. According to the report "she became somnambulic, prescribed
for her own ailments and those of her father and other persons, rejecting all other medical treatment
than her own." Her father asserted "that she displayed in the trance knowledge which she could
NOT possibly have acquired from normal sources...further, SHE WAS CONDUCTED,
SOMETIMES BY A DECEASED RELATIVE, BUT MORE FREQUENTLY BY THE SPIRIT
OF A STILL-LIVING COMPANION, one Louise, TO THE MOON."

We can see that Ellen G. White's "out of body" experiences were NOT AT ALL UNIQUE;
and, in fact, records of similar experiences have been found on ancient Egyptian monuments.

"Familiar" Spirits

You probably noticed that Ellen G. White, Dorothy Eady, the Shakers, and Mr. Romer's
daughter all had HELPING SPIRITS OR "GUIDES" to accompany them during their "out of body"
experiences. It is interesting to note that Anthropologists have often pointed out that shamans and
SHAMANESSES [medicine men, witch doctors] draw on a special and personal power that is gen-
erally supplied by a GUARDIAN SPIRIT, known variously as a "nagual," a "familiar [spirit]," or,
simply, a "friend" or "companion."

The Bible has quite a bit to say about "familiar spirits". In Leviticus 19:31 YEHOVAH God
thunders out this warning: "Give no regard to MEDIUMS and FAMILIAR SPIRITS; do not seek
after them, to be DEFILED by them: I am the LORD your God." Further, in the next chapter: "And
the person who turns after mediums and FAMILIAR SPIRITS, to PROSTITUTE himself with
them, I WILL SET MY FACE AGAINST THAT PERSON AND CUT HIM OFF FROM HIS
PEOPLE." (Lev.20:6.)

The penalty for such behavior is great: "A man or a woman who is a medium, or who has
FAMILIAR SPIRITS, shall surely be put to DEATH; they shall stone them with stones. Their
blood shall be upon them. (Lev.20:27.)

The Berean Voice November-December 2002