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"Shaky Visions" |
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Return to https://www.pickle-publishing.com/papers/jeremiah-films/response-to-video-112.htm.
A Response to the Video:
Seventh-day Adventism, the Spirit Behind the Church
by Bob Pickle
Answers to Questions Raised by:
Mark Martin, Sydney Cleveland
Dale Ratzlaff, The White Lie
. . . and Others
Discern Fact from Fiction
Jehovah's Witnesses, Cont.; Plagiarism
< Prev T. of C. ... 103-105 106-109 110-111 112 113 114-116 117-118 ... Next >
#112: "Equally as shaky were the visions
she claimed to have from God."—Narrator. |
#112: Her visions were shaky. One thing the video does
not touch with a ten-foot pole, and understandably so, is what would happen
during her visions. There was unquestionably something supernatural about them. The 1868
book Life Incidents described it this way:
1. She is utterly unconscious of everything transpiring around her, as has been proved by the most rigid tests, but views herself as removed from this world, and in the presence of heavenly beings.
2. She does not breathe. During the entire period of her continuance in vision, which has at different times ranged from fifteen minutes to three hours, there is no breath, as has been repeatedly proved by pressing upon the chest, and by closing the mouth and nostrils.
3. Immediately on entering vision, her muscles become rigid, and joints fixed, so far as any external force can influence them. At the same time her movements and gestures, which are frequent, are free and graceful, and cannot be hindered nor controlled by the strongest person.
4. On coming out of vision, whether in the day-time or a well-lighted room at night, all is total darkness. Her power to distinguish even the most brilliant objects, held within a few inches of the eyes, returns but gradually, sometimes not being fully established for three hours. This has continued for the past twenty years; yet her eyesight is not in the least impaired, few persons having better than she now possesses.—p. 272.
Regarding "closing the mouth and nostrils," it might be added that Daniel T. Bourdeau
himself performed this test for ten minutes on June
28, 1857. He had up to that point been "an unbeliever in the visions," but not any longer.
More than thirty years later he declared, " 'Since
witnessing this wonderful phenomenon, I have not once been inclined to doubt the divine
origin of her visions.' "—General Conference
Daily Bulletin, Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, 1893, p. 60.
John Loughborough, an early Seventh-day Adventist who was a bit of a historian,
stated:
At my house on Champion street, in this city, in the autumn of 1863 she had a vision.
A brother was present, a stone mason. While she was in
vision, kneeling, as her arms moved about seemingly in an easy manner, Elder White said to
the man, "Brother, that looks like an easy motion, and
as though you could readily bend her arm. You can try it if you wish. This brother placed
his knee in the bend of her arm, took hold of her extended
hand with both his hands, and settled back with all his might. It made no impression. He said
to Elder White, "I would as soon think of bending an
iron bar as that arm." He had hardly spoken these words before her arm moved around the
other way. As he tried to resist the pressure, he was slid
along upon the floor. . . .
In the third vision of Miss Harmon, which was given in her father's house in Portland,
she arose in vision, her eyes looking upward, took from
the bureau one of the great family Bibles published in 1822 by Teale, Boston. (This Bible
measured 18 x 11 x 4 inches, and weighs a little over
eighteen pounds.) Opening this great book upon her left arm, extended at right angles from
her body, she held it in that position for half an hour.
With her right hand she turned from text to text, repeating the same to which her finger was
pointing, yet her eyes meantime looking upward and
away from the book. One or another of those present looked at every text quoted, and found
that she was correctly repeating the scripture to which
she pointed.—Ibid., Mar. 18, 1891, p. 145.
What was really remarkable about the Bible-holding [p. 79]
incident, which occurred more than once, is that a strong man cannot hold that kind of
weight in that manner for that length of time. Try it and see.
What would be the purpose of such manifestations? Loughborough provides an
answer:
That God who wrought his wonders in Egypt did it that the people to whom he was
going to speak his law might know that he who spoke to them,
was none other than the God that made heaven and earth. So we should expect if he should
reveal himself by vision to his people, there should be
with the introduction of such manifestations such demonstrations as would arrest the attention
of the people. That a feeble girl, seventeen years of
age, should simply say, "I have had a vision," would not be sufficient. Should we not expect
the Lord to work in such a manner as would cause the
people to say, "I will turn aside and see what this is." . . .
Some in these days, who have never seen Mrs. White in vision, undertake to explain it
as disease, hysterics, or something of that kind. The fact
is, the vision itself is a miracle. The voice proceeding from the burning bush was
miraculous. What shall we call a voice quoting scripture,
proceeding from a breathless body, but a miracle?—Ibid.
At the General Conference session two years later, Loughborough was back, this time
with the testimonies of others. We already referred
to his citation of Dr. M. G. Kellogg under #44 and that of
Daniel Bourdeau here. Besides these, he cited that of the A. F. Fowlers, C. S. Glover,
and W. R. and Eliza Carpenter regarding a vision in Waldron's Hall at Hillsdale, Michigan,
in February, 1857. On that occasion, Mrs. White
was examined by a Dr. Lord, who then said, "Her heart beats, but there is no breath. There
is life, but no action of the lungs; I cannot account
for this condition."—Ibid., Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, 1893, p. 60.
And then there was the testimony of F. C. Castle regarding another examination by a
physician in the summer of 1853 in Stowe, Vermont:
"A lighted candle was held close to her eyes, which were wide open; not a muscle of
the eye moved. He then examined her in regard to her pulse
and also in regard to her breathing, and there was no respiration. The result was that he was
satisfied that it could not be accounted for on natural
or scientific principles."—Ibid.
The January 1861 vision predicting the Civil War (see #38) was the occasion of yet another examination that was a bit
unusual:
There was present a Doctor Brown, a hale, strong man physically, a spirit medium. He
had said that her visions were the same as spirit
mediumship, and that if she had one where he was, he could bring her out of it in one
minute. . . . before he had half completed his examination,
he turned deathly pale, and shook like an aspen leaf. Elder White said, "Will the Doctor
report her condition?" He replied, "She does not breathe,"
and rapidly made his way to the door. Those at the door who knew of his boasting said, "Go
back, and do as you said you would; bring that woman
out of the vision." In great agitation he grasped the knob of the door, but was not permitted
to open it until inquiry was made by those near the door,
"Doctor, what is it?" He replied, "God only knows; let me out of this
house!"
It was evident that the spirit that influenced him as a medium was no more at rest in
the presence of the power that controlled Sister White in
vision, than were the demoniacs in the days of the Saviour, who inquired, "Art thou come
hither to torment us before the time?"—Ibid.; cf. Great
Second Advent Movement, pp. 204-211.
The video would like us to believe that Mrs. White's visions were only human. That,
however, is not plausible.
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