News

August 19. 2006
Answering Acquired or Inspired? questions

Released last year, Acquired or Inspired? Exploring the Origins of the Adventist Lifestyle by Dr Don McMahon launched a strong scientific argument for the inspiration of Ellen White’s writings on health and by extrapolation her wider writing and ministry.

While recognising that some of her health statements have not been verified by today’s medical science—particularly her explanations of the why of many of her health principles—Acquired or Inspired? concluded that “a large core of accurate lifestyle statements are in accord with modern thinking. In these [Ellen White] was more than 100 years ahead of her time. When the knowledge of the mid-19th century is taken into consideration, it is impossible to exclude inspiration from Ellen White’s writings. Ellen White’s writings should not be rejected; it is essential they be carefully studied and appreciatively implemented.”
Dr McMahon’s study was endorsed by Dr Jon Paulien of Andrews University (USA) in the following terms: “If McMahon’s research on health can be fully verified, it will revolutionise our understanding of Ellen White’s ministry and spiritual gifts.”

To date, few arguments have been raised to call into question the scientific method or results of this research. But questions from a critic have prompted Dr McMahon to extend his study.

Ronald Numbers, author of The Prophetess of Health, who in 1976 raised serious doubt about the origins of the Adventist lifestyle and whether inspiration was involved has commented on Acquired or Inspired? He raised two doubts: that an independent marker assessing the credibility of the various statements of health principles would come to a different conclusion; and that if the methodology were to be applied to the health writings of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Later Day Saints —commonly known as the Mormons—the same results would be gained.

A different measure?
The first query was readily answered. The World Health Organisation—an independent assessor—was heavily used in the assessment used in Acquired or Inspired? The statistics used to establish the evidence of inspiration in the health writings of Ellen White were repeated using the “risk factors for death and disease” as published by the World Health Organisation (2002) only to make the assessment. This change made no substantial difference to the results.

Mormon health writing
The second doubt was harder to refute and took considerable effort delving into the health writings of the Mormon Church. In 1833—four years after the founding the Mormonism—Joseph Smith claimed he had a vision on health. It is called the “Word of Wisdom” and is recorded in “Doctrine and Covenants,” Section 89. It contains only eight health recommendations of which only four are significant. These are: exclusion of all alcoholic drinks (except beer and communion wine); no smoking; sparing use of meat (confined to times of famines, winter and if hungry); and living on a diet of fruit, vegetables and grains.

Three years after the murder of Joseph Smith, in 1844, Brigham Young—the new Mormon president—claimed he had a vision that led to the exodus of the Mormons to Salt Lake City, Utah. From 1851 until 1886 all sermons given by senior Mormons were recorded and are still available in the “Journal of Discourses.” From 1852 to 1877, Brigham Smith added to and altered the “Word of Wisdom.”

Alcohol, pig meat and any meat for children was totally excluded. Eggs and fish were considered suitable as a replacement. The dietary rules were expanded to exclude the eating of fat or sugar or too much volume or variety of foods. Bread should be cooked slowly until the crust is as thick as a man’s hand and the bread should be dry and stale. The exclusion of hot drinks found in the “Word of Wisdom” was extended to include tea and coffee. He stated the need for clean air and water, even to boiling the water before drinking it, but he also claimed there should be a limit to how much is drunk as well as eaten, especially for young people. He also limited the amount of exercise regarded as safe. He warned against the wearing of warm clothes or heated houses, going so far as to claim it was better to live in the open or in tents rather than in houses.

In 1856, Jedediah M Grant—a church president—talked about cleanliness. He did not present it as a health rule or as a part of the “Word of Wisdom,” but because stinking houses and people were socially unacceptable. As cleanliness rules are part of health they have been included in the assessment.
Comparing Mormon health principles.

In total, there were 45 rules of healthful living extracted from the Mormon writings, of which 18 (40 per cent) were regarded as being significant, six (13 per cent) minor, giving a total of 24 (53 per cent) verified health principles. There were 17 (46 per cent) principles that are unverified by modern medicine.
The question must be asked as to whether this is sufficient to raise the possibility of inspiration in the process of developing these health principles. One way to do this is to compare them with secular writers of the same time—and with Ellen White.

Ellen White’s health writings presented in Spiritual Gifts (published in 1864) are the closest in number and time to the Mormon health writings. She had in this work 46 health principles of which 32 (70 per cent) were significant, 12 (26 per cent) minor, giving 46 (96 per cent) verified with only two (4 per cent) not verified by modern medicine.

As an example of a comparable 19th century health writer, Sylvester Graham is perhaps the most appropriate secular writer with which to compare the Mormons’ health principles. Graham had a much larger number of health principles at 106 of which 24 (23 per cent) were significant, 21 (25 per cent) were minor, with a total of 45 (48 per cent) verified and 61 (58 per cent) were unverified.

Thus it is seen that the combined Mormon work had a better percentage, but lesser number of significant principles than Graham, and that both the Mormons and Graham, in all aspects, were considerably worse than Ellen White.

The probability of inspiration
It is possible to do a comparison between each of the health reformers by the probability of getting their results by random selection from the available health knowledge at the time in which they wrote. In doing this, an adjustment is made for the possible influence of Scripture and the Methodist tradition of health reform. The Mormons have a 1 in 45,000 chance of getting their results, while Ellen White has a 1 in 1018 chance of getting her results.

The Mormons’ result is slightly worse than that obtained in a similar analysis of another health writer of the time, James C Jackson, and a little better than the result that can be found in the writings of John Harvey Kellogg. Thus when the same methodology is applied to the combined health writings of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and Jedediah Grant it becomes evident that they fail to demonstrate inspiration as can be demonstrated in the health writings of Ellen White and that the assertion of Numbers is incorrect.—Don McMahon is a retired medical specialist, who writes from Nunawading, Victoria, Australia.

Defining terms: Significant, minor and unverified
“Significant”—a health principle that has played an important role in the increase in life expectancy in the past 150 years, including principles addressing health risks listed by the World Health Organisation as leading risk factors for death and disability.
“Minor”—a health principle that has been endorsed by medical science but that is unlikely to have a dramatic impact on life expectancy or quality of life.
“Unverified”—a statement or principle judged not in accord with today’s medical knowledge.

August 27, 2005
Acquired or Inspired? Reprinted by Signs

Strong interest and sales around the world have created the need to reprint an Australian book just months after its initial release.

Acquired or Inspired?by Dr Don McMahon was launched by Signs Publishing Company in March this year. The new printing will be available through Adventist Book Centres in the next few weeks.
“Continuing sales have meant we have needed to reprint the book,” reports Signs Book Department manager Elizabeth Dunstan. “It is remarkable that we have arrived at this point so quickly. We have
been pleasantly surprised by the response to Acquired or Inspired?, both in the South Pacific Division and in the United States.”

Acquired or Inspired?explores the health and lifestyle statements made by Ellen White and compares these statements with those of other health writers who were her contemporaries in the mid- to late-19th century. In so doing, the book builds a case for the inspiration of Ellen White, as well as applied.

Author Dr McMahon, who is a retired medical specialist living in Melbourne, Victoria, has recently returned to Australia after a world trip that saw him presenting his research and promoting his book at
churches, camp-meetings and the General Conference session in the United States and England.

“My material was generally well received,” he reports. “There have been some people who are less than comfortable with my line of study, but many of them have come to appreciate what the research
shows. They have been grateful for what they have come to see as the affirmation of the role of Ellen White.”

Dr McMahon gives examples of people he has met who have recognised the importance of his research: “Someone at a camp-meeting in the United States—a qualified statistician—had already read the book by
the end of my week of presentations and described the book as the best statistical analysis of Ellen White’s work he has seen.”

It is hardly surprising that Dr McMahon is pleased by the success of his book but pergratified to see his book being used to encourage those who have given up on the church over issues surrounding the writings of Ellen White. “I had large numbers of people thanking me, planning to give it to their children who have left the church or are on the edge of the church,” he says.

As the new copies of the book become available, Dr McMahon will be presenting his research at the South Queensland and North New South Wales conference camp-meetings in September and October, respectively.—Nathan BrownDr Don McMahon, author of Acquired or Inspired?, has been pleased by the interest in his research into the health writings of Ellen White following presentations at churches
and camp-meetings.—Nathan Brown

April 9, 2005
Acquired or Inspired? dedicated at Signs

Dr Don McMahon with wife Marlene (left) at the dedication of Acquired or Inspired? at Signs Publishing Company, with Signs editor Nathan Brown, publishing director, Pastor Terry Goltz and Copy Editor, Graeme Brown.

Signs Publishing Company launched a new book with a dedication at the Warburton factory on March 23. Acquired or Inspired? by Dr Don McMahon was then publicly launched at the Victorian Conference camp-meeting on March 26.

According to Book Department manager Elizabeth Dunstan, the dedication of new-release books is regularly done by the church’s publishing houses in other parts of the world. “To mark the launch of a new book in this way highlights that this is not just another book to be printed and sold,” says Mrs Dunstan. “Rather, it is part of our mission as a church publisher.”
The dedication—led by Pastor Terry Goltz, director of publishing for the South Pacific Division—acknowledged the contributions to the project by Signs staff through the planning, production and distribution process.

Author Don McMahon attended the dedication and shared something of the story behind Acquired or Inspired? with Signs staff. “My research grew out of settling an argument in a Sabbath school class,” says Dr McMahon. “But also out of concern for the decline in the practice of what has been known as the Adventist lifestyle. I wanted to answer the question of how we got this lifestyle.”

Dr McMahon recalls that a number of people—including his wife, initially—tried to discourage his plan as he set out on the research that grew into the book. “They were worried about what I might discover,” he recalls.

Acquired or Inspired? closely examines the health and lifestyle statements made by Ellen White and compares these statements with those of other health writers who were her contemporaries in the mid- to late-19th century. Dr McMahon shares his journey through this research and analysis. He admits he encountered a number of surprises.

Dr Percy Harrold, associate director of Adventist Health for the South Pacific Division, assisted Dr McMahon at stages of his research. “Don McMahon has done an excellent thing,” says Dr Harrold. “His project was initially fraught with danger, as he may have unearthed results that could have destroyed both his faith and that of others. It has been sometimes misunderstood by others and frequently criticised.
“This is not a book in judgment on Ellen White, but a highly critical investigation, which validates her position in Adventist belief and practice.”—Nathan Brown