By Research on
Ellen Gould White and Plagiarism
Dr. Veltman
Chairman of the religion department of Pacific Union College, Dr. Fred Veltman, was asked by the Seventh-day Adventist church to analyze the charges of plagiarism by Ellen Gould White. They chose Dr Veltman, assumably because they thought he would be one person that could justify her use of others materials. After nearly eight years of study, Dr. Veltman's released to Ministry Magazine a report of his findings. The whole report is available from the White estate, but we have obtained several key quotes for you to read from Ministry magazine from their December, 1990 issue.
"It is of first importance to note that Ellen White herself, not her literary assistants, composed the basic content of the Desire of Ages text. In doing so she was the one who took literary expressions (copied) from the works of other authors without giving them credit as her sources (plagiarism). Second, it should be recognized that Ellen White used the writings of others consciously and intentionally. ... Implicitly or explicitly, Ellen White and others speaking on her behalf did not admit to and even denied (lied) literary dependency (copying) on her part." p. 11.Robert Olson of the White Estate is quoted on the Veltman report as followed:
"The content of Ellen White's commentary on the life and ministry of Christ, The Desire of Ages, is for the most part derived (copied) rather than original. ... In practical terms, this conclusion declares that one is not able to recognize in Ellen White's writings on the life of Christ any general category of content or catalog of ideas that is unique to her." p. 12
"I must admit at the start that in my judgment this is the most serious problem to be faced in connection with Ellen White's literary dependence (copying). It strikes at the heart of her honesty, her integrity, and therefore her trustworthiness." p. 14
I am totally satisfied with this study. No one could have done a better job--no one. He [Veltman] did it as a neutral person would have and not as an apologist. Ministry, Dec. 1990, p. 16
One person who has studied the literary dependence of Ellen Gould White said: "If done correctly, nearly every paragraph of "Desire of Ages" would need to be footnoted."
If you choose to read the works of Ellen Gould White, then you choose to read stolen material of others.