Concerning Ronald Numbers, and his attacks on Ellen White and her health message, the following facts seem common sense to me:
1. More heat emanates from the head than any other part of the body. Hence, it might be well reasonable, though not proven by science, that the wearing of wigs over an extended period of time could well contribute to abnormalities of mind and body, by the retention of excessive heat. Who is so bravado as to conclude anything regarding affects and effects on the soma and the psyche, when science almost daily changes its mind about the effects of coffee and alcohol, for example?! Who can conclude that man has not defaced the image of God by the indulgence of sinful and degrading acts in excess. Who can conclude that man's degradated state is not due to sin and misuse of the physical and mental faculties of man? Not I and my house! There is a whale of evidence to the contrary!
2. At least excessive masturbation could reasonably contribute to physical and mental abnormalities, because it is enervating and weakening in its affect. It could weaken one's general constitution and thereby have a negative affect on his/her gene pool, thus affecting one's progeny. During college years, I worked in a number of mental hospitals and subsidiary institutions where I witnessed the affects and effects of many who openly indulged excessive masturbation. What is excessive? Ellen White defined that. She said there were some who were indulging in a DAILY excess, and that implied numerous times daily, and I believe it is reasonable to conclude, even from empirical knowledge of one's self experience that this would be most enervating and debilitating. At any rate, excess would be dictated by the negative enervating effects one would experience, which would render one too tired to perform more important activities, especially spiritual activities. These are reasonable and empirical conclusions.
3. Laboratory amalgamation of man with beast could have occurred after the flood because there is evidence that civilization since the flood may have been far more developed than is generally believed. For example, there is evidence for a highly developed knowledge of mathematics by the Egyptians, and that they had aeronautical vehicles that could fly by use of a mercury regenerating type of engine that did not require refueling.
4. Ellen White's view of the shut door, as depicted in Word to the Little Flock, is totally reasonable and demonstrates by the following wording that she DID NOT believe that the door was shut on salvation at the time of her first vision:
"When God spake the time, he poured on us the Holy Ghost, and our faces began to light up and shine with the glory of God as Moses' did when he came down from Mount Sinai.
By this time the 144,000 were all sealed and perfectly united." Word to the Little Flock, p. 14.
Notice this qualifying condition: "When God spake the time (of His coming). Ellen White clearly stated that it was by the time the 144,000 were all sealed and perfectly united, that God spake the time of His coming, and/or vice versa. Thus, it is proven that she did not believe that the door was shut, for clearly, even the 144,000 were not sealed yet, because God had not "spake the time of His coming." At the time of this vision, Ellen White's first, there were not 144,000 Adventists who were perfectly united, and she and James knew it! All the pioneer's knew it! And God has not since spoke the time of His coming, and this proves that even the 144,000 are still not perfectly united. So the door is still open to all who have not taken their eyes off the Midnight Cry Lighted path and the first and second angel's messages. However, it is impossible for those who have to get back on the path again. The door is shut to them, and no amount of arguing with them will change this fact. I present the above facts to any reasonable person of faith on this forum, and I will not argue them further. If we are supposed to accept righteousness by faith, then there are things we cannot explain or prove. But neither should we take hearsay evidence provided by the enemies of the early pioneers over their testimony, especially that of newspapers of the day. Notice:
"The Piscataquis Farmer, newspaper in Dover, Maine, on Friday morning, March 7, 1845, carried the story of a rambunctious meeting held in Atkinson, Maine, on the second of February, 1845. It was a court trial of one of the participants, Elder Israel Dammon, who was charged with being a vagabond and idle person; a common railer or brawler, begging, misspending his earnings and not providing for the support of himself and his family. Church leaders have tried to say it was a false charge, brought by those who didn't believe in Miller's prediction of Jesus' coming. In fact, Miller had given up and admitted his mistake, but the youngsters would not give up."
Witnesses who were part of the meeting in Dover, Maine, gave quite a different version. Why should we accept the account of a newspaper that was obviously bias and prejudice, as was the entire community, when and where the meeting occurred? Is this scholarship? Is this the reliable result of a learned persons conclusions? Then spare me! I was involved in an automobile accident when I was seventeen, and not one newspaper detail was correct!
I mention the above items specifically, because they are made fun of in the life story of the person that I alluded to above.
Ron Beaulieu