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AR 20:31 - "Lost" gospels and conspiracy theories
Apologia Report 20:31 (1,260)
September 3, 2015
In this issue:
CULTURE - "helping the paedophile in order to prevent crime"
PSEUDEPIGRAPHA - Philip Jenkins debunks conspiracy theories surrounding "The Lost Gospels"
SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISM - Did Ellen White copy from Joseph Smith?
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CULTURE
The idea of pedophilia being society's next big moral battlefield appears to be gaining momentum. Already, pedophiles are moving toward self-identifying as "minor-attracted persons" [AR 17:20]. Some critics credit the Roman Catholic priest scandals which peaked a decade or more ago as an indication of the problem being far more prevalent among homosexuals. Damien McGuinness reports on a new approach in his BBC News piece, "Germany urges paedophiles out of the shadows."
McGuinness summarizes the story: "Some men who are sexually attracted to children would like help to change their condition but fear doctors will tell the police. In Germany, though, a campaign is under way to persuade them to sign up for confidential treatment, even if they have abused a child - and doctors are hailing it as a big success."
The article profiles "Max," who is "just one of many people who feel an attraction to children, but who are determined not to act on it." McGuinness notes: "They are sometimes called celibate or 'virtuous' paedophiles. ...
"It's a much bigger group than you might think. Recent research suggests that between 3% and 5% of men, from all social and economic backgrounds, could be sexually attracted to children. Some are attracted only to girls. Others only to boys. Others to both. And some are also attracted to adults. ...
"Controversially, the treatment is also available for men who have abused children in the past - even if that abuse has gone unreported. ...
"The main aim of the project is to protect children from being abused, and if I can help the person not to do that again, then for me it's quite clear that I should do that" says Dr Anna Konrad of the Charite hospital in Berlin.
"In Germany, therapists are not only not obliged to report past abuse to the authorities, it is illegal to violate the principle of patient confidentiality - unlike in Britain, where therapists have a duty to report.
"The British approach makes it extremely difficult to treat someone properly, Konrad says. The past behaviour of abusers can't be analysed effectively, and paedophiles rarely come forward for treatment in the first place because of the fear of arrest - if they have committed a crime they are right to be afraid, and even if they haven't they may still consider it too risky. ...
"There is even a national advertising campaign to tell paedophiles about the treatment. ...
"'No-one is guilty because of their sexual inclination - but everyone is responsible for their behaviour,' says the final young man as he takes the mask off, adding: 'I don't want to become an offender.'
"The tagline of another ad says: 'Do you love children more than you'd like to? There is help.'"
Max comments: "'A treatment like this can prevent the first offence. Criminalisation - if it works very, very well, and it usually doesn't - can only prevent the second offence,' he says. ...
"The idea behind the policy is not to help the perpetrator instead of the victim - but rather to help the potential perpetrator, in order to prevent there being a victim in the first place." BBC News, Jul 13 '15, <www.goo.gl/1Cfgrl>
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PSEUDEPIGRAPHA
The Many Faces of Christ: The Thousand-Year Story of the Survival and Influence of the Lost Gospels, by Philip Jenkins [1] -- reviewer Augustine J. Curley (Newark Abbey, NJ) explains: "The 'lost' gospels are those that were not included in the canon of the Bible, which many perceive to have been purposely hidden or destroyed by the institutional church. Popular stories in Christian tradition, such as the young Jesus forming birds out of clay and then giving them life, come from these gospels. While not considered canonical, they were very influential in the Early Church, even up to the Reformation. In erudite but accessible prose, Jenkins (history, Baylor Univ.) traces the history of these extra-biblical works, several of which were preserved at the fringes of the Christian world, clearly explaining why they fell out of favor, and debunking the conspiracy theories surrounding them. Those who are open to a rational discussion of these gospels will find a wealth of information offered here. VERDICT An important book on a topic often discussed but rarely understood and a worthwhile companion to Bart D. Ehrman's Lost Scriptures [2], which provides a selection of these texts. Jenkins' latest will appeal to anyone seriously interested in the history of the Christian Church and the development of the Bible." Library Journal, Jun '15 #2, p92.
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SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISM
"The Mormon Connection: Did Ellen White copy from Joseph Smith?" by Dale Ratzlaff -- profiles the work of the recently deceased Phyllis Watson - who "had been preparing a book that would show Ellen White's dependence upon Joseph Smith for her early visions and extra-biblical statements. We had not wanted to publish any of her material, though, until the book was printed."
Ratzlaff reviews the project and begins by citing others who have contributed to the topic such as Walter Rea, Fred Veltman, D.M. Canright, Sydney Cleveland, and Ronald Numbers. "After Walter Rea published his book White Lie [3] which demonstrated her massive plagiarism, the denominational leaders appointed Dr. Fred Veltman to do an in-depth study of The Desire of Ages [4], said to be Ellen White's best book, to determine if Rea's work was accurate. Dr. Veltman took eight years researching this book, comparing it to many - but not all - of the books that were the sources of her statements.
In the words of former Adventist Sydney Cleveland, "The official Veltman report <www.goo.gl/yormtF> frankly concluded that not only had Ellen White voraciously copied the works of other writers, but both she and her co-workers had deliberately lied to cover up the truth of her copying."
Veltman's answer to the question "How do you harmonize Ellen White's use of sources with her statements to the contrary?" is quoted by Ratzlaff: "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 dependency. It strikes at the heart of her honesty, her integrity, and therefore her trustworthiness." (Note: Ratzlaff cites the November 1990 edition of Ministry magazine, but this statement actually appears in a sidebar on page 14 of the December 1990 edition and is missing from the html version of that issue - see <www.goo.gl/t8clmk>.) Veltman adds 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."
Ratzlaff concludes: "Ellen had a voracious appetite for reading and 'borrowing' thoughts, ideas, and words from others. ...
"Many of Ellen White's relatives had Mormon connections, and Mormonism was flourishing in the area where Ellen lived in the early years of her life. In 1842, Ellen Harmon's second cousin, Agnes Moulton Coolbrith Smith, widow of Don Carlos Smith, became a wife of Mormon prophet Joseph Smith at Nauvoo, IL."
The article ends by contrasting passages attributed to Joseph Smith and Ellen G. White regarding Smith's "First Vision." (More extensive suggested parallels can be found at <www.goo.gl/6vB0mA>) Proclamation!, Sum '15, pp24-28. <www.goo.gl/whj31W>
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SOURCES: Monographs
1 - The Many Faces of Christ: The Thousand-Year Story of the Survival and Influence of the Lost Gospels, by Philip Jenkins (Basic Books, October 2015, hardcover, 336 pages) <www.goo.gl/CRVRRR>
2 - Lost Scriptures: Books that Did Not Make It into the New Testament, by Bart Ehrman (Oxford Univ Prs, 2003, hardcover, 352 pages) <www.goo.gl/mUqUpx>
3 - The White Lie, by Walter T. Rea (M & R Pub, 1982, paperback) <www.goo.gl/3jumGd>
4 - The Desire of Ages: The Conflict of the Ages Illustrated in the Life of Christ, by Ellen G. White (Pacific Press & Review and Herald, 1964, hardcover, 804 pages) <www.goo.gl/U3S47W>
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