Plagiarism: Difference between revisions

'''Plagiarism''' is the act of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own. It is all about not telling people where you got your ideas from, particularly if you copy someone word for word.  It is not necessarily about copyright violation although that could be part of it.

William Branham told his audience in his sermon on the Seventy Weeks of Daniel (see below) that he “didn’t know it yet” (but was going to preach on it that morning), that he’d studied Larkin’s writings BUT DIDN’T AGREE WITH THEM and that what they were going to hear was going to come from a revelation that William Branham was trusting GOD to give him. This is how William Branham lifted himself up to become the “messenger of God” of our age.

If William Branham has simply said "I read this information in Clarence Larkin's book", then he would not have been guilty of plagiarism.  But he didn't.  Instead he said that he received it by divine revelation.  He said that God gave it to him, which was a lie.  He got the information directly from Clarence Larkin and others.  Below are '''specific examples of plagiarism in William Branham's ministry'''.  We have also addressed a few questions about plagiarism in the Bible which can be found by [[Q&A:Plagiarism|clicking here]].

[[Image:Clarence.jpg|thumb|right|Clarence Larkin]]

[[Clarence Larkin]] (1850-1924) was American Baptist pastor, Bible teacher and author whose writings on Dispensationalism had a great impact on modern dispensational thinking.  While William Branham only mentions Clarence Larkin three times in all his recorded sermons, he drew heavily from him but never gave Larkin the credit for these teachings.

In these above quotes, William Branham says that he doesn't agree with Clarence Larkin or other commentaries.  This gives the impression that the doctrine he preached was his own original ideas or lessons he received directly from the Angel (and not from anywhere else).  '''But did he?'''  Let's take a close look and compare what William Branham says to Clarence Larkin's books.

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::'''Main article: [[The Seven Churches Ages]]'''

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::'''Main article: The [[Seven Seals]]'''

#[[Seventh Seal#Plagiarism|Plagiarism in the Seventh Seal]]

In his copyrighted 1919 book, “The Book of Revelation”, after Clarence Larkin wrote about Revelation chapter 5, he then took a bit of a sidestep to discuss the Seventieth Week in the Book of Daniel. Larkin later went on to write an entirely separate book titled “The Book of Daniel” (1929), which also spoke on his ideas regarding Daniel’s 70th week and its link to the book of Revelation.

According to ordinary chronology, the 475 years from B. C. 445 to A. D. 30 are “Solar” years of 365 days each. Now counting the years from B. C. 445 to A. D. 30, inclusively, we have '''476 solar years'''. Multiplying these '''476 years by 365''' (the number of days in a Solar year), we have 173,740 days, to which add 119 days for leap years, and we have 173,859 days. Add to these 20 days inclusive from March 14 to April 2, and we have 173,879 days. Divide 173, 879 by 360 (the number of days in a “Prophetical Year”), and we have '''483 years''' all to one day, the exact number of days (483) in 69 weeks, each day standing for a year. '''Could there be anything more conclusive''' to prove that Daniel’s 69 weeks ran out on April 2, A. D. 30, the day that Jesus rode in triumph into the City of Jerusalem.<ref>Clarence Larkin, Dispensational Truth, or “God’s Plan and Purpose in the Ages“ (Philadelphia, PA: Clarence Larkin, 1918), 49–50.</ref>

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William Branham must have read a lot of Clarence Larkin because he plagiarized him in a number of his key theological teachings.

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In the sermon, The Future Home Of The Heavenly Bridegroom And The Earthly Bride, William Branham states:

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C. L. Franklin was an American Baptist minister and civil rights activist.  Known as the man with the "Million-Dollar Voice", Franklin served as the pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan, from 1946 until he was shot and wounded in 1979. Franklin was the father of the American singer and songwriter Aretha Franklin.  

[[Image:Cigarette ad for a thinking mans filter.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]

*Where did the inspiration for William Branham's sermon, "A Thinking Man's Filter", come from?

William Branham made it clear in one story that he didn't pick up the cigarette package.  Then in the next he says that the Holy Spirit told him to pick it up.  Why did the story change? Is William Branham being truthful with the origins of his doctrines and stories, or is he doing exactly what is spoken about in Jeremiah 23:30?

Ellen White, the "prophet" and founder of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, stated that:

Details of this plagiarized "prophecy" can be found in our article entitled "[[Don't Eat Eggs]]".

The four techniques essential to the white­lie brand of super salesmanship are: (a) to play up anything unusual or mysterious about the one to be venerated, so that he or she becomes seen as at a supernatural level; (h) to exalt the acts and utterances to the virtuous and miraculous level, thus reinforcing the idea of the supernatural connection; (c) to deny access to information and records of the events and facts of the past; and (d) to buy time so as to get as far as possible from the point of living knowledge of the beginnings of the legend.

:''This information may or may not disturb those who now say that the group of pioneers sat around the table and worked out in conjunction with Ellen their ideas and theology. But it does indeed disturb those who were taught that such ideas and theology originated with greater authority and mystique than the common ideas of human endeavor seem to command.<ref>Ellen G. White, Prophet? or Plagiarist!, The White Lie! By Walter T. Rea</ref>

For details on the similarities with [[William Sowders]], please go to [[William Sowders|the article on how William Branham appears to have copied doctrinal teachings from Sowders]].

We have received several emails on the subject of William Branham's plagiarism.  Our responses to these questions can be found in our article entitled [[Q&A:Plagiarism]].