Bridge of Reason

My wife and I went this weekend to see the new Nicholas Cage movie "Knowing" . She likes science fiction and I like action and adventure movies so it suited us both. Pop corn and drinks at the ready we were not only coming to watch an entertaining film but we were more than curious to spot all the Mormon themes said to be woven through the plot. It had been drawn to our attention that Mormons have been blogging excitedly about the Mormon motifs and symbols in the film. Typical was this observation on Mormon Insights : Although definitely NOT a LDS film, KNOWING contains many themes (throughout, even to the end) that are consistent with LDS theology. These themes go far beyond the mere "latter-day" theme. I am not going to give these themes away, because half the fun for the viewer is finding them. There are some clear religious elements to the story. There is a more detailed comment on the Adventures in Mormonism blog. I should warn you that the blog is definitely ...

Mormons, Freemasons, Symbolist Orders, Rosicrucianism, UFOs I don't think we're in Kansas any more Toto! The order is the brainchild of a Frenchman who goes by the pseudonym Adama. He is both a Freemason and a Mormon convert and Sunday school teacher. In the independent Mormon magazine Sunstone , it is reported that the founder converted to Mormonism in 2005 and a year later started the Kolob Order after studying the Book of Abraham, an early Mormon scripture. Religioscope: France: Kolob Order blends Mormonism and Freemasonry

In a recent radio interview, The Shack author, Paul Young, told the interviewer he did not hold to the traditional view of the atonement in that he does not believe Jesus Christ bore the punishment (i.e., penalty) for man's sins when He died on the Cross. Look at a partial transcript here. He also stated, with regard to this topic: "I don't know if you're aware, but that's a huge debate that's going on in theology right now within the evangelical community." That debate, to which Young refers, is the new theology (or as we call it the new spirituality) that is entering Christianity through contemplative and emerging figures such as Brennan Manning, Brian McLaren, and Marcus Borg. This "huge debate" states that a loving Father would never send His Son to a violent death on behalf of the sins of others. And while they do not deny that Jesus did physically die on a Cross, they insist that His death was not to be a substitutionary act wherein H...

This letter has appeared on the internet recently. It is very unusual and, since it is anonymous, it might be easy to dismiss. Many years experience as a Mormon and involved in ministry to Mormons I can vouchsafe that the circumstances described here are accurate to life, the struggle with family, church and conscience very real for very many Mormons and the controlling nature of the Mormon Church real. Why do Reachout do what we do? This is why. Dear Elder (Name): As one who suffers from within, I write this letter to inform you of the magnitude of a growing problem. I am fully active, fully worthy, and fully apostate. I remain active solely for the sake of immediate and extended family unity, and to preserve my marriage. The fact that I cannot act upon my knowledge about fraudulent church history and doctrine has created a considerable dilemma for both the church and myself. The church is filled with people like me, and if you do not address this dilemma, the church will collapse fr...

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- HBO on Tuesday defended its plans to depict a sacred Mormon temple ceremony in an upcoming episode of " Big Love ." The drama about a Utah polygamous family will show an endowment ceremony Sunday. HBO said it did not intend to be disrespectful of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and apologized. "Obviously, it was not our intention to do anything disrespectful to the church, but to those who may be offended, we offer our sincere apology," the premium cable channel said in a statement issued Tuesday. But the ceremony is an important part of the "Big Love" story line, HBO said. There seems a certain inevitability in this story. It is inevitable that so-called Mormon "sacred ceremonies"  will figure in the controversial HBO TV series Big Love, an every day tale of polygamists; inevitable that the Mormons would complain bitterly; inevitable that the officials of the church would not enc...

We are living in days when more and more 'doom' prophecies are being published. This article will not say that they are all wrong; many of them will be in line with the events that Scripture predicts. My concerns here are not with the actual content of the prophecies but with the timing and our reaction to them. (A longer article will appear on www.reachouttrust.org in a couple of weeks dealing with the testing of prophet and prophecy too) Reaction to doom prophecies The reaction to these prophecies, by some Christians, is panic and fear. The latest David Wilkinson prophecy is such a one. He begins: "I am compelled by the Holy Spirit to send out an urgent message to all on our mailing list, and to friends and to bishops we have met all over the world. AN EARTH-SHATTERING CALAMITY IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN. IT IS GOING TO BE SO FRIGHTENING, WE ARE ALL GOING TO TREMBLE - EVEN THE GODLIEST AMONG US. For ten years I have been warning about a thousand fires coming to New York City. I...

We have known for some time that when it comes to issues of faith Canada has fallen out of the stupid tree and hit every branch on the way down. This is another example of how totally out of touch with reality and sound biblical exegesis you get when  you are driven by a profoundly liberal social and political agenda. This Lent they give us Jesus the racist. All I can say is come soon Lord Jesus because look at what they are doing with your holy name. "In a brochure on '2009 Lenten Meditations' put out by the Anglican Church of Canada (ACoC), Jesus is portrayed as a recovering racist.  The brochure's reading for March 27 is taken from Matthew 15, which relates the familiar story in which Jesus has a discussion with a Canaanite woman. According to the ACoC, "This is not a story for people who need to think that Jesus always had it together, because it looks like we've caught him being mean to a lady because of her ethnicity."" Anglican Ch...

It has been reported that Brian McLaren will be at Spring Harvest Skegness, weeks I and 2. He will be involved in afternoon seminars and the evening Celebration. Wendy Beech-Ward Director of Events for Spring Harvest is quoted as saying, "I'm sure our Guests will be inspired by his experience, insight and vision for Church mission". But inspired to do what? The title for this year's Spring Harvest is "Apprentice – walking the way of Christ" and if I had booked for either of these weeks, I would now be demanding my money back because of false advertising. But am I over reacting? When you study the comments that he makes and the teaching he is giving I do not think so. McLaren appears to undermine the finished work of Jesus Christ at Calvary; the sufficiency of Scripture; and indeed the uniqueness of Jesus Christ and Christianity. How can such teaching enable me to walk in the way of Christ? I believe these aspects of the teaching of what is often described as...