Bridge of Reason

Thomas S Monson, Mormon president, has announced yet another temple, bringing to 15 the number temples in Utah. There are currently 130 temples around the world. Someone wrote to Reachout recently asking about temples and here is his question and my answer:   “I am confused surely the whole purpose of the atonement of Christ was to overcome the need for animal sacrifice. He was the ultimate sacrifice. So it seems natural that by Jesus bring this higher law that superseded the Levitical laws that required animal sacrifice in temple the purposes of a temple would also change and the rituals that take place within them would develop and alter. Your suggestion that the event taking place in the modern Mormon temples does not match the operations of the ancient temples is therefore redundant as they should not be doing so but rather the Mormon temples are there to provide the ability to carry out rituals relating to this higher law of Jesus. Please respond I am genuinely in need of ...

In the article becoming self reliant in the January 2010 Ensign magazine President Thomas Monson says this: (bold added) “Self-reliance is a product of our work and undergirds all other welfare practices. It is an essential element in our spiritual as well as our temporal well-being. Regarding this principle, President Marion G Romney (1897-1988) has said: “Let us work for what we need. Let us be self-reliant and independent. Salvation can be obtained on no other principle. Salvation is an individual matter, and we must work out our own salvation in temporal as well as in spiritual things." An LDS manual says this: “It is not that our desires are necessarily evil in and of themselves, but it is our responsibility to bridle our own passions lest they devolve to lusts which will invariably lead to sin (The life and teachings of the apostles course manual, p.411) And also in an article on grace the LDS bible dictionary says this: “However grace cannot suffice without total effort on ...

The February 2010 edition of National Geographic takes a close look at Colorado City and Hildale, major centres for the polygamous, fundamentalist FLDS Mormons. The photos are a remarkable record of a usually secretive sect. The Polygamists — National Geographic Magazine

How long does it take after you have resigned your membership in the Mormon Church before they do anything about it? This discussion on the Reachout Trust forum was started by Tex, a former Mormon who is still waiting after a year. The Mormons certainly take prisoners. Has anyone waited longer? “I'm not too worried about the paper or letter itself, it's just nice to know that if resignation has been asked then a request should be respected and the recipient be notified. But above all honesty. Did they really send me a letter on April 2009? I doubt it, as the post services between US and UK are so smooth and I never had any mail lost from the US. So or it's a very unfortunate coincidence, or then they are lying.” Reachout Trust • View topic - How much longer?

One of the things people ask of ministry to the cults is, “Why do you do it?” There was a time when it hardly needed explaining but now, even within some parts of the church, there are those who ask whether it is really altogether Christian to challenge other religions. Somehow it doesn’t seem altogether respectable, especially in a world where, if people want a religion at all, they shop for one. I mean, you wouldn’t rummage through other people’s purchases down at the department store, identifying fashion victims, criticising colour combinations - at least not to their faces. There are two reasons why we do it. The first, and by far the most important, is that people pin their eternal hopes on their religious choices and God has commanded that Christians should “Go into all the world telling the good news.” People concerned about eternal things need to hear eternal truths and be warned about those things that will prove ultimately false and empty. Jude wrote of his eagerness to ...

  A media campaign has been launched in eastern Idaho against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The "Speaking the Truth in Love to Mormons" campaign was started by the Truth in Love Ministry of Nampa. Its focus is on "witnessing to Mormons" and showing them the "truth of God's words" through "loving means." Five billboards have been placed in heavily Mormon southeastern Idaho - one in Rexburg and two each in Idaho Falls and Pocatello - showing a woman holding her head next to the words "Feeling Worthy?" The billboard gives the campaign Web site. The billboards are expected to remain on display for at least three months. Nampa pastor leads drive to convert Mormons | News Updates | Idaho Statesman