Bridge of Reason

The Chambers Dictionary defines legalism as “strict adherence to law...the tendency to observe letter or form rather than spirit, or to regard things from the point of view of law.” It also helpfully illustrates the definition with a reference to the opposing doctrines of salvation by works and salvation by grace. But what is wrong with keeping the law? Surely as Christians we believe in being law-abiding? There is certainly enough in the New Testament about obedience to authorities. We are instructed, “obey your parents in the Lord” (Eph.6:1); obey your earthly masters with respect” (Eph.6:5); obey your leaders and submit to their authority” (Heb.13:17) and we are reminded “to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good” (Titus 3:3) The Challenge of Legalism When we witness to those with a legalistic bent we are often challenged with these and similar texts and accused of practicing antinomianism, “being emancipated by the gospel fro...

  From 1820, the time of the 'first vision', until 1830 Joseph Smith claimed he received revelations to guide him in the establishment and organisation of the church. During that time the Book of Mormon was brought forth, priesthood authority was restored, men were called to high office, and the order of heaven was established. The culmination of all this activity was the official forming of the church on 6 April 1830. This seemed to be the object of the whole Mormon enterprise. David Whitmer, one of the three witnesses to the Book of Mormon, tells us: ‘After the translation of the Book of Mormon was finished, early in the spring of 1830, before April 6th, Joseph gave the stone to Oliver Cowdery and told me as well as the rest that he was through with it, and he did not use the stone anymore. He said he was through the work God had given him the gift to per-form, except to preach the gospel. He told us that we would have to depend on the Holy Ghost hereafter to be guided into...

A familiar Watch Tower teaching is that there are two groups of people after judgement, one in heaven and one on earth (a third if you count the ones that don’t make it). A good question we should always be prepared to ask is, ’Where does the Bible say that?’ Of course, they usually have an answer. They say on their website : ‘Those “who are called and chosen” to rule with Christ in the Kingdom are referred to as a “little flock.” ( Revelation 17:14; Luke 12:32 ) This shows that they would be relatively few in comparison with the complete number of Jesus’ sheep.​— John 10:16 .’ This is where you ask the second question. Who in the Bible makes those links? Who in the Bible talks like you? As far as they’re concerned it jumps off the page, but it really doesn’t. They believe they alone have the explanation, often thinking we are puzzled by such questions. None of this is true. In Luke 12 Jesus, addressing his disciples, tells them they are to acknowledge him before men (8-12). The...

If ever you wondered what a Catch-22 actually is, Mormonism offers a great example. A Catch-22 is a paradox you can’t escape because of conflicting claims. You are supposed to believe one claim in order to believe the second but the second prevents you from believing the first. When I was a Mormon back in the 1970s, the official teaching on plural marriage was clear enough; it was the order of heaven. When it was abandoned by the Mormons in 1890 it was simply a temporary suspension because, ‘ We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.’ LDS 12 th Article of Faith. In other words, we obeyed the law – for now. Nevertheless, there would come a day when the practice would be re-established and the order of heaven restored. That was because the standing order of marriage was polygamy. Without polygamy a man or woman simply couldn’t reach the celestial kingdom of God. Brigham Young pre...

   Today I listened to a JW video with GB member David Splane talking about the book of James and chapter 2 v 17 in particular . The video is a textbook monologue by the Governing Body, telling people what they “ know ” (a form of ‘gaslighting’), contradicting what the Watchtower actually teaches, and criticising “ Evangelicals ”. He mimicked people JWs meet who say that JWs believe they will earn their salvation by going door-to-door and then tells us that “ you know that’s not true ” (Min 2:15) Do we know that? Let’s check the evidence (Emphasise are mine); “The fourth requirement [to reside in paradise] is connected with loyalty. God requires that prospective subjects of the Kingdom support his government by loyally advocating his kingdom rule to others… will you meet this requirement by telling others about God’s kingdom ?” Watchtower 15 Feb 1983 p12-13 “Twelve Reasons for Preaching…7. It is a requirement for our own salvation ” Our Kingdom ministry No 6 June 2012....

  Perhaps a core aim of Reachout Trust is to help those caught up in the cults to successfully exit the group and come to a faith in the Lord Jesus as their saviour. But what is the best way to do that, is there a silver bullet or a holy hand grenade that instantly brings the cult member into the truth? I have come to use AI more in my research and found it very useful and insightful in its responses. It does always warn that it can make mistakes so one has to be careful in trusting it too blindly. I asked it what the most effective strategy would be to bring someone out of the Watchtower Society and here is its answer. The Core Problem: Why Direct Approaches Fail The instinct is to confront — to present the failed prophecies, the blood transfusion deaths, the NWT translation issues. This almost always backfires. The Watchtower has pre-inoculated members against exactly this: outside criticism is framed as Satanic attack, which *confirms* the member's worldview rather than ch...

  With what authority does the Watch Tower Society speak? Does the Watch Tower bring light, as it claims? Olin R Moyle began his association with Charles Russell’s Bible Students group in 1910. He worked as legal counsel for the Society from 1935 to 1939. A disenchanted Moyle resigned in July 1939, after witnessing the ill-treatment of Bethel staff, and Joseph Rutherford’s heavy drinking and luxurious lifestyle. The Watch Tower responded with a strongly worded article in the Watchtower magazine in which they accused Moyle of lying, comparing him to Judas Iscariot. His local congregation disfellowshipped him, and in 1940 Moyle sued the Society for libel. Moyle won, and won again on appeal, initially being awarded $30,000, later reduced to $15,000. That’s more than $707,000 and almost $354,000 in 2026. It is always a mistake for a cult to find itself in open court. So much is brought to light that they would rather not talk about as they are asked questions they would rather not an...

Mormonism's Open Canon? Mormonism is founded on the idea that the early church went into apostasy because of the absence of apostles and prophets. Mormonism is presented as a ‘restoration’ of ancient authority and prophecy. The Bible should never have been a closed canon, so Mormonism operates from an open canon. The problem arises when we quote Brigham Young, Mormonism’s second prophet, the ‘American Moses’ who led the saints to the Salt Lake Valley. You might think such an important leader would have something to add to the Mormon canon. He certainly had plenty to say during his thirty years presidency of the church. Nevertheless, he has but one entry in the Doctrine and Covenants, section 136: ‘The word and the will of the Lord, given through President Brigham Young, at the Winter Quarters of the Camp of Israel...January 1, 1847’ He said plenty, of course, much of it recorded in the 26 volume Journal of Discourses. But what was once recognised as a ‘Standard Work’ of the churc...

  It is commonly understood among Mormons that the Fall was a good thing. A 27 April post on X has sent the Christian world in a spin because it plainly said as much: 'In the LDS Church, we do not see Eve eating the forbidden fruit as a mistake or even a sin. on the contrary, we celebrate her courage and wisdom to partake of the fruit, transgress the bounds of Eden and become all that her Heavenly Father wanted her to be.' Of course, nobody outside the Mormon Church would teach such a thing. It goes against everything the Bible tells us, everything Christianity teaches about the nature of man, the purposes of God in creation , and the meaning of the atonement. People get uncomfortable when we use the word 'cult,' but it must be understood that error on this level cannot be winked at. It must be called out for what it is, plain heresy. People must be warned, and the fact someone 'sincerely believes it’ is no excuse. If it upsets our Mormon neighbours then pe...

  Christians around the world are celebrating what is, perhaps, the greatest event in human history – the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For millennia we have believed that Christ was raised bodily, that the body He inhabited while living was raised to perfection. In 1 Corinthians 15 v 35-54 we find details of what His (and our) new body looked like, it is not the same, and yet it is. Sown perishable it is raised imperishable, it dies physical, it is raised spiritual. Jesus’ body clearly had unearthly powers as we can see from it popping in and out of locked rooms at will (John 20 v 19) and vanishing before people’s eyes (Luke 24 v 31). But the Watchtower would have us believe this was all a big con. They claim that Jesus was not raised bodily but as a spirit, that Jehovah somehow dissolved His physical body into its constituent atoms to hide it away. They claim that Jesus only appeared to be in physical form in order to convince His disciples that He had indeed been raised. The...