Bridge of Reason

Never a truer word brother, never a truer word. And who would have thought a spellchecker would be capable of a Freudian Slip? All copies of the student paper at Brigham Young University have been recalled after a caption labeled a group of Mormon church leaders as "apostates" instead of "apostles." The paper claims it was typo caused by spell check. Students, the university statement suggests, are "confused" over the matter but some claim paper is known to be "sloppy" anyway. Readers were told to peruse the paper online. The university explained: "A spelling error appeared in a photo caption in which the word 'apostle' was rendered as 'apostate.' In referring to activities at the General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints last weekend, the caption read in part, 'Members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostates and other general authorities raise their hands in a su...

In a commencement address at BYU-Ricks, April 2008, Mormon apostle M Russell Ballard spoke to 1,400 graduates about the evils of the Internet. While appreciating its positive benefits, he described it as the medium for "one of Satan's most seductive efforts", i.e. the spread of pornography. Of course, I appreciate his voice raised in warning and deplore as much the spread of pornography via the Internet. I do object, however, to the way he characterises honest critics of the Mormon Church as representing an evil equal to pornographers. "Along with the terrible effects of pornography, the Internet and other media are often used to spread falsehoods, Elder Ballard said. 'Every month there are 60 billion searches for information on the Internet. Many are seeking information about the Church; and while some are finding the truth, others find anti-Mormon sites that mislead them and defame the Church,' Elder Ballard said." This from a church that insists it ...

With its usual modesty and demonstrating its typical self-effacing character the Mormon Church has announced the publication of The Joseph Smith Papers. Aimed at scholars and “serious students of the life of Joseph Smith”, it draws on some 6,000 documents taken mainly from the archives of the Mormon Church but also from the Re-organised Church (The Community of Christ) and some private collections. The aim is to produce a definitive, scholarly edition of Joseph Smith’s papers in approximately thirty volumes produced at a rate of two volumes a year at just under $50 a volume. Did someone say hubris? One wonders how many Mormons, let alone non-Mormons, will actually end up with a set. If you’re determined to own a set yourself it will likely take you fifteen years to complete it, although they hope to speed up production. Certainly, for the average Christian what you meet on the doorstep will not change. The story of Joseph Smith as presented by missionaries and shared by the typical Mo...

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Brigham Young University has yanked the diploma of a man who created a calendar featuring shirtless Mormon missionaries and was later excommunicated from the church. Chad Hardy of Las Vegas attended graduation ceremonies Aug. 15 after finishing up his last four units of study online in June. But on July 13, in between completing his studies and the graduation ceremony, he was excommunicated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There is a lesson here for all those who want to understand what Mormonism is all about. Some have argued that BYU is a Mormon Church-owned school and, therefore, since Hardy knew and signed up to the rules of conduct, he only has himself to blame. Problem is he hasn't been "active" as a Mormon for six years, according to some reports. His lack of any meaningful involvement in the Mormon Church seemed to be no bar to his gaining entry on a BYU course so we have to conclude that faithfulness to the code, or lack ...