Bridge of Reason

  “He that hath the spirit of contention is not of me,” said the Lord, “but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another ( 3 Ne phi 11:29 ). I only ever recall once being told, by Mormon Missionaries, that I had the spirit of contention. I cannot remember exactly what our discussion entailed, but they were not happy with something I said, and so they threw the charge at me. But what do they mean when they say a person has a spirit of contention? A Christ-like attitude Mormons will often say that a person has the spirit of contention, when they feel that their beliefs are in some way being undermined or ridiculed. A Christian challenging them about what they believe can often find themselves labelled as contentious. They may suggest that you are not exhibiting a ‘Christ-like attitude’ in what you are saying or the way you are saying it. Jesus, who is the one allegedly speaking in 3 Nephi 11:29, ...