Bridge of Reason

The Mormon church teaches that the church must always be led by a man on the earth, one who is to be regarded as the infallible prophet of God. It is he, they say, who speaks for God, who leads the church and acts as a mediator between the people and God. At the time of writing, this is a ninety-seven-year-old man named Russell Marion Nelson. They claim that it is through this ‘prophet’ that God speaks to his people. They are certain that he, and he alone, receives direct revelations for the whole church. ‘We are most fortunate to have a living prophet at the head of the Church to guide us, and all who need his counsel will be partakers of the promised blessings which will not be enjoyed by those who fail to accept his messages… Whose side are we on? When the prophet speaks the debate is over’. [1] As a convinced Mormon, Brad Wilcox believes that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has always been led by a prophet. According to Mormon doctrine these men have the sam...

Brad Wilcox could easily have said P is for playing, for as he continues to teach the Mormon youth, he tells them that all, except Mormons, are playing at church. Here he again speaks of what the Mormon church truly believes. According to Mormon doctrine, all other churches have no authority to administer any sacraments (sacred ordinances), neither can they aid you as you seek to return to Heavenly Father. They are not churches approved of by God – no they are just playing church. Authority and Priesthood Brad continues his denigration of mainstream Christianity by saying: ‘ They’re sincere, they want it to count, but they don’t have the authority. They don’t have God’s permission. So that the things they do really count on Earth and in eternity. Man, I want what I’m doing to count. And to be able to have that, we have to have the priesthood. We have to have that.’ What does he mean by authority and priesthood? From its beginnings the Mormon church has taught it is the rest...

  Now, I had a fight with a missionary companion once because he said that Latter-day Saints are the only ones who can feel the Spirit. And I said, “nu-uh”, and he said, “uh-huh”, and I said, “nu-uh”, and he said, “uh-huh”, and I said, “nu-uh”, and that’s how missionaries fight. And I said, “Look, if they can’t feel the Spirit, what do they feel on Christmas Eve when they’re singing Silent Night, and the little kids are all dressed in bathrobes doing the manger scene? What do they feel?” He says, “The spirit of the devil”. I said, “No! You can’t feel the spirit of the devil when little kids are dressed in bathrobes! You can’t feel the little spirit of the devil when they’re singing ‘Silent Night’!” I really enjoy watching nature programmes. God’s creation is amazing. Recently, my son invited me to see an event called Planet Earth II Live. It was amazing. Along with a couple of thousand people, we watched clips from Planet Earth II on a massive screen and there, to play alongsid...

  Pictured here is Mormon church leader Bradley R. Wilcox. He is speaking at a Fireside Youth gathering in February 2022. He surely did not know that as he spoke to the young people that evening, his message would go viral and cause outrage. There was such a backlash to his lesson that he quickly had to issue an apology. What did he say that caused such an offence? Was he speaking untruth and misrepresenting the Mormon church and its teaching? Was he bringing the church into disrepute? Over the next few weeks, I will review his message and seek to answer the question: Did Brad Wilcox speak the truth about Mormonism? Who is Bradley R. Wilcox? On the LDS website we read: Bradley R. Wilcox was born in Provo, Utah, on December 25, 1959. He and his wife, Deborah Gunnell, have four children. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Brigham Young University (BYU) and his doctorate in education from the University of Wyoming. He has served in several Church callings, incl...