Bridge of Reason

  In the official church manuals of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the personhood and the purpose of the Holy Ghost is described this way: The Holy Ghost is a member of the Godhead (see 1 John 5:7; D&C 20:28). He is a “personage of Spirit” (D&C 130:22). He can be in only one place at a time, but His influence can be everywhere at the same time (Gospel Principles, 2009, p. 32). The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead. He is a personage of spirit, without a body of flesh and bones (see D&C 130:22). He is often referred to as the Spirit, Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of the Lord, or the comforter (True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference, 2004, pp. 81-82). We shouldn’t be surprised that in their description, we only find one reference from the Bible as to the personhood and purpose of the Holy Spirit. Much of Mormon doctrine does not arise from the Bible but rather latter-day revelation allegedly given to Joseph Smith. The one Bible ve...

  Have you had Mormon Missionaries bear their testimony to you? When backed into a corner, when feeling that you are being contentious, these young Mormons will say: ‘I bear you my testimony that I know the Book of Mormon is true, I know that Joseph Smith is a true Prophet of God and I know that the Church is the only true church.’ They have, they claim, the witness of the Spirit that what they believe is true. This, in a nutshell, is Mormonism. They believe all they believe because of this so-called ‘witness of the Spirit’. How does that work? The desire of the Mormon Missionary is for you and me to also experience the ‘witness of the Spirit’ as they do, but what do they mean? They will point an interested person to a passage in the Book of Mormon – Moroni 10:3-5: Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of ...

The video continues by showing that the true church of Jesus Christ practices various activities. Baptism and The Gift of the Holy Spirit It says that the early church, established by Christ, baptised by immersion, and bestowed the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. Mainstream Christianity has no problem with baptism by immersion or the laying on of hands for the reception of the Holy Spirit. [1] The problem therefore lies in how Mormons understand these things. Mormons believe that baptism is essential for exaltation and both baptism and the laying on of hands, must be administered by the proper authority i.e. by their leaders. ‘Baptism into Christ’s true church by proper authority opens the doors for exaltation in the eternal kingdoms of glory, exaltation to be earned by repentance, by living righteously, keeping the commandments of the Lord, and service to one’s fellowmen’ [2] The laying on of hands is the procedure revealed by the Lord for performing many priesthood...

  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is all about looking and sounding Christian. In a series of short videos all with the title ‘How Can It Not Be True’, the church seeks to draw in the unsuspecting and the curious. Several of these brief videos cover the obvious ‘Christian’; topics like: Who is God; Evidence for God’s Existence; The Miracle of Humankind and Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Each of these videos would be appear ‘Christian’ to those who know little or nothing about Mormonism. Then, after lulling you in and convincing you that they are a Christian church, you are hit with the first Mormon distinctive. The video entitled: How Can It Not Be True – Joseph Smith, informs us that during his earthly ministry Christ established his church. They are not wrong. In his gospel account, Matthew records the words of Jesus: And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18 This is ...

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have recently released several short videos which all begin with the question ‘How Can It Not Be True?’ These videos cover the subjects: Who is God?; Evidence of God’s Existence; The Miracle of Humankind; Jesus Christ as the Son of God; Agency and the Promises of Obedience; The Witness of the Spirit; Joseph Smith; and The Book of Mormon. Over the next few weeks, I will review these videos and consider if what they teach can or cannot be true. These videos are, as always, beautifully produced, and very easy on the eye. The Mormons, realising that many people will not watch or listen to a video like this beyond a couple of minutes, have made them short and to the point. Their hope, perhaps, is that these videos will arouse enough interest that the watcher visit their website or one of their churches. Let’s begin with: How Can It Not Be True – Who is God? The first claim made by the video is that God is always available for us. We would ...