Bridge of Reason

It is always good to know old friends are still on form and issuing thoughtful challenges to the ministry of Reachout Trust. One such is a good man who is a faithful Mormon and has been for many years. The challenge was to our use of the word ‘Mormon’ when we know ‘the name is the CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day saints.’ The question is, which church name would he have us use given the name has changed so much over the years. Instead of Mormonism should we call it, ‘The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints-ism?’ I would point out the current Mormon prophet, M Russell Nelson, has point-blank contradicted the policy of his immediate predecessor, Thomas S Monson. Perhaps Mormons should look closer to home and have the Mormon Church do some housekeeping. The various names of the church have been: The Church of Christ - 1830 The Church of the Latter Day Saints - 1834 The Church of Jesus Christ - Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 3:24, footnote The Church of God - ibid ...

How are things with you these days? I imagine there have been significant changes to your normal routine. Confinement has seen me running out of excuses and actually tacking the mess I laughingly call my study. (Starting to tackle) My local shop is allowing just two customers in at any one time. He has considerately marked out the floor into metre squares in black and yellow tape. Shopping is now a dance class, but we are all grateful. I like chunky rolled oats for my porridge and it is not easy to come by these days. But my local shopkeeper, who doesn’t usually carry them, found a box for me and made a friend for life. I needed to visit the chemist in the city centre and the roads and pavements were quieter than a wet Sunday morning in November. I knew the police were stopping drivers to ask if they have a legitimate reason to be out. I did, but I still felt somehow guilty, waiting for that tap on the shoulder. We had to go to the hospital and that journey has never been so ...

As if my list of books to read was not long enough I have a new one to add to it, the Book of Jeranek, this is the first book of scripture produced by the Prophet Matthew Gill in the Latter Day Church of Jesus Christ. This group that has started in Derbyshire in 2006 claims to be the restoration of true Mormonism. They claim that after the death of Joseph Smith God's church ceased to be on the earth up until Matthew Gill (pictured) has come and restored the truth of the Mormon Gospel. They accept the original 1830 book of Mormon and the Bible (as far as it is translated correctly) and the Book of Jeranek to be scripture as well as believing other books of scripture will be coming. The Book of Jeranek comes from a revelation from the angel Moroni to Matthew Gill as a child, showing him some golden plates and telling him one day He will do a great work. Then later in 2005 the angel Raphael came and gave him the brass plates that formed the book of Jeranek. Interestingly Matthew Gill ...