Bridge of Reason

In a lively debate on the Reachout Facebook page I was challenged to share the view of Reachout Trust on the controversial question of The Chosen. This is my take on it, no doubt not held by everyone. For those who don’t know about it, The Chosen has been described as ‘an American religious historical drama television series created, directed and co-written by American film-maker Dallas Jenkins. It is the first multi-season series about the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth.’ Problematic Partnerships: Interfaith? The production has proved controversial because Dallas Jenkins has partnered with Angel Studios , a streaming video company that was co-founded by brothers Neal and Jeffrey Harmon, who are Latter-day Saints. T he fact these men are Latter-day Saints, i t might be argued , is no reason to not work with them. They are, after all, in the same industry as Dallas Jenkins and bring considerable professional talent and resources to the project. T he series is filmed at th...

My wife and I went this weekend to see the new Nicholas Cage movie "Knowing" . She likes science fiction and I like action and adventure movies so it suited us both. Pop corn and drinks at the ready we were not only coming to watch an entertaining film but we were more than curious to spot all the Mormon themes said to be woven through the plot. It had been drawn to our attention that Mormons have been blogging excitedly about the Mormon motifs and symbols in the film. Typical was this observation on Mormon Insights : Although definitely NOT a LDS film, KNOWING contains many themes (throughout, even to the end) that are consistent with LDS theology. These themes go far beyond the mere "latter-day" theme. I am not going to give these themes away, because half the fun for the viewer is finding them. There are some clear religious elements to the story. There is a more detailed comment on the Adventures in Mormonism blog. I should warn you that the blog is definitely ...

The Foundation for Christian Studies at www.studychristianity.org is drawing the attention of an increasing number of Christian apologetics and anti-cult ministries. Typical among the comments from those who have contacted us are: Warning! Pass this on as a warning!!! This is very deceptive. Deceptive Web site! What could be deceptive about a foundation dedicated to the study of Christianity, whose web address is an open invitation to "study Christianity"? Well, this foundation is a thoroughly Mormon institution and the deception is in that this fact is not immediately apparent. Keith MacGregor of MacGregor Ministries commented " It may be hard for many to find out that this is LDS unless one knows Mormonism" Having studied the site we have found that the alarm is justified. I wrote to the founders putting people's concerns and asking why they feel it necessary to be less than frank about their identity and activities. The following is the extent of our cor...

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 ...

Let’s face it most people don’t know what a Mormon is notwithstanding the Mormon Church’s talk of “the familiar sight of missionaries with backpacks riding their bikes”. Those of us who interest ourselves in all issues Mormon will, on the other hand, know exactly what a Mormon is, i.e. someone who believes that Joseph Smith “restored” an apostate Christianity in early 19th century America, believes that the Book of Mormon is a work of Scripture, and that Mormonism is led by prophets who get revelations from God. In an article at in the Mormon Times those good old boys at FAIR (Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research) argue otherwise. Answering the question “What’s Wrong with Calling the FLDS Mormon?” they go on to offer an apologetic that demonstrates how you might have your cake and eat it. It’s that (Mormon) thing they do that so often gets people worked up and this is a prime example. They begin with the argument that “Mormon” is copyright while “Christian” is a generic ...