Bridge of Reason

  It is often asked, how can anyone fall for this or that cult? Behind the question is an assumption; these people are gullible. But they are neither gullible, nor are they dumb. In fact, most people who join cults are intelligent and capable. That much is clear from the fact they so often come along asking important questio ns about life. From our vantage point we might compare a cult’s teaching with our own experience and understanding, but that is not where the cult member is standing. Imagine a scale of 1-10: 1------2------3------4------5------6------7------8------9------10 Number ten represents the complete cult experience.  Number one represents what most regard as the received orthodoxy of the faith, where we stand when we agree on the fundamentals.  It is from this viewpoint that you survey the cult scene and judge others ‘dumb for falling for this stuff.’ The ‘others’ you are looking at stand, shall we say, at point seven on this scale. I t is well to remember th...

  I used to play this trick where I took a handful of change from my pocket and asked someone to count it for me before I used it as an illustration. They would come back with a number and I would look puzzled and ask, ’Are you sure?’ I would then count the change for myself, taking out all the foreign coins that looked like British currency. ‘That,’ I would say, ‘is how easy it is to fool someone. With blinding familiarity and an unsuspecting mark.’ So it is that along comes a Jehovah’s Witness, pointing out the Bible clearly says, ‘You are my witnesses,’ declares Jehovah.’ Isaiah 43:10, and our mark, thinking this an insight, and feeling how clever of him to see it, says, ‘Oh, yes! Tell me more.’ So, too, a Mormon comes along and says, ‘The true church is built on a foundation of apostles and prophets.’ Eph esians 2:20; 1 Co rinthi a ns 12:28; Eph esians 4:11-14, and our mark, thinking he knows something now, and how clever he is to know it, says, ‘Oh, yes! Tell me more.’ ...

  I recently read a blog post by a Latter-day Saint named Jim Harmer entitled ‘A complete list of things Mormons can’t do.’ He began by saying this: As a life-long member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I’m asked with frequency what things I “can and can’t do.” That’s always been a little funny of a question to me because I, just like you, can do whatever I want. [1] Is this true? Can Jim do whatever he wants? Yes and No Important within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day is the idea of ‘agency’. Mormonism teaches that we are free agents with the ability to choose good or bad. Agency was given to all Heavenly Father’s spirit children in their pre-mortal state and now, in mortal life, it is to be used to ‘choose the right’. [2] So, while Mormons like Jim, in theory, have the freedom to do whatever they want, in practice choice is not a real option if they want to remain in good standing in the church. Most, if not all, cultic groups operate in this way....

  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 ...

In my last article, I shared about the furore that followed a talk given to youth by Mormon leader Brad Wilcox. What did he say that caused such an uproar and why did he have to publicly apologise? Having listened to his message, I don’t believe he said anything that wasn’t truly Mormon. The price for preaching the pure unadulterated LDS faith, was him being called to account. Why did this happen? Well, I believe it is because Mormonism has two faces – the private and the public.   Then Brad came along Brad Wilcox should have known that in sharing publicly what Mormons believe privately would get him into trouble. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have spent many years and lots of money, seeking to prove to the public that they are a benign and benevolent, Christian church. They had, in the main, been highly successful – then Brad came along! So, what were the private beliefs of the Mormon church that Brad make public? G is for Godhead As I mentioned in my f...

‘We believe in the more than imperial status of human beings. We believe that our spirits are the offspring of Deity, and we hold that when Christ said to His apostles, ‘Be ye therefore perfect, even as you Father which is in heaven is perfect,’ He was not talking of a merely idealistic yet impossible achievement; but that on the contrary He meant that it was possible for men to advance until they shall become like unto the Gods in their powers and in their attainments, through righteousness.’ [1] The Bible nowhere speaks of ‘perfect’ human beings progressing to become Gods, yet Mormonism teaches that for their members to enter the celestial kingdom, and potentially achieve Godhood, they must be perfect in this life. The Mormon needs to hear what the Bible says about how a person can be forgiven and seen as righteous by Heavenly Father. Let us consider some verses that we could share with Mormon who is striving to be perfect. Righteous Righteousness is described as the quality ...

What is the greatest film of all time? If you said: ‘Indiana Jones and The Raiders of the Lost Ark’ – you are correct. I love this film it has everything in it. There is action, there is a hero, there is a baddy, there is romance, there is humour, there is the search for biblical treasure and then they throw in some villainous Nazis – what a film! But recently, I discovered something else in the film – an anachronism. A What? An anachronism is something belonging to a period other than that in which it is exists. An example of this would be that you are perhaps watching a film about Henry VIII and suddenly an aeroplane fly’s past or, in the case of Indiana Jones, which is set in 1936, a map is shown showing names of countries that were not named as such in the 1930s. Though anachronistic, you can still enjoy these films, because they are just films, but sometimes anachronisms can be far more damaging and cannot be ignored. A Book from God What if anachronisms are found in a r...