Bridge of Reason

Tony Brown spoke at our 2023 Convention on the Impossible Gospel of Mormonism. Our 2024 Convention is already planned and booked for September. Why not join us and enjoy a weekend of teaching, equipping, and fellowship with people who have been there and understand. Find out more here . Meanwhile, I hope you find this teaching a blessing.

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...

  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....

  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 ...

  In my last post I began to consider the advice given in an article entitled: ‘Building the Best You’, by Mormon Eric B. Murdock in which he offers five ways to build a happy and joyful life. Having discussed the first two, here I look at the next three. Create a Regular Routine of Prayer and Scripture Study Another way to build a happy life is to build a relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. A great way to do that is through prayer and scripture study. President Uchtdorf said: “To strengthen our relationship with God, we need some meaningful time alone with Him. Quietly focusing on daily personal prayer and scripture study… will be some wise investments of our time and efforts to draw closer to our Heavenly Father.” Prayer is an opportunity to communicate with our Father in Heaven. He knows us, loves us, and wants to hear from us! When we pray sincerely, offer our thanks, and ask for the things we need, He listens and always answers in His own way and time. When it ...

If we were to ask members of the public to answer the question: ‘What did Jesus teach?’, what would they say? I would imagine that many would say something along the lines of; ‘Jesus taught us that we must try to be good’. Now that answer is not correct, but that would be an understandable response from a society which believes Jesus was, at best, just a good man. But what if that was the answer given by those who claim to be familiar with the teachings of Jesus? On the opening page of the website of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we read the following: No matter your story, we welcome you to join us as we all try to be a little bit better, a little bit kinder, a little more helpful—because that’s what Jesus taught. [1] Wait, what? Is that what Jesus taught? Can you point me to the Bible verses where Jesus said we are to ‘try to be a little bit better, a little bit kinder, and a little more helpful’ ?  Be Good You see, Mormonism, like most other groups ...