Bridge of Reason

Baptism, as with other subjects has changed with ‘new light’ received by the Watchtower Society. Today they practice the opposite of their original belief. Which leads us to ask, “how is it possible that they have always been God’s true messenger?” God never turns a complete circle on any of His teachings, does He?. 1921 Part of the answer to the question of why the elders questioned thoroughly baptismal candidates, often discouraging the nervous ones was as follows: “Entrance into the body of Christ is not made on the basis of logic or philosophy, but is made on the basis of faith in Christ Jesus and the whole-hearted devotion to him. We think by far the better way, the scriptural way, is for the one who conducts the baptismal service, or the one who gives a Scriptural talk on such an occasion, to ask merely the simple questions: (1) Do you believe in Christ Jesus as your Redeemer, and your personal Saviour from sin and death? (2) Have you presented your heart and life to God, to foll...

These temples are costly to build and maintain and demand of Mormons a level of commitment that is exceptional, both in proving worthy to attend and in the sacrifices involved in attending; travel, financial sacrifice, time commitment and physical effort. It is not called temple "work" for nothing. This illustrates a point often overlooked by those who comment only casually on religious issues. Faith is a commitment unlike anything else in life. Of course, there are always those nominal members whose involvement is marginal, but for a great many believers of any persuasion it is a life-defining, heart-felt commitment. It is worth asking whether our loyalty is wisely placed, our commitment wisely invested. The apostle Paul urged Christians to, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves" (2 Cor.13:5) Wise advice when your faith will shape profoundly your life and determine your eternity. For that is what Mormon temples are about, time and...

Are there really two distinct groups, having different futures, as the Watchtower Society would have us believe? They call them the 144,000 or anointed , who are in heaven and the other sheep or great crowd who will be forever on earth. “And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they shall hear My voice; and they shall become one flock with one shepherd.” - John 10:16 Who is Jesus saying the other sheep are in comparison to - the little flock? John 9:40 shows that Jesus is talking to the Pharisees - who then are the ‘other sheep’? The context clearly shows that the other sheep are the Gentiles. Not only that but that these two groups will become one flock with one shepherd. The teaching of the two separate groups that the Society put forward is not in line with this Scripture. See also Ephesians 2:12-14. WHERE ARE THE OTHER SHEEP? This is a vital question for every Jehovah’s Witness and we will answer it by quoting from three of their own publica...

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 ...

Here is a site sharing letters from the governing body of Jehovah's Witnesses to Congregational Elders. Commenting on the controlling nature of the society the author writes: "The Watchtower Societies policy of putting themselves in the place that Christians put Jesus in is not new but it has become more and more blatant over the years." Letters From The Governing Body Of Jehovah's Witnesses: Obey The Dictates of The Governing Body

Here is a good review of a very interesting work of fiction that looks at Mormonism, its beginnings and today's spiritual descendants among fundamentalist Mormons. What is interesting is that a work like this, perhaps better described as "faction", is that it also works as well as factual works, perhaps sometimes better, to show up the errors and problems of cults and of religious movements in general. The last paragraph of the review, I think, illustrates this well: "There's no use pretending that reading The 19th Wife isn't a lot of work, but its rewards are correspondingly vast. Admittedly, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will have reason to react unenthusiastically to this portrayal of their early leaders, and members of pedophilic cults should definitely choose something else for book club. But the voices Ebershoff has brought to life here dramatize one of the most remarkable periods of America's religious history, an...

An interesting development in the Mormon Church's ongoing pursuit of tax exemption for its Preston Temple buildings. Also an insight into how secular liberals are blind to any good done by churches or appreciative of the positive contributions routinely made by churches across the country. Read the comment I made below the blog post. Fora: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints v Gallagher (Valuation Officer): The new religion, or the same old story