Bridge of Reason

Death of a Salesman

Well, the old guy's gone. On Sunday Gordon B Hinckley, CEO and consummate travelling salesman for the Mormon Church,  stepped from time into eternity and now he knows... Hell of a time to find out you're product wasn't all it was made out to be all along but then a lot of people wait until this point to find that out.

Bridge of Reason is the Reachout blog, it carries some thoughts on the old man's passing, as well as on his legacy, and there's a link through to a really good and helpful piece by Mormonism Researched Ministry, a first class resource for those who want to understand what really goes on, as they put it, Behind the Zion Curtain. Go Bill!

Bridge of Reason

The Fall: a ‘glorious necessity’?!

What Mormons believe is, as I have already said, a hot topic. The Mormons are doing their best to put their own spin on it all but here is an excellent treatment of what Mormons believe about The Fall. Put briefly, "Adam fell upwards, towards the goal". Read on:

The Fall: a ‘glorious necessity’?!

Who are Mormons?: Mormon Open House in Alabama

Now the Mormon Church doesn't do politics - fact of life, common knowledge. And the fact that when Mitt Romney, Mormon Republican candidate for the 2008 presidential election, rolls into town it is just an opportunity to hold an open house to explain to people what Mormons believe, and nothing more! If Mitt happens to benefit from the event that is just serendipity - right?

The world seems awash with Internet sites, newspaper articles, TV programs and PR initiatives designed to tell us all "what Mormons believe". With such blanket coverage of Mormon doctrine, culture etc. one has to wonder if there is anyone left in the world, let alone the USA, who doesn't understand Mormonism. Yet there are those out there who are not thinking correctly about Mormonism and until they fall into line and learn to repeat the received orthodoxy we are just going to get more and more of this stuff. So, for all our sanity's sake, repeat after me:

"Mormons are good Christian folk just like me - except they have more books than I do; believe that all other churches are an abomination to God and their members corrupt; that the Bible is not altogether to be trusted; that there are many gods and one day, with a bit of luck, a strong following wind and a big hammer, every Mormon male will also be a god; that the Garden of Eden was in America; that Christ atoned for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane; that not all sins are covered by the blood of Christ and that one day a Mormon will be president and save us all from ourselves - and, apart from these little things they are Christians just like me, and anyone who says otherwise is a trouble-making anti-Mormon out to make millions of dollars in building their faith by tearing down others' - so help me Mitt."

Now don't you feel better, cleaner, washed anew by making such an honest confession? Welcome to Stepford!

Who are Mormons?: Mormon Open House in Alabama