Anna Jones Buttimore

This post is the third in a series. Click here to read part 1 , and here to read part 2. I'm saved already! The Evangelical message of salvation (from death, sin, hell and separation from God) is that everyone must to repent, turn to Christ and accept him as Lord of their lives. Thus far it is the same as the message the LDS Missionaries preach (see Article of Faith 4 .) However, in the Evangelical version, salvation is then guaranteed for life. As a teenager I clarified that with my sister – did this really mean that I was saved eternally, whatever I might do in future? She assured me that it did; salvation is a gift, and God does not take a gift away once it is given.  [Quick aside here: The Mormon version of salvation is slightly different. We believe that salvation is a covenant. That in order to be saved we must repent of our sins, turn to Christ and follow him. Following him includes enduring to the end and striving to live righteously.   W...

First off, go here to read part 1. And now that you've read that, here's the first reason I am not an Evangelical. 1. Jamie Bulger and the Bible Study Group While living in Criccieth, North Wales, and attending the Criccieth Family Church (an independent evangelical church run by some Scripture Union Beach Mission staff) I went along to their evening Bible Study group for almost a year, which was held in a hotel owned by the church. I rather enjoyed it, and I learned a lot and took part in some interesting discussions. One one occasion we were having a discussion about the recent (then) news that the teenage killers of toddler Jamie Bulger had been released from prison. One of the ladies present remarked how sad it all was but that the poor little boy was now in heaven. The pastor corrected her, saying that since Jamie Bulger had not been old enough to make a confession of faith in Jesus, he was therefore in hell. The ensuing debate made it quite clear that Evangeli...

I found this document on my computer recently. I wrote it a couple of years ago to clarify why I have made the decisions I have, and chosen the path I am following, rather than the oh-so-easier one of being part of the biggest and most dynamic and popular Christian movement today. I think I wrote it with Betrand Russell's 1927 essay, "Why I am not a Christian" in mind, although of course I am  a Christian, however much people may try to claim otherwise. I'm sorry that it's so long that it has to be posted in seven parts. Well, not all that sorry, as it gives me a break from having to come up with topics to blog about each week, and I need that time to actually write and edit at the moment as I have a deadline looming. Comments welcome, although I reserve the right to gleefully delete any I don't like. Introduction Since becoming a Christian at the age of 14, I have attended various churches. Starting off with the Brethren congregation where I attend...

Quick précis : Cedar Fort, an LDS publisher, cancelled a contract on a book they were set to release because one of the author biographies showed that he was gay. You can read more about this scandal, and my thoughts on it, in last week's post , and the post from the week before that . Today, however, I am going to do a quick about-face, and defend LDS publishers. I stand by my belief that this has been badly handled, and that LDS publishers have in the past been far too hard-line when it comes to insisting on totally wholesome books which uphold every aspect of LDS standards. But I do believe that there is an important place for LDS publishers in the market. Here's why. I recently downloaded a sample of a book which I very much enjoyed. It was the beginning of a fascinating romance, and I was disappointed to get to the end of the sample and discover that the ebook was quite expensive. I want to read the rest of the story but  I don't know whether it is going to hav...