Mormon Church

A personal account and explanation from Keith, of Annapolis, Maryland.

Walking in the Newness of Life

Romans 6:4 reads, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

The fourth Article of Faith states: “We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

The Savior revealed the true method of baptism to the Prophet Joseph Smith, making clear that the ordinance must be performed by one having priesthood authority and that it must be done by immersion. In Doctrine and Covenants 20:73-74, we are taught, “The person who is called of God and has authority from Jesus Christ to baptize, shall go down into the water with the person who has presented himself or herself for baptism, and shall say, calling him or her by name: Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Then shall he immerse him or her in the water, and come forth again out of the water.”

The act of immersing a person in water is symbolic of that person’s sinful life being buried and their being reborn or receiving a new life—a spiritual life—a life dedicated to serving God and others. Immersion is also symbolic of the death and resurrection of the Savior. In Romans 6:3-11, we read these words, “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

I was born and raised as a baptist. As such, the method of baptism by immersion was not a new concept to me. I had read the New Testament gospel accounts of the baptism of Christ numerous times, and I fully understood that being baptized by immersion was indeed following the example that the Savior had set before us when he was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River (See Matthew 3:13-17). I also understood the symbolism that Christ’s baptism represents and teaches us. I did not have a real issue with having to be baptized again because even growing up in the Baptist church, if I transferred from a church that was a part of one sect or convention to another, re-baptism was often required before membership would be accepted. What did concern me for some time was the idea of having to be baptized by one who had proper authority. The question in my mind was “Were not those who baptized me before authorized to do so?” It took a lot of soul searching, pondering the scriptures, and prayer to finally come to terms with the matter.

I had no doubt in my mind that this is the Lord’s true Church and that becoming a member of His Church was indeed the right thing to do. I also came to the realization that if I were to become a member of His Church I had to be willing to be obedient to the things which He has commanded and one of things which He commanded was that baptism was to be done by immersion and the ordinance must be performed by one having priesthood authority.

To help settle many of my concerns, I made a commitment to read all of the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price prior to being baptized. I had already read the Bible in its entirety several times, so I was very familiar with its teachings. As I read the Book of Mormon in particular, I came across some verses in Mosiah 18 that really made me stop and think and helped me in making my decision to be baptized. In Mosiah 18:8-10 we read:

“And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light…

“Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life…

“Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?”

I further came to realize that if I were to become a member of His Church, I had to be willing to take His name upon me and be willing to follow His example because when we are baptized we enter into a covenant with God to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, to keep His commandments, and to serve Him to the end (See Mosiah 18:8-10; D&C 20:37). Each time that we partake of the sacrament, we renew the covenant that we made at baptism (See D&C 20:77-79).

The question is asked in 2 Nephi 31:10, “Can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?” Verses 11 to 13 continue:

“And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son.

“And also, the voice of the Son came unto me, saying: He that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father give the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do.

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel.”

Eleven years ago in the far away land of Iceland, where I was stationed in the Navy, I made the decision to be baptized into the Mormon Church. That decision started me on a whole new path in my life. I am convinced that had the Lord not taken me out of the main stream of things and sent me to a place as far away as Iceland, I probably would not be standing before this congregation this morning. My goals and my priorities where definitely a lot different than what the Lord had in mind. After being baptized in the Mormon religion and becoming more learned of the Gospel, and because of my willingness to take upon me His name, to follow His example, and to be obedient to His commands, I have seen and continue to see blessing after blessing in my life. Many doors that I once thought would never be opened to me are now beginning to open, and I have been blessed in so many ways with new opportunities to help me grow and mature in the Gospel.

I believe the words of President Joseph F. Smith best describe how I felt after being baptized: “When I [was] baptized for the remission of my sins, the feeling that came upon me was that of pure peace, of love and of light. I felt in my soul that if I had sinned—and surely I was not without sin—that it had been forgiven me; that I was indeed cleansed from my sin; my heart was touched, and I felt that I would not injure the smallest insect beneath my feet. I felt as if I wanted to do good everywhere to everybody and to everything. I felt a newness of life, a newness of desire to do that which was right. There was not one particle of desire for evil left in my soul . . . this was the influence that came upon me, and I know that it was from God, and was and ever has been a living witness to me of my acceptance of the Lord” (CR, April 1898, p.66).

I leave you with my testimony that I know the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I know the Bible and the Book of Mormon are the word of God. I know God lives and Jesus is the Christ. I know Joseph Smith was and is a Prophet of the Lord. I know The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) is the Lord’s true Church upon the earth today and that His Church is being led by a living prophet, President Thomas S. Monson.

In the Catholic faith, canonization is the official recognition that someone is a saint and was so even prior to the

official recognition. A process is followed to allow the church to determine who is a saint.

Mormons (the nickname for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) do not follow this process. The term saint is used in the official name of the church and denotes, as used in the Bible, a community of people who followed God. (more…)

The topic of limbo has been controversial within the Catholic Church’s history. It refers to those who died without baptism, but without having committed serious sins. Because Catholic tradition does not allow any ability to receive baptism once death has occurred, it is believed that infants who die without baptism may not see God face to face. Instead, they live an eternity of happiness, but without the greatest gift God offers man. They do not consider this punishment, since the child will be happy. They teach that this is necessitated because of the doctrine of original sin, originating from the Fall of Adam.

Mormon beliefs differ strongly in this area. Mormons teach that people are accountable only for their own sins, and not for the choices made by Adam or anyone else. Mormons teach God is just, and a just God does not hold people responsible for situations beyond their control.

The fall does have an effect on us. Because of it, we’re all subject to death, both spiritual and physical. Spiritual death is the separation of us from God. Unlike Adam and Eve in the Garden, we do not have direct access to God’s personal presence. Justice requires us to pay a price for the Fall, but justice also requires us to have a way to escape its eternal consequences. For this reason, God sent us a Savior, Jesus Christ, who paid the price for our sins. Grace, which occurred through the atonement, allows us to be resurrected and to live forever, regardless of our choices on earth. To access the full blessings of the atonement, we must repent of our sins and work to live the teachings of Christ.

Mormon beliefs do not require infants to suffer any penalty for dying before they can choose baptism. They are completely covered by the atonement of Jesus Christ.

An ancient Book of Mormon prophet, Moroni, spoke out very strongly and passionately about this subject:

And after this manner did the Holy Ghost manifest the word of God unto me; wherefore, my beloved son, I know that it is solemn mockery before God, that ye should baptize little children. Behold I say unto you that this thing shall ye teach-repentance and baptism unto those who are accountable and capable of committing sin; yea, teach parents that they must repent and be baptized, and humble themselves as their little children, and they shall all be saved with their little children. And their little children need no repentance, neither baptism. Behold, baptism is unto repentance to the fulfilling the commandments unto the remission of sins.

But little children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world; if not so, God is a partial God, and also a changeable God, and a respecter to persons; for how many little children have died without baptism! Wherefore, if little children could not be saved without baptism, these must have gone to an endless hell.” (Moroni 8:9-15)

The Bible teaches that baptism is performed for the remission of sin. However, sin requires the sinner to be accountable, meaning he is old enough, and mentally capable of, understanding that he has done something wrong.  An infant cannot sin because he’s incapable of understanding right from wrong. Since he can’t sin, he has no need of baptism and is covered by the Savior’s atonement.

Mormon beliefs state that children are not accountable until the age of eight, and even then, are accountable only for what they know. A parent who knowingly requires a child to do something contrary to God’s teachings will pay the price, not the child if he had no control over the decision or lacked the knowledge to make the right choice.

Mormons do not baptize children until they are eight years old. Since they can’t sin, infant baptism is unnecessary. They have no sins of which to be cleansed. In addition, Mormons follow the example of Jesus Christ, who was baptized by immersion. This means they are taken completely under the water for a moment and then brought back out, in a symbolic remembrance of the death and resurrection of the Savior. Clearly, an infant cannot be immersed. Because baptism is also a time when the person being baptized makes covenants with God, he must be old enough to voluntarily make such covenants and to understand what he covenanted, since he will be held accountable for them.

If a child dies before his eighth birthday, he is admitted to God’s presence, and in time, will grow to adulthood, when he can receive all the ordinances and privileges of every other child of God.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is merciful and just. Only by withholding the need for baptism until one can understand the purpose of it, and by cancelling any penalties for what a person cannot control, can God’s mercy and justice be carried out.

In Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians, he stipulates that Christ’s true church should have “One Lord, one faith, one baptism”; the particular form of baptism he is referring to is baptism by immersion. How do we know this? Well, we can infer that Paul’s instructions held a particular regard for baptism by immersion, mainly because it is the only form of baptism the gospels tell us about and the only form Christ himself participated in and subsequently approved of. Let’s take a look at Matthew 3:16 which recounts the event, and indicates immersion specifically:

“And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him.”(Emphasis added)

(more…)

Personal Response by Alex Capanna

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) does not teach or practice infant baptism, basing its disapproval of the practice upon the foundation of modern day revelation, as well as, doctrine taught in the Bible and the Book of Mormon; as an aside, the evidence for the LDS position as found in the Book of Mormon, is always supported by the Bible and I have included those validating Biblical references. Moroni 8:10-11 states:

“Behold I say unto you that this thing shall ye teach-repentance and baptism unto those who are accountable and capable of committing sin; yea, teach parents that they must repent and be baptized, and humble themselves as their little children, and they shall all be saved with their little children. And their little children need no repentance, neither baptism. Behold, baptism is unto repentance to the fulfilling the commandments unto the remission of sins.”(1) (Emphasis added) (more…)