BELIEFS AND STORIES FROM MEMBERS OF
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Below is a question from someone who had just learned about baptisms for the dead that occur as ordinances in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (”Mormon” Church). The sender’s name is omitted for privacy. The response also follows.

Question

I read about your baptism of people already dead. This is really outrageous. Don’t you have any respect for the will of dead people? If they weren’t converted by you, in life, is because they didn’t want it, or they weren’t meant to. There are other churches and other religions in the world, you are not the only ones. You just can’t pass over the will of dead people. Don’t you see that?

Response

Thank you for your question regarding the practice of baptizing for the dead. You raise a great question. In doing so, do we override the will of those who have passed on? The answer is simply, “not at all.” We believe actually, as you do, that all are free to choose to accept the ordinances of the gospel and the gift of eternal life. Our work by proxy is a labor of love in which an offer is made to those who have passed on to the next life, which they can accept or not.

We believe that those who choose to accept that ordinance, initiated for each of us by the Savior Himself, progress in their sphere and are able to have every gospel blessing available to all.

We believe that God is no respecter of persons, and that He provided a way for the untold millions who lived and died without a knowledge of Jesus Christ, to know about Him, and to choose to follow Him. Since baptism is an earthly ordinance, we provide that ordinance by proxy here on their behalf–for our direct ancestors–leaving their option to choose up to them.

We believe, further, that this was a common practice anciently. Paul himself, when engaged in a discussion with the Jews of his day affirming the resurrection, cited baptisms for the dead, saying, “Else why were they then baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all?” –reminding the people that there would be no need for that ordinance if there were no resurrection, but clearly there is a resurrection. That ordinance is ordained by God and takes place in dedicated temples.

We do not desire to force anyone to believe anything. We love those of all faiths and believe that as each lives according to the light they have, they will eventually have the fullness of the gospel.

We strive to do likewise.

God bless you. Please feel free to contact us at any time with further thoughts or questions.

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…)

Personal Response by Lance

I served for two years as a Mormon missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon Church) in Mississippi and Louisiana. It was the greatest experience of my life. I loved sharing the gospel with the people of the South because so many of them have deep faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. They were very kind to us missionaries coming to their door. I cannot count the number of people who let me into their home, as a complete stranger, to share what I believe. I learned that “southern hospitality” is very real and I believe it is because the people have good Christian values. There were also many people who turned us away but even this was usually done politely. (more…)

Personal Response by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) revere Biblical prophets and apostles such as Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Peter, James, and Paul. They believe the Lord continues to call prophets and apostles in this modern day. Among those prophets God has chosen today is Joseph Smith (1805-44), the first modern prophet.

In addition to reverencing prophets and apostles, Mormons believe, like all Christians, that “there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). Therefore, Mormons truly and sincerely worship God, the Eternal Father, in the name of the Jesus Christ-God’s unique Son. They worship no other man or women no matter who they are or what they have done. (more…)

Personal Response by Arnold K. Garr

Some people are surprised when they find out that Mitt Romney was not the first Mormon to run for president of the United States. That distinction belonged to Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon Church. He decided to run for president after the Church pleaded in vain for the government to compensate the Latter-day Saints (Mormons) for the property lost and afflictions suffered when they were expelled from the state of Missouri as a result of the extermination order in 1838. Joseph Smith’s primary motivation for running for president was to do all in his power to protect the Latter-day Saints from the kinds of injustices they had suffered in Missouri. (more…)

Personal Response by James Faulconer

One of the scriptures of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (”the Mormon church”) is the Book of Mormon, from which the Church’s nickname is derived. In that book of scripture we are taught “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and of the flesh; and remember that after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved” (2 Nephi 10:24). The same scriptural writer later says more briefly, “We know that it is by grace we are saved, after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23). (more…)