Baptism by Proxy: A Mormon Practice.

Article from WiKipedia: Baptism for the Dead

“Baptism for the dead, vicarious baptism or proxy baptism is the religious practice of baptizing a living person on behalf of an individual who is dead; the living person is acting as the deceased person’s proxy. So it is with this practice, an individual is baptized to give those beyond the grave the opportunity of baptism by proxy. It has been practiced since 1840 in the Latter Day Saint movement. The practice continues in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where it is also called temple baptism because it is performed only in dedicated temples. Baptism for the dead is also practiced by several other current groups in the Latter Day Saint movement.

Advocates of this practice believe it is referred to in The New Testament (1 Cor. 15:29). The practice was forbidden by the Orthodox Church in the 4th century as an aberrant practice of heretical groups, and is not practiced in modern mainstream Christianity.

In the practice of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a living person, acting as proxy, is baptized by immersion on behalf of a deceased person of the same gender. The baptism ritual is as follows: after calling the living proxy by name, the person performing the baptism says, “Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you for and in behalf of [full name of deceased person], who is dead, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.” The proxy is then immersed briefly in the water. Baptism for the dead is a distinctive ordinance of the church and is based on the belief that baptism is a required ordinance for entry into the Kingdom of God.”

Is anyone else, of religious standing or not, totally offended by this?  A couple of thoughts come to mind;  1) what if the deceased are already baptized by the church they followed?  2) Is this not a clear example of intolerance for other peoples faith?  3) Does anyone wonder why this is the fastest growing religion in the world?

The Mormons are doing this because they ultimately wish to baptize by proxy anyone who ever lived on this planet. That’s why they own and operate Ancestry.com- If they can track all people, living and dead, this is a powerful tool to perpetuate this practice.

I love this quote from a wiki article describing criticisms of the LDS:

“Ancestry.com and affiliates sell perpetual subscriptions that only end when canceled that sometimes continue to accrue for long deceased subscribers.”

Hey, they may not be getting paid, but they have a new member!

Ultimately, what if I do not wish to enter the Kingdom of God? No really, I don’t want to. You see, I do not believe in your God. Your church is not my salvation, your beliefs are not my beliefs, and my science is more powerful than your faith.