Baptism for the Dead

While reading some blogs, I stumbled across a very hateful Mormon bashing blog. The author, a prominent figure in another religion had some very fictitious and plain hateful information regarding baptism for the dead. I decided to do my best to share the truth of the matter with everyone I know, because he's determined to share lies with everyone he knows.

I don't pretend to know everything, but I do know this: the gospel is true and I want others to know the truth, too. It my be too little, too late, but here it goes.

These are the facts.

Mormons believe that families are FOREVER.

Because we want to be with our families forever, we do special ordinances for those on the other side of the veil.

We do not simply do ordinances for huge lists of people.

We do the work for our ancestors only.

If we are not the closest living relative, we must request permission from whomever that might be.

Furthermore, we do not force the gospel on the dead.

They have just as much choice in the spirit world as people do here.

Our Heavenly Father would never take away the free agency he gave us. He will, however, give us every chance to be saved.

Since baptism is required for that and cannot be performed on the other side, we perform that ordinance and others like it in our temples.

In all, we are just trying to fulfill Malachi's promise that "he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."

If you want to know more, please ask me, call your local mission office, or visit LDS.org.