We're in the news again, and no, it's not Proposition 8 related (although there is still plenty of that nonsense going on). This time it's someone getting in a snit about Mormons and their irritating habit of performing baptisms for the dead. In this instance, the baptisms in question have been performed for Holocaust survivors.
Now, I can see how someone would want to (and should) reverence their ancestors and the heroic lives they lived. And I can see that they wouldn't want the faith of those ancestors to be diminished in any way. But explain to me how some crack-pot religious faction performing posthumous baptisms in any way diminishes the faith those people had while they were alive.
It seems to me that there are two arguments: Mormons are right, or they are wrong. If they are right, great! Any of your baptized ancestors will have the opportunity to accept or reject that baptism. If, on the other hand, Mormons are wrong, then those baptisms will obviously have no efficacy anyway since they weren't performed with the proper authority. And if that is the case, why would you be worried about a bunch of crazies performing ineffectual religious rites for your ancestors?
If it's just a matter of feeling insulted, personally, I feel honored when a person of any religious persuasion says they are praying for me. It means they care about me (or at the very least want to prevent me from being dragged down to hell). And if someone from another religion wants to perform posthumous baptisms for my family I wouldn't mind (and for those problem-causers who say that I wouldn't want Satanists baptizing my family into their church, I say who cares if they do? Obviously it would have no effect on anything whatsoever. The only rational reason why I could possibly be bothered is if I thought it would have an effect, in which case I would be smart to join up with the Satanists).
So I just don't understand why people get their knickers in such a twist over this. Even the Catholics have joined in the hand-wringing. For heaven's sake, aren't there better things to be worrying about? They think we're wrong anyway, so why does this even matter?
Perhaps all the worrying comes from that little nudge that says the Mormons might be right after all.
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3 comments:
I love your blog. I love that you call it like it is and make it funny while doing so. :)
Amen Sista! I love your wit. You are simply fabulous. We need to get together and eat some ice cream in the middle of the gazebo, just for old times sake. =)
Seriously. It all makes me just roll my eyes. (doing that now...) I can't wait for the Spirit World and the realization to kick in, hehehe ;)
My mom forwarded me an article from the Belfast Telegraph that actually is rational. Basically what you're saying, but with an Irish accent, no doubt. I skimmed through the bazillion comments on it, most from LDS folk, and there were a few interesting tidbits in there. I don't know how to put a link in a comment, but here's the address, if you're interested. Just copy and paste:
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/columnists/eamon-mccann/eamonn-mccann-what-if-mormons-are-right-and-catholics-and-protestants-wrong-13955402.html%3Chttp://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/columnists/eamon-mccann/eamonn-mccann-what-if-mormons-are-right-and-catholics-and-protestants-wrong-13955402.html
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