Baptisms for the Dead
You're about to head into unknown territory. No one has ever been past the mountains in the distance. . Noises come out of that place and people have deciphered what they know, or think comes out of the fog in the valley back there. Everyone has their own ideas, and the weirdest of them all are called the Squeeks. They have strange and fantastical ideas about what's on the other side of the mountain, that they are mocked for their beliefs. Whether they have communication with people on the other side of the mountain, we don't really know.
You're being forced to go there. You have no choice. Whether its a survey team, or science team, you're hoping to learn what's over there. One of the Squeeks stops you before you go, saying: "You might want to stop at the lake. You'll need a bottle of the water in it when you go. The only way to get through the obstacles is to throw the water on them." You scoff at them. Everyone avoids them, you can't be seen talking or affiliating with them. How humiliating. They don't know what's on the other side. You take off with your team, and you work your way into the mountains. In front of you is a barrier. Throwing rocks in, they pass the barrier just fine and you cross over finding yourself in front of a door you couldn't see while you were on the other side of the barrier. After trying many hours to get through the door, you find that you still can't get through and you turn to leave. Only to find out that you're stuck on the other side of the barrier. You pound your fists on the barrier. No one on the other side can hear you. You can't go forward or back. You're destined to die here. Several of your team start talking to other people stuck where you are. They explain that you need special water to get through this door. Some of your team accept this idea, while you and the rest of your team balk at the idea, along with other people who were there stuck there too. How can water get you through a door. That's dumb.
You wait for a long time. And suddenly, a bottle flies through the barrier and lands at your feet. It has your name on it. Someone on the other side of the barrier had gone to get the water for you. You have a choice now. You can throw the water on the ground and laugh at the ridiculousness of the idea, or you can accept the idea that the water will get you through the door. Everyone around you is telling you their own ideas but the choice is yours alone.
Back home however, the Squeek is being mocked and yelled at because they went to get the water for you on the other side of the barrier. But because no one can see through the barrier, they don't know if you received it, or if you really needed it. All they're concerned about is that now they're seen as a friend of the squeeks, and that's not allowed. How dare they! Just because a Squeek helped you, they now all believe that you're a squeek, and they're not happy with that, when in reality, all they did was give you a bottle of water. You are still exactly who you were before you crossed the barrier.
Essentially, Baptisms for the Dead allows us to provide keys we believe that they'll need to proceed on to salvation. They aren't baptized into the church. They are "Baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" which is the same rite as alot of other religions, just done differently. It is not said: "I baptize you Mormon, always and forever, and your records on church shall be thus." After this, the keys which you may have misplaced, didn't know about, or ignored while you were on Earth become available to you.
My Grandfather is Catholic. He will most likely die Catholic. And I look forward to helping put his name as a submission for Baptisms. Not because I gleefully rub my hands in excitement for going against his earthly desires not to join my church, but because if he gets there, and goes "oops." he's not stuck.
And in the event that all of us Mormons out there really are Loony, nothing has changed really. At least as far as you're concerned, nothing else changes except a little check box in our records saying that someone, somewhere was dunked under the water, on behalf of someone with words said over them as they did, which seems silly to you, but to us, this holds so much sacredness, its done in our Temples.
Now, those of you who are upset about the Jewish Baptisms. They aren't Jewish Baptisms. Your Jewish Ancestors aren't Mormon. In fact, Mormon won't hold much meaning after death anyway. Its just a collective name for a group of keys and a way of living that will catalyze progression after we die. Your ancestor is still a Jew. Meaning that he/she lived a Jew died a Jew, and might still feel Jewish after he died. We just collected some special water and threw it on the other side of the barrier so he could *choose* to continue on.
And for those of you who don't believe, hopefully, someone throws a bottle of water to the other side for you... Just In Case.
Here is the official stance from the LDS church.
If you have questions, feel free to comment or email me at Kikastrophe@gmail.com
You're being forced to go there. You have no choice. Whether its a survey team, or science team, you're hoping to learn what's over there. One of the Squeeks stops you before you go, saying: "You might want to stop at the lake. You'll need a bottle of the water in it when you go. The only way to get through the obstacles is to throw the water on them." You scoff at them. Everyone avoids them, you can't be seen talking or affiliating with them. How humiliating. They don't know what's on the other side. You take off with your team, and you work your way into the mountains. In front of you is a barrier. Throwing rocks in, they pass the barrier just fine and you cross over finding yourself in front of a door you couldn't see while you were on the other side of the barrier. After trying many hours to get through the door, you find that you still can't get through and you turn to leave. Only to find out that you're stuck on the other side of the barrier. You pound your fists on the barrier. No one on the other side can hear you. You can't go forward or back. You're destined to die here. Several of your team start talking to other people stuck where you are. They explain that you need special water to get through this door. Some of your team accept this idea, while you and the rest of your team balk at the idea, along with other people who were there stuck there too. How can water get you through a door. That's dumb.
You wait for a long time. And suddenly, a bottle flies through the barrier and lands at your feet. It has your name on it. Someone on the other side of the barrier had gone to get the water for you. You have a choice now. You can throw the water on the ground and laugh at the ridiculousness of the idea, or you can accept the idea that the water will get you through the door. Everyone around you is telling you their own ideas but the choice is yours alone.
Back home however, the Squeek is being mocked and yelled at because they went to get the water for you on the other side of the barrier. But because no one can see through the barrier, they don't know if you received it, or if you really needed it. All they're concerned about is that now they're seen as a friend of the squeeks, and that's not allowed. How dare they! Just because a Squeek helped you, they now all believe that you're a squeek, and they're not happy with that, when in reality, all they did was give you a bottle of water. You are still exactly who you were before you crossed the barrier.
Essentially, Baptisms for the Dead allows us to provide keys we believe that they'll need to proceed on to salvation. They aren't baptized into the church. They are "Baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" which is the same rite as alot of other religions, just done differently. It is not said: "I baptize you Mormon, always and forever, and your records on church shall be thus." After this, the keys which you may have misplaced, didn't know about, or ignored while you were on Earth become available to you.
My Grandfather is Catholic. He will most likely die Catholic. And I look forward to helping put his name as a submission for Baptisms. Not because I gleefully rub my hands in excitement for going against his earthly desires not to join my church, but because if he gets there, and goes "oops." he's not stuck.
And in the event that all of us Mormons out there really are Loony, nothing has changed really. At least as far as you're concerned, nothing else changes except a little check box in our records saying that someone, somewhere was dunked under the water, on behalf of someone with words said over them as they did, which seems silly to you, but to us, this holds so much sacredness, its done in our Temples.
Now, those of you who are upset about the Jewish Baptisms. They aren't Jewish Baptisms. Your Jewish Ancestors aren't Mormon. In fact, Mormon won't hold much meaning after death anyway. Its just a collective name for a group of keys and a way of living that will catalyze progression after we die. Your ancestor is still a Jew. Meaning that he/she lived a Jew died a Jew, and might still feel Jewish after he died. We just collected some special water and threw it on the other side of the barrier so he could *choose* to continue on.
And for those of you who don't believe, hopefully, someone throws a bottle of water to the other side for you... Just In Case.
Here is the official stance from the LDS church.
If you have questions, feel free to comment or email me at Kikastrophe@gmail.com
1 thoughts :
>>In fact, Mormon won't hold much meaning after death anyway. It's just a collective name for a group of keys and a way of living that will catalyze progression after we die.
Yes. Well stated.
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