(RNS) Jewish and Mormon church leaders announced Wednesday (Sept. 1) that church policies preventing the posthumous baptizing of Holocaust victims have reduced tensions between them.
Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said they now require church members to have a family relationship with the people they baptize by proxy.
Mormons must also agree not to include Holocaust victims unless they are directly related to them, preventing the mass submissions of such names that had occurred.
The announcement by the church and the American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants said the policies, which have been in the works for more than two years, will enhance future cooperation between Jews and Mormons.
The church teaches that Mormons can be baptized on behalf of their dead ancestors, who then choose whether to accept the baptism in the afterlife.
“Respect for the Jewish identity of Holocaust victims is naturally a highly sensitive matter, and we are glad to see new movement in resolving the problems of the past,” said B’nai B’rith International President Dennis W. Glick.
But some Jewish leaders, including Jewish genealogist Gary Mokotoff, continue to question whether the church will be able to prevent Holocaust victims from being included in proxy baptisms. “It’s on the books, but no one enforces it,” he told The Salt Lake Tribune.
Church spokesman Michael Otterson said there could still be glitches, but the church and Jewish groups are ready to move on.
“We’ve resolved the issues to our mutual satisfaction,” he said. “We all know that no system is ever going to be foolproof.”
– Adelle M. Banks
Copyright 2010 Religion News Service. All rights reserved. No part of this transmission may be distributed or reproduced without written permission.
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posted September 3, 2010 at 7:52 pm
I can’t believe this one
posted September 3, 2010 at 9:09 pm
Love it!!! Conflict is inevitable, contenetion is not. The leaders have met and resolved the issue to their satisfaction. That is a great and excellent thing. When correct principles are taught, self governance is expected. Praise God!
posted September 4, 2010 at 9:59 am
Shouldn’t the word “church” be capitalized when referring to a specific church, as in “the Church.”?
posted September 4, 2010 at 9:02 pm
Always thought it was arrogant of the Mormons to be doing those baptisms to begin with. Why would a Jewish person WANT to be a Mormon AFTER they are dead and gone?
posted September 4, 2010 at 11:20 pm
What pagansister said. I never understood that one either. I don’t want someone else deciding for me that I should be Mormon. Especially when I no longer have any way to stop it.
posted September 5, 2010 at 2:38 am
@pagansister & Twyliteflyer
“The church teaches that Mormons can be baptized on behalf of their dead ancestors, who then choose whether to accept the baptism in the afterlife.”
Meaning it is neither arrogant, nor making a decision for them. It isn’t arrogance because we are doing it on behalf of ancestors and we believe that baptism by the proper authority is necessary for salvation. Since we want our relatives saved we do the work on their behalf and hope they accept it.
It does not make a decision for them because we believe that just like in life they have the choice to accept or decline. Since we also believe that after death we will still be limited in our knowledge of the eternities that it is more than likely that many spirits will not accept the work done for them.
We do it in other words only to provide the choice and it is always supposed to be someone with a direct relation to you. That was the biggest problem with what was going on. Some if the more zealous members were submitting name of holocaust victims without having any relation or contacting the nearest living relative (another rule not mentioned in this article). Their intentions weren’t meant to be disrespectful but as we all know “The road to hell is paved with intentions”.
The Church has rightfully done everything they can to respect the memory of the dead and the wishes of their living relatives this should be evidence enough of the lack of any bit of arrogance.
posted September 5, 2010 at 3:51 pm
Thanks Zera for clarification I did not know the purpose but I am glad you explained it so eloquently. I am not Mormon but I have learned not to make judgment on things I know nothing about. It is a trend these days to condemn anything to do with Christianity and many practices of the faithful.
posted September 5, 2010 at 8:13 pm
Zera,
Even with the explanation I still don’t think it is something that should be done. I still think that the person when alive should have made the choice. My youngest sister is married to a Mormon for 30 years and she has not given up her Methodist faith. My sister wouldn’t want him, should she die first, to do the Baptism for her “to choose” to accept or not. She has been married to him for 30 years, so she could have converted if the faith appealed to her, and it doesn’t.
posted September 6, 2010 at 3:55 am
Do jews believe that anyone can baptise someone after their death.
As far as I know – no?
So why are they worrying about a group of misguided people waving their arms and chanting (or what ever it is they do) over a pile of overcomputer tapes/discs/?
Its a bit if a cheek, sure , but only shows how strange the Mormons are, nothing else.
(I presume they don’t believe that these acts by the Mormons have any actual effect on the souls of the dead.)
I hearby unbaptise everyone who reads this post, you are now an atheist (and will burn in hell
Did it work?
posted September 7, 2010 at 6:11 pm
I hearby RE-baptize everyone who was UN-baptized after reading Chris’ post. You are hereby no longer atheists who will burn in hell, but are now conservative Episcopalians who will choose to burn in hell rather than having to spend eternity in Heaven with female priests and bishops and same-sex couples.
But, seriously(??), if the dead souls being baptized by Mormons can choose whether or not to accept the baptism in the afterlife, then why can’t those dead souls just choose Morman salvation in the afterlife WITHOUT help from family members on Earth below??
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posted September 20, 2010 at 10:39 am
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