Baptism for the dead

Floorplan of the Nauvoo Temple basement. The basement of the temple was used as the baptistery, containing a large baptismal font in the center of the main room.

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 Catholic Church in the 4th century as an aberrant practice of heretical groups, and is not practiced in modern mainstream Christianity, whether Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, or Protestant.

Practice

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

In the practice of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or "Mormons"), 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. This is almost identical to the way Baptism is performed for living individuals (with slight variation in the wording). 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.

Community of Christ

Some members of the early Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now known as the Community of Christ) also believed in baptism for the dead,^[1] but it was never officially sanctioned by that organization, and was considered highly controversial.^[2]

A revelation and two letters written by Joseph Smith, Jr. appertaining to baptism for the dead were removed from the RLDS Doctrine and Covenants by a church general conference in 1970.

Other Latter Day Saint churches

In the Restoration Branches movement, which broke from the RLDS Church in the 1980s, the question of Baptism for the Dead is at best unsettled, reflecting their RLDS origin. Many adherents reject the validity of this ordinance completely.^[3]

Other Latter Day Saint denominations that accept baptism for the dead include the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite) and The Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite). The Strangite Church performed baptisms for the dead during the 1840s in Voree, Wisconsin and later during the 1850s on Beaver Island, Michigan. In each case, the practice was authorized by revelation given by James J. Strang. The question of whether the Strangite Church still practices proxy baptism is an open one, but belief in it is considered orthodox.^[4]

Cutlerite practice permits baptisms for the dead to be performed in baptismal fonts in Cutlerite meetinghouses (of which only two exist today, one in Clitherall, Minnesota and the other in Independence, Missouri). Though Cutlerites believe in the concept of temples, it is not required that baptisms for the dead be performed in one. The meetinghouse baptismal fonts are used for baptism of the living and for the dead. Cutlerites have practiced baptisms for the dead sporadically throughout their history (including during the early 1990s), but it is not known if they still do so. As with the LDS Church and the Strangite Church, belief in this doctrine is considered orthodox.^{[citation needed]}

Outside of Christianity

Outside of Christianity, proxy baptisms are practiced by the Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran,^[5] and by some of the Neo-Apostolic congregations of Europe.

Early history

Some scholars suggest that baptism for the dead was practiced by some early Christian groups, continuing until at least the late fourth century. John A. Tvedtnes, a Hebrew and early Christian scholar at Brigham Young University, Utah writes:

Some argue that the fact that these two councils felt it necessary to explicitly forbid baptism for the dead shows that there must have been a significant group of people practicing some form of it, accompanied by opposition to it by the church's leadership. Others disagree with the classification of such groups as "orthodox", since the councils concluded that they were in fact unorthodox, at least with respect to that practice. John Chrysostom linked this practice with the Marcionites, who were considered unorthodox for this and other reasons.^{[citation needed]}

According to the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, "Tertullian believed that Paul referred to a custom of vicarious baptism (Res., 48c; Adv. Marc., 5.10). There is evidence that the early church knew such a practice. Epiphanius mentions a tradition that the custom obtained among the Cerinthians (Haer., 28 6). And Chrysostom states that it prevailed among the Marcionites."

The "early church" refers to the church shortly after the time of the apostles. Paul taught, "Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all, why are they then baptized for the dead?" (1 Corinthians 15:29). Latter-day Saints believe this to be one of Paul's arguments for the reality of Christ's resurrection made throughout 1 Corinthians 15, and as such, is Paul's acknowledgment that baptism for the dead was accepted Gospel doctrine and practice. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia says that "commentators have offered between thirty and forty other interpretations, more or less strained, of the passage." Most of these other interpretations center around the notion that either Paul was merely trying to point out contradiction within practices unique to the Corinthians or that the wording describes something other than actual physical baptism. John Chrysostom suggests (in his 40th homily on I Corinthians) that this verse refers to the new believer's professed faith in the resurrection of the dead.

The concept of baptism for the dead, according to Elaine Pagels, was easily explained by gnostics. Since the gnostics argued that the text was allegory, their stance was that baptism for the dead refers to pneumatics (i.e. gnostics) taking the place of psychics (i.e. literalists), who were dead to gnosis. (See: Gnosticism and the New Testament.) Irenaeus, a disciple of Polycarp, wrote about the gnostics as being heretical in his work On the Detection and Overthrow of the So-Called Gnosis. The doctrines of Marcion were so similar to the gnostics that the church father Irenaeus in the 180s regarded Marcion as one of them. Eventually Marcion was excommunicated for his views. Tertullian wrote about gnostics in his work Against Marcion indicating that there was another aberrant Christian sect who believed in baptism for the dead. Clement of Alexandria warned in his writings Excerpta ex Theodoto against paganism and deviations from Christianity, mentioning baptism for the dead as a doctrine particular to gnostics.^{[citation needed]}

LDS Church doctrine

Baptismal font in the Salt Lake Temple, circa 1912, where baptisms for the dead are performed by proxy. The font rests on the backs of twelve oxen representing the Twelve Tribes of Israel

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that baptism is a prerequisite for entry into the kingdom of God as stated by Jesus in John 3:5: "Except that a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (KJV).

The LDS Church teaches that performing baptisms for the dead allows this saving ordinance to be offered to those who have died without accepting or knowing Jesus Christ or his teachings during their mortal lives. It is taught that this is the method by which all who have lived upon the earth will have the opportunity to receive baptism and to thereby enter the Kingdom of God. This concept is similar to but more specific than the idea of Anonymous Christians, posed by Karl Rahner.

The LDS Church teaches that those in the afterlife who have been baptized by proxy are free to accept or reject the ordinance done on their behalf. Baptism on behalf of a deceased individual is not binding if that individual chooses to reject it in the afterlife.^[7][8]

Any member of the LDS church, male or female, who is at least 12 years old and holds a current temple recommend may act as a proxy in this ordinance. Men must also hold the Aaronic Priesthood prior to entering the temple. A man must act as proxy for a deceased man, and a woman must act as proxy for a deceased woman. The concept of a spiritual proxy is compared by some in the LDS Church to the belief that Jesus acted as proxy for every human when he atoned for the sins of the world.^[9]

Only an adult male holder of the Melchizedek priesthood who has undergone the Endowment ordinance may baptize others as proxies for the dead.

Modern origin

According to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the practice of baptism for the dead is based on a revelation received by the prophet Joseph Smith. He first taught the doctrine at the funeral sermon of a deceased member of the Church, Seymour Brunson.^[10] In a letter written on October 19, 1840, to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church (who were on a mission in the United Kingdom at the time), Smith refers to the passage in 1 Corinthians 15:29 (KJV):

LDS Church scripture expands further upon this doctrine and states that such baptisms are to be performed in temples.^[12] Vicarious baptism is performed in connection with other vicarious ordinances in temples of the LDS Church, such as the Endowment and celestial marriage.

Initially, women could be baptized for dead men, and vice versa; this, however, was changed in order to ensure that the person being baptized for a dead man could also be ordained on their behalf to the priesthood.^[13]

Genealogy and baptism

The LDS church holds that deceased persons who have not accepted or had the opportunity to accept the gospel of Christ in this life will have the opportunity to accept the gospel in the afterlife. As all must follow Jesus Christ, they must also receive all the ordinances that a living person is expected to receive, including baptism. For this reason, members of the LDS Church are encouraged to research their genealogy. This research is then used as the basis for Church performing temple ordinances for as many deceased persons as possible. As a part of these efforts, Mormons have performed temple ordinances on behalf of a number of high profile people. Of particular interest are: the Founding Fathers of the U.S., Presidents of the U.S., Pope John Paul II, John Wesley, Christopher Columbus, Adolf Hitler, and others.

While members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints consider it a great service to perform vicarious ordinances for the deceased, some non-members have taken offense. To be sensitive to the issue of proxy baptizing for non-Mormons that are not related to Church members, the Church in recent years has published a general policy of performing temple ordinances only for direct ancestors of Church members. For example, the Church is in the process of removing sensitive names (such as Jewish Holocaust victims) from its International Genealogical Index (IGI). D. Todd Christofferson of the Church's Presidency of the Seventy stated that removing the names is an "ongoing, labor intensive process requiring name-by-name research ... When the Church is made aware of documented concerns, action is taken ... Plans are underway to refine this process."^{[citation needed]}

In 2008, a directive from the Vatican Congregation for the Clergy directed Catholic dioceses to prevent the LDS Church from "microfilming and digitizing information" contained in Catholic sacramental registers so that those whose names were contained therein would not be subjected to vicarious Mormon baptism.^[14][15] The Vatican had already declared in 2001 that Mormon baptism was invalid. ^[16]

Trinitarian Christian opposition

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Other Christian denominations generally do not accept the Latter-day Saint interpretation of baptism for the dead contemplated in 1 Corinthians 15:29, and no other contemporary Christian church practices such an ordinance. These Christians interpret that in this chapter Paul is arguing, to Christians in Corinth, against those who do not believe in the bodily resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:12). While there are different approaches taken to interpreting the meaning of this scripture, some mainstream Christians believe Paul was merely demonstrating the logical contradiction between the practices of these local Christians and their lack of belief in the resurrection without giving any approval of the action. Others believe that "the dead," though plural in the original Greek, refers to Christ (rendering the interpretation of the verse as "why are you baptized for [one of] the dead, [Jesus], if the dead rise not at all?"), or to the symbol of Baptism - the death, burial and resurrection of the individual as they begin their new life as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Other scholars are not exactly sure about what Paul meant by the comments (see links below).

Another counter-argument to baptism for the dead is that there is little or no record (or incomplete, or disputed) of any mainstream Christian denomination historically practicing it, and therefore it fails the test set forth by Saint Vincent of Lerins, that Christians should believe that which "has been believed by all Christians in all places at all times."

Criticism of Vicarious Baptism of Jews and Nazis

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints performs vicarious baptisms for individuals regardless of their race, sex, creed, or morality. It has baptized both victims and perpetrators of the Holocaust, including Anne Frank and Adolf Hitler. Some Jewish Holocaust survivors and some Jewish organizations have strenuously objected to this practice.

Though the LDS church has urged members to submit the names of only their own ancestors for ordinances, and to request permission of surviving family members of people who have died within the past 75 years, there is no enforcement of these guidelines.^[17] Latter-day Saint apostle Boyd K. Packer has stated the LDS Church is clear that it uses the public records it collects for temple ordinance work.^[18]

Despite the guidelines, some members of the Church have submitted the names of Holocaust victims, and prominent Nazis, such as Heinrich Himmler, for vicarious baptism without adequate permission. In December 2002, independent researcher Helen Radkey published a report showing that, following a 1995 promise from the church to remove Jewish Nazi victims from its International Genealogical Index, the Church's database included the names of about 19,000 who had a 40 to 50 percent chance "to be Holocaust victims ... in Russia, Poland, France, and Austria."^[19][20] Genealogist Bernard Kouchel conducted a search of the International Genealogical Index, and discovered that many well known Jews had been vicariously baptized, including Maimonides, Albert Einstein, and Irving Berlin, without family permission.

Church official D. Todd Christofferson told the New York Times that it was not feasible for the Church to continuously monitor the archives to ensure that no new Jewish names appear, and that the agreement in 1995 did not place this type of responsibility on the centralized church leadership.^[21]

Jewish groups such as the Simon Wiesenthal Center spoke out against the vicarious baptism of Holocaust perpetrators and victims in the mid-1990s and again in the 2000s when they discovered the practice, which they consider insensitive to the living and the dead, was continuing. ^[22] The associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Abraham Cooper, complained that infamous figures such as Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun appeared on LDS genealogical records: "Whether official or not, the fact remains that this is exactly the kind of activity that enraged and hurt, really, so many victims of the Holocaust and caused alarm in the Jewish community."^[23][24]

In 2008, the American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors, announced that, since the Church had repeatedly violated previous agreements, it would no longer negotiate with the Church to try to prevent vicarious baptism. ^[25] Michel called the practice a revision of history that plays into the hands of Holocaust deniers, stating: "They tell me, that my parents' Jewishness has not been altered but ... 100 years from now, how will they be able to guarantee that my mother and father of blessed memory who lived as Jews and were slaughtered by Hitler for no other reason than they were Jews, will someday not be identified as Mormon victims of the Holocaust?"^[26]

Church officials, in response, stated that the Church does not teach that vicarious baptisms coerce deceased persons to become Mormons, nor does the Church add those names to its list of Church members.^[27][28] Church officials have also stated that, in accordance with the 1995 agreement, it has removed more than 200,000 names of Jewish Holocaust victims from its databases, as well as subsequently removing names later identified by Jewish groups. Church officials have also stated that a new version of the database, New FamilySearch, has been developed and is currently being implemented that would help prevent the submission of Holocaust victim names for temple ordinances.^[29]

Vicarious Baptism of Barack Obama's Mother

In May 2009, it was discovered that President Barack Obama's mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, "who died in 1995, was baptized posthumously into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints last year during her son's campaign."^[30] "It is not yet clear whether Obama is troubled by the practice. The White House declined to comment Tuesday," May 5, 2009. The June 4, 2008 baptism was performed in Provo, Utah's temple, and a week later the ritual of endowment was performed on behalf of Dunham. LDS Church spokesman Scott Trotter confirmed that someone did perform a proxy baptism for Dunham, but said it was “counter to [LDS] Church policy for a church member to submit names for baptism for persons to whom they are not related.”

See also

• Ancestor liberation
• Celestial marriage
• Sealing power
• Criticism of the Latter Day Saint movement

Notes

References

• Roberts, B.H. (editor); History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; The Deseret Book Company; ISBN 0-87579-490-4 (revised 2nd edition, softcover, 1975)
• Tvedtnes, John A.; Baptism for the Dead: The Coptic Rationale; Retrieved Aug 19, 2003, from http://www.fairlds.org/apol/misc/misc23.html
• "LDS Church Reaffirms No Proxy Baptisms of Jews", The Salt Lake Tribune, 12 December 2002.

External links

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Links with a neutral viewpoint about baptism for the dead

• Baptism for the Dead The BBC's Religion and Ethics report
• Directions: Did Paul Baptize for the Dead? From Christianity Today
• Baptism for the Dead A philosophical consideration of paedobaptism and baptism for the dead.

Alternative views of baptism for the dead

• New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, at Christian Classics Ethereal Library
• Christian Answers
• Institute for Religious Research
• Catholic Answers
• Witnesses 86 - Baptism for the Dead, in Baptism's 91 Witnesses

In favor of baptism for the dead

• Ancient Sources for Baptism of the Dead By Krister Stendahl
• Questions about Baptism for the Dead By Jeff Lindsay
• Does the Bible Teach Salvation for the Dead? By John A. Tvedtnes
• Mormonism and Early Christianity: Baptism for the Dead By Barry Bickmore
• Analysis of First Corinthians 15:29 By Woody Brison
• To All the Saints Letters from Joseph Smith regarding proxy baptisms

About unauthorized proxy baptisms

• Mormons meet with Jews over baptizing Holocaust victims from CNN.com
• A chronology of the issue of Mormon baptisms of Jewish Holocaust victims
• "Mormons, Jews Set Up Group to Study Concerns". Meridian Magazine. http://www.meridianmagazine.com/churchupdate/050412study.html. 
• Hitler Temple Records
• LDS Struggle to Keep Proxy Baptisms Appropriate (online version of The Salt Lake Tribune article by Bob Mims, October 9, 1999, noting that "the records show temple work has also been done vicariously for the Holocaust's chief perpetrator, Adolf Hitler, and many of his Nazi henchmen.") Other notable figures for whom Temple work was carried out are Martin Bormann, Reinhardt Heydrich, St. Joan of Arc, St. Ignatius Loyola, and St. Francis Xavier; Buddha and "Mrs. Buddha", Karl Marx,Joseph Stalin, Mao Tse-Tung, Ho Chi-Minh, Herod the Great, Ivan the Terrible, Dracula, and Rasputin. This article contains scans of some of Hitler's temple records.
• Mormons meet with Jews over Baptizing Holocaust victims - notes baptisms of Ghengis Khan, Joan of Arc, Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, and Buddha.
• Will Pope Benedict become a Mormon after he dies? - "Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Genghis Khan, Mao Zedong, King Herod, Al Capone and Mickey Mouse have all appeared for a short time in the International Genealogical Index for proxy baptisms" "Jewish Holocaust victims, Protestant reformers Martin Luther and John Calvin and Mohammed ibn Abdel-Wahhab, founder of Saudi Arabia's stern version of Islam, have all popped up on the list. A purged version of the IGI is on the Internet, at http://www.familysearch.org, a Web site run by the LDS church, but does not show which rites have been performed." "Names are purged from the public IGI after being found and publicized"