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Title: Mormons warned against baptizing Holocaust victims
Source:
USA Today
URL Source: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news ... tism-holocaust-jews/53372816/1
Published: Mar 5, 2015
Author: By Peggy Fletcher Stack, Religion News S
Post Date: 2015-03-06 20:24:20 by X-15
Keywords: LDS, Mormons, Judaism
Views: 223
Comments: 10
SALT LAKE CITY – Anne Frank, Simon Wiesenthal's parents, Gandhi, Daniel Pearl, Elvis. Mormon leaders are fed up. On Friday, the LDS church's governing First Presidency issued an unequivocal mandate to its members: Do not submit names of Jewish Holocaust victims or celebrities for proxy baptism. Doing so could cost Mormons access to their church's genealogical data or even their good standing in the faith. "Without exception, church members must not submit for proxy temple ordinances any names from unauthorized groups, such as celebrities and Jewish Holocaust victims," LDS President Thomas S. Monson and his counselors wrote in a letter to all Mormon bishops, dated Feb. 29. "If members do so, they may forfeit their New FamilySearch privileges (access to the church's genealogical holdings). Other corrective action may also be taken." The letter, which was to be read over pulpits and posted on bulletin boards in every Mormon congregation on Sunday, reminds members that their "pre-eminent obligation" is to their own ancestors, and any name submitted for proxy rituals "should be related to the submitter." The crackdown could help LDS officials put an end to overzealous Mormons sidestepping the rules or mischief-makers bent on embarrassing the faith. The Mormon practice known as "baptism for the dead" involves living people being baptized on behalf of their dead relatives. Mormons believe it is their moral obligation to do the temple rituals, while those in the hereafter can either accept or reject the ordinance. In the early 1990s, Jewish representatives complained about the practice, arguing that it disrespected Jews who died in the Holocaust. Mormon leaders agreed to remove them from the list of candidates for baptism, unless they were related to living church members. The task, however, proved difficult, and many of the names continued to pop up in the database. In 2010, the Mormons assured Jews that a new computer system would help solve the problem. But it exploded again in recent weeks as reporters published accounts of proxy baptisms for several well-known figures, including the deceased parents of famed Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal, and slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. LDS officials reacted swiftly and decisively to the news, issuing an apology and saying in several cases they had removed the submitters' access to their genealogical records. "We consider this a serious breach of our protocol," spokesman Scott Trotter said in a statement, "and we have suspended indefinitely this person's ability to access our genealogy records." The letter from the church's First Presidency is an emphatic step, said Philip Barlow, an expert on Mormon history and culture at Utah State University. "It says 'we really mean business' and the imprimatur will etch more deeply on (Mormon) minds." When the First Presidency speaks, Barlow said, "LDS ears hear that with a louder microphone than a university president would have. It has the added resonance of prophetic authority." And it also "signals a seriousness to outsiders," he said. In a statement, Abraham Foxman, national director of the New York-based Anti-Defamation League, welcomed the hard line from Mormon leaders. "Church members should understand why proxy baptisms are so offensive to the Jewish people, who faced near annihilation during the Holocaust simply because they were Jewish, and who throughout history were often the victims of forced conversions," Foxman said. "As two minority religions who share histories as the target of intolerance and discrimination, we will continue to work with each other to bring greater understanding and respect to both of our faith communities." Poster Comment: It's funny, Abraham Foxman, just how that alleged "respect to both of our faith communities" is ALWAYS a one-way street when organized jewry is involved.
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#1. To: X-15 (#0)
LDS types are too whacked for words.
“The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable.” ~ H. L. Mencken
An interesting thing id never heard of until aftermy wife & I visited the mormon genealogy center in salt lake in 2013: she found out that the Catholic church officially declared some years back that they'll no longer share geneological data with the mormons because of the exact practice which your article refers to. In the meanwhile however the mormons had found a great deal of data on my great great grandpa who was a judge in texas. They even found a book on him & microfilm of court stuff with his signature. And to imagine we were always told that side of the family were hillbillys! That mormon place tho is an incredible site. Bigger than id ever imainee,,,several football fields of microfilm alone. Astounding "Even to the death fight for truth, and the LORD your God will battle for you". Sirach 4:28
I've always found the ones I knew to be very lovely people, beliefs aside.
"Even to the death fight for truth, and the LORD your God will battle for you". Sirach 4:28
I'll agree that their theology has some really weird shit that most people never hear about, but they make great neighbors. Family vacation detoured through Salt Lake City and we hit up the Mormon historical sites and got an up- close disclosure of some disturbing theological beliefs. They're into prepping (ALWAYS have a pantry full of food), hunting, and they're pretty White. Disclosure: I've got some Mormons in my family.
#2. To: X-15 (#0)
#3. To: Lod (#1)
#4. To: Lod (#1)
-Alex Kurtagic
#5. To: X-15 (#0)
and a liability in terms of production of real wealth in the country? Jewish people, who faced near annihilation during the Holocaust simply because they were Jewish
#6. To: Tatarewicz (#5)
What, usury doesn't count for anything?! :)
-Alex Kurtagic
#7. To: Artisan, 4 (#3)
Totally agree, they are tremendous neighbors. Never asking to bum some smokes, whiskey, or diet sodas. The kids are white, quiet, and respectful. Prolly no better neighbors than LDS folks.
“The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable.” ~ H. L. Mencken
#8. To: X-15 (#6)
Mostly used to accumulate capital with which to take over someone else's wealth producing operation. What, usury doesn't count for anything?!
#9. To: X-15 (#0) (Edited)
The task, however, proved difficult, and many of the names continued to pop up in the database. In 2010, the Mormons assured Jews that a new computer system would help solve the problem. But it exploded again in recent weeks as reporters published accounts of proxy baptisms for several well-known figures, including the deceased parents of famed Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal, and slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. LDS officials reacted swiftly and decisively to the news, issuing an apology and saying in several cases they had removed the submitters' access to their genealogical records. A few years back there were several stores about Mormons doing these post-mortem conversions, I thought they were just weird but didn't give it much thought. From reading this article, it sounds like it's not the Mormons (especially the establishment) but some crazies with an axe to grind, a false-flag if you will. Where have we seen this modus operandi before? In the early 1990s, Jewish representatives complained about the practice, arguing that it disrespected Jews who died in the Holocaust. Mormon leaders agreed to remove them from the list of candidates for baptism, unless they were related to living church members.
corruptissima re publica plurimae leges - Tacitus
#10. To: Dakmar (#9)
No, while the Mormon establishment condemned the post-mortem baptisms of jews after the jews complained, they never had a problem with it before and the Mormon leadership is not distancing themselves from the belief or practice itself. (except if it offends jews.) the Catholics complained too but the LDS apparently didn't care. it sounds like it's not the Mormons (especially the establishment) but some crazies with an axe to grind
"Even to the death fight for truth, and the LORD your God will battle for you". Sirach 4:28
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