onyerpockets wrote:
Okay. It appears that I am misinformed. Please explain the meaning, purpose, and effect.

The LDS believe that baptism is required for anyone to enter the kingdom of God. It is performed by proxy for people who did not have the opportunity to have it performed in life.

However, this is not believed to make one a member of any particular faith (in other words, doesn't make them a member of the LDS Church). They aren't added to the church membership roles or extended any other benefits/blessings/etc. reserved for LDS people.

That is my understanding of it. I did a quick search of LDS.org to double-check.

onyerpockets wrote:
Okay. It appears that I am misinformed. Please explain the meaning, purpose, and effect.

Sorry if my post came across as harsh, that wasn't my intention.

onyerpockets wrote:
Okay. It appears that I am misinformed. Please explain the meaning, purpose, and effect.

Rather than trust to the personal opinions of forum participants...it is sometimes the wiser course to go straight to the source.

Here is the link to the LDS.org website...and the page to browse through regarding your questions.

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=84010fd41d93b010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&hideNav=1&bucket=AllChurchContent&query=baptism+for+the+dead&submit=Search

Pitt...
We have our own religious beliefs and probably quite different. I do not believe in the various celestial kingdoms, terestial, or whatever, nor the degrees. I do not believe women need to be sealed to a man to gain entry into heaven, or kingdom, and I certainly don't believe men become gods. There is only one in my religion, any more than that is blasphemy.
I was baptised but was not confirmed into the Church until old enough to understand what it meant theologically. But, that's what I accepted at the time. Time does change ideology however.

Some people have an opinion on afterlife, whether it be the good works they have done or have been a loyal member of a church. With that is their belief acceptance to God's presence in heaven, or hell for that matter. They die with their belief system intact...or so they thought. Which is why the LDS should review their practice on interferrence with other religions.
Suppose an LDS apostle, or any member for that matter, dies, and a wiccan or satanist decides that would practice a black art over the grave of the dead LDS member to bring their soul to the grasp of satan or whatever they believe in. Purhaps place an innocuous Baphamet or Pentagram on the LDS member's grave...after all they were just trying to be "good hearted" by sharing their religion. Just how would you feel? This is not to say LDS is evil or satanic, this is an analogy on a perspective.

iceman wrote:
Pitt...
We have our own religious beliefs and probably quite different. I do not believe in the various celestial kingdoms, terestial, or whatever, nor the degrees. I do not believe women need to be sealed to a man to gain entry into heaven, or kingdom, and I certainly don't believe men become gods. There is only one in my religion, any more than that is blasphemy.
I was baptised but was not confirmed into the Church until old enough to understand what it meant theologically. But, that's what I accepted at the time. Time does change ideology however.

Some people have an opinion on afterlife, whether it be the good works they have done or have been a loyal member of a church. With that is their belief acceptance to God's presence in heaven, or hell for that matter. They die with their belief system intact...or so they thought. Which is why the LDS should review their practice on interferrence with other religions.
Suppose an LDS apostle, or any member for that matter, dies, and a wiccan or satanist decides that would practice a black art over the grave of the dead LDS member to bring their soul to the grasp of satan or whatever they believe in. Purhaps place an innocuous Baphamet or Pentagram on the LDS member's grave...after all they were just trying to be "good hearted" by sharing their religion. Just how would you feel? This is not to say LDS is evil or satanic, this is an analogy on a perspective.

So who goes to hell? How does one get to heaven in your beliefs?

iceman wrote:
Pitt...
We have our own religious beliefs and probably quite different. I do not believe in the various celestial kingdoms, terestial, or whatever, nor the degrees. I do not believe women need to be sealed to a man to gain entry into heaven, or kingdom, and I certainly don't believe men become gods. There is only one in my religion, any more than that is blasphemy.
I was baptised but was not confirmed into the Church until old enough to understand what it meant theologically. But, that's what I accepted at the time. Time does change ideology however.

Some people have an opinion on afterlife, whether it be the good works they have done or have been a loyal member of a church. With that is their belief acceptance to God's presence in heaven, or hell for that matter. They die with their belief system intact...or so they thought. Which is why the LDS should review their practice on interferrence with other religions.
Suppose an LDS apostle, or any member for that matter, dies, and a wiccan or satanist decides that would practice a black art over the grave of the dead LDS member to bring their soul to the grasp of satan or whatever they believe in. Purhaps place an innocuous Baphamet or Pentagram on the LDS member's grave...after all they were just trying to be "good hearted" by sharing their religion. Just how would you feel? This is not to say LDS is evil or satanic, this is an analogy on a perspective.
Thanks for responding, mon ami. I suppose that it would be reason to be offended if by the very act of performing this ritual that the person did in fact become LDS without any recourse or choice in the matter. However, that is not what the LDS baptism for the dead does. What we do is akin to baking a cookie for someone and then holding it out for them to take and eat. If they take the cookie and eat it then the effort had some validity. If they refuse the cookie and walk away, then the cookie gets thrown in the trash and that is the end of it. The persons mouth has never been "defiled" by my cookie. They are still a non-cookie eater even though I specifically baked that cookie for them. It is the same with the baptisms. It is offered but is non-binding unless the deceased person decides to accept it. It is totally up to them. We believe that they still, even in death, have the agency to decide what and who they are and will be. So there really is no interference going on. People frequently ask the question that you did about how would we feel if the same was done to one of our family members or our prophet. All I can say is that since we don't believe in what they are doing nor have the authority to do so, then so what? Big deal. It wouldn't bother me because ultimately I believe that the person who has died still has agency to decide what their beliefs are and they always will. So, if after I die, if a Satan worshiper wants to offer me a cookie, I will probably smile at him and say no thanks and walk away. Hopefully, this makes some sense.