Why did the Jewish people in the U.S.A sue the Mormon church regarding baptism of the dead?

Question

People might wonder what kind of damage might or can actually be done in baptizing someone who is already dead.

Is there something more to the issue about which most people are unaware?

Is it the intrusion into the privacy of family members, dead or alive, that the Jewish people resent? Is it the fear of alteration of their records? Do they feel that in baptizing them after they are dead the Mormons are initiating them and thus are claiming them?

The whole ritual of baptism of the dead sounds like lunacy to me. I am sure that the dead people are not consenting to it.

I would like to hear answers from Jewish people themselves and not strictly a whole bunch of Mormons.

The law suit allegedly was launched by Jewish people on the issue of the baptism of dead members of the Jewish faith. However, other dead people whose background was not Mormon also have been baptized by proxy by Mormons.

I read about it in the newspaper a few years ago.

Answer 1

The baptism of deceased Jews to Mormonism was discovered at 1995, when it was turned out that 400 thousand Jews (most of them were murdered in the Holocaust) are signed in the Mormon genealogical reservoir. Although the baptism is nominal (the baptizer baptizes the name) and it "hurts nobody", allegedly, this costume pisses some of us off for several reasons:
* Like you said: most of the Jews' anger at the Mormon Church is for the personal/ ethics reasons: intrusion to the privacy of a family member, "changing" someone's identity without his/ her permission, the claiming of the Mormon Church on the dead Jews, the cheek to convert people (Jews or not) against their will…
* Some of the baptized Jews are important and symbolic personalities for the Jewish people, including Anne Frank, Albert Einstein, David Ben Gurion, Rashi, Golda Me'ir and many more… Baptizing these names is like a slap in the face for the Jewish people; it's as if the Mormons were saying "your spiritual leaders and symbols are now ours".
* Most of the baptized Jews are coincidental (yes, coincidental) names that the baptizers have found in the reservoirs of "Yad VaShem" (lists of the Jewish victims of the Holocaust). It seems a bit rude to convert people that died for their religion and ancestry without their permession, or will.
* Among the non- Jewish baptized names there are Adolf Hitler, Eva Braun, Hermann Göring and other people that no Jew will ever want to be baptized with.
* It considered a debasement of dignity of the dead (ביזוי כבוד המת "bizuy kvod ha'met", in Hebrew), and there is a very strong prohibition on this in Judaism.
* The 13th principle of Maimonides in "Shacharit lachol" (שחרית לחול) regards the resurrection of the dead, and it says that those who believe in the Jewish resurrection of the dead are sure to be part of it. Mormons will not be part of it, and so are Jews who converted themselves. Luckily, this kind of conversion is not acceptable in Judaism.
* At 1995, the Jewish organizations have agreed with the Mormon Church that its Mormon believers will not baptize any more dead Jews without the family's approval, and that the Jewish names will be erased from the Mormon lists. Nevertheless, it has been discovered that since the agreement was signed, more than 20 thousand dead Jews were baptized, and that there are still thousands of Jewish names on the list. The anger at the Mormon Church is even bigger now, as they obviously breached their promises and maybe never fulfilled it.

Answer 2

Baptism for the dead is talked about in the bible....

I am sure there is some animosity towards Mormons for it because they think if a person is baptized after they are dead, they are "automatically" a Mormon, which is not true....they are if they CHOOSE to be. It is not a guarantee or whatever...we are taught and believe EVERY person no matter what has the right to accept or reject the gospel. How could the Lord be a just God if only certain people had to opportunity to work their way back to him and others didn't?????
ALSO - only persons whom their family members have turned in their names are done, not just random people (of the Jews).

Answer 3

I believe this was resolved without a law suit. The Church agreed that members should only baptize people who are direct family if they lived in the past 100 years. They specifically agreed not to baptize any holocaust victims, unless the member was a descendant.

As Paul wrote, "why are we baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not again?" Those who did not have an opportunity to accept the Gospel in their lifetimes will have that opportunity. They will still need the ordinances of the Gospel. Those individuals still have the agency to accept or reject it.

Answer 4

I'm sorry, I don't understand ... can you re-do the question and include whose dead you are speaking of? Are these dead Jewish folk or dead Mormons?

Answer 5

If you are so interested look up both churches in the white pages, call a local minister and ask him. Or better yet, log onto your subject matter on the net and you will get your question answered.

Answer 6

I believe it is because Mormons are trying to claim they are Jews by blood and that is offensive because they are not.

Answer 7

Obviously one lot of religious nonsense is offensive to believers in another lot of religious nonsense. Hardly a new phenomenon...

Answer 8

maybe they dont thinks graves shouldNOT be messed with cuz baptizing dead ppl is just ridiculous

Answer 9

That Mormon practice is disgusting, disrespectful and insulting.

Answer 10

Never heard this. Where did you get your info?