Why do Mormons baptize for the dead? Don't they realize that the dead didn't believe in the Resurrection?

Question

The dead who didn't believe in the Resurrection, cannot be part of the 1st Resurrection.

So why do they baptize for the dead? What good does it do?

The rest of the dead (not part of the 1st Resurrection) will be part of the last Resurrection, when the rest of the dead stand before God to be judged according to their works.

Born of water isn't water baptism.

Free to be,

The people in the NT who were baptizing for the dead weren't born of God Christians. They didn't even believe in the resurrection. That is the only reference to baptizing for the dead. And they weren't even Christian & were a cult of the time.

If we don't believe in the resurrection, we aren't yet born of God or Christian.

John 3:5-8
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say to you, Except a person be born of water & the Spirit, he can't enter into the Kingdom of God.
Those who are born of the flesh is flesh (born of moms water bag); and those who are born of the Spirit is spiritual (born of His Spirit).
Marvel not that I said to you, Ye must be born again.
The wind blows where it goes & you hear the sound but cant' tell where it comes from & where it goes: so is everyone who is born of the Spirit (born of God).

You have to read the whole thing Jesus said at that time w/understanding that we are already born of water & are flesh. We need to be born of the Spirit to see/enter the Kingdom of God . It is written elsewhere that we die/blind spiritually. So are incomplete as a body & soul with a dead spirit. We need to be born of His spirit to be complete again. A Trinity; body, soul & spirit. Born of His Spirit is our communication restored with Father God, to pray in spirit & truth, 24/7.

Jesus said that His blood was shed for the remission of our sins, all who believe in Him. All who are redeemed by His blood are part of the 1st resurrection (before the age of Christ). Their judgment is to reward them for works done rooted in faith hope & love. And those that were productive with talents they were given were given cities to rule in. This is a reward system. At the last resurrection, the dead give up the dead & the hell give up the dead, etc. & everyone is judged according to their works. Those who were of the 1st resurrection are not at this final judgment day.
Are Mormons planning to be at the last resurrection, because they aren't born of God yet & their sins aren't covered yet? Because they want to be judged according to their works? Rev. 20:12

It is through Christ redeeming blood that one enters the Kingdom of Heaven. To be born of God, there needs to be an atonement for sin. Even one sin, not covered by the blood will keep one out of heaven. All of them need to be covered. Salvation is a gift of God & not of works, lest anyone boast (be self righteous).

Answer 1

The Mormon practice of baptism for the dead is neither scriptural or sensible. Baptism for the dead is a practice that was common in the pagan religions of Greece and is still practiced today by some cults; but it doesn't change a person's sentence, for that is determined while he lives (Luke 16:26).

Answer 2

From a Mormon:

John 3:5 "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."

Born of water = baptism

1 Corinthians 15:29 "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?"

Baptism for the dead was practiced in New Testament times.

These verses are in the King James Version of the Bible. If your Bible version does not have these (some don't), maybe you should buy a KJV.

We believe that every person who lives or has lived on the earth should have a fair chance to receive or reject baptism. Not every one who has baptism for the dead will receive it, but it would be an unfair God who sent innocents to hell just because they didn't have the chance while here on earth.

Answer 3

How can anyone lay claim that the dead didn't believe in the Resurrection? Is any reputable person in contact with the deceased? I think not.

Vicarious baptisms are performed in the holy temples of God for those ancestral dead spirits, giving them the opportunity to either accept or reject such an ordinance. Baptisms and marriages in the spirit world cannot be performed, hence the importance of having these ordinances performed in mortality.

Accepting the ordinance of baptism on the other side will allow the person, once resurrected, to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Answer 4

I'm a bit confused by your question too. Could you please state your sources?
Here is the Church's official statement on baptism for the dead, from the website www.lds.org:
"Jesus Christ taught that baptism is essential to the salvation of all who have lived on earth (see John 3:5). Many people, however, have died without being baptized. Others were baptized without proper authority. Because God is merciful, He has prepared a way for all people to receive the blessings of baptism. By performing proxy baptisms in behalf of those who have died, Church members offer these blessings to deceased ancestors. Individuals can then choose to accept or reject what has been done in their behalf."
This is not a new concept. Anyone who accepts Christ as their Savior also accepts the principle of vicarious proxy. He took upon himself our sins. His sacrifice also makes it possible for all the dead to be saved, who will believe in him.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live." (John 5:25)

"For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit." (1 Peter 4:6)

"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water." (1 Peter 3:18-20)

"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)

I honestly can't understand what is so difficult about this subject for some to accept. For me, it is a beautiful concept. That God is truly no respecter of persons, but that he will save all who will accept Christ, regardless of whether they heard of him in this life or hear of him in the next. A God who will not give someone at least the opportunity to be "born again" does not seem just to me. This is why Christ went and preached to the spirits in prison. Read and ponder the previous scripture references.
By the way, all men and women will be judged according to their works, even those who accept Christ. It is only those sins which are forsaken and for which you ask God for forgiveness through Christ that you will not be judged.

Addendum:
KAIT, I noticed you don't allow email or IM so I am posting this here in the hopes you will see it. Do you have any sources for your statement that baptism for the dead was practiced by pagan Greek cults? I would love to check out these sources for myself. Thanks!

Answer 5

Dont hate me. I will try to look at the thing in a non religion oriented way, but in a practical economic way...

Religion is said to be the opium of the poor(we may all disagree or agree)... But it is even the richness of the quick minded people. By baptimizing the dead a religion oficially gains adepts (even if the poor fellows could not decide if they wanted it or not). By having a certain amount of adepts you gain in some places a certain amount of community founds and economical help and power even of political type. (not everywhere but it often is like this). Power gives you the possibility to change the things you dont like and make them nicer to you.

Did you ever ask yourself why most of the religions that practise baptism often do it before the individual can decide if he is actually interested ?(babies for example), the Catholic church in Italy for example gains economical help based on how many people have received baptism and are the considered cristian catholics. They use this money to help the priest and the missionaries around the world (i hope). So it is in their economic interest and in the one of those they should help (i hope) to baptize as many as possible. (i live in Italy)

So... think of how big a source it is having even the dead baptized... i do not say there are not even noble and faith backgrounds to it, but if you take them away I believe this could be a practical reason, but I could be saying rubbish since i am not this big mastermind :-) And all are free to disagree, and most of all i hope i did not offend anyone.

Answer 6

LDS here. I think it basically boils down to this: What happens to all the people who lived their lives and then died without ever hearing of Christ? I mean, if we have to be baptized to enter a covenant with Christ (see John 3:3-5) what about the ones who never had the chance when they were alive? I think God loves us all, and he wants us ALL to have the opportunity to accept the Gospel.

Answer 7

Mormons believe in Baptism by proxy.
Want more?

Answer 8

If we want to be exalted and with Heavenly Father, we must be baptised. If one dies without having the opportunity to hear and accept the gospel, and be batized, then we can do it in their name, and they can accept or reject it as they will.

Answer 9

It looks good on the membership records: Ghandhi, Albert Einstein, King Arthur. Also Josef Stalin, Adolf Hitler and possibly Attila the Hun, especially if somebody did his geneology.

I don't think the dead actually have much of an opportunity to believe in anything, since, well, they're dead, y'know?

I believe it was Joseph Smith who translated the Reformed Egyptian word 'Mormon' as "Sucker". It has been revised since then.

Answer 10

I don't understand the logic either but I guess as long as you and I as well as the rest of us non Mormons know that the post mortum baptism is irrelevant it doesn't matter what they do...they're just wasting their time anyway!