Why has the mormon church reneged on their promise to stop baptizing Jews?

Question

in 1995 only to be caught doing it again in 2006? Apparently former Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal's baptism records were found December 20, 2006. And former Main Nazi Adolf Hitler was baptized December 1993 and sealed to his parents March 1994. The chances of these two 'sharing the gospel' together seems uncomfortable at best.

Does this complete absence of shame and dignity disturb anyone, or is this best forgotten like polygamy?
I

Kelreide:
http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=fwLYKnN8LzH&b=245494&ct=3306827
http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/West/12/10/baptizing.the.dead.ap/
http://www.pensitoreview.com/2006/12/19/jews-to-mormons-stop-it-with-the-posthumous-baptisms-already/
http://www.avotaynu.com/nu/V07N13.htm

From the church archive microfilm:

HITLER, Adolf - Sex: M - EVENT: Birth , 20 Apr. 1889, Braunau Am Inn.
Oberoesterreich, Austria. Father: Alois HITLER. Mother: Klara POELZL.
LDS ORDINANCES: Baptized: 10 Dec. 1993 London (Temple); Endowed: 10 Dec. 1993
London (Temple). Sealed to parents: 12 Mar 1994 London (Temple) Source of
Information: - Film Call Number: 1903846

HITLER, Adolf - Sex: M - Event: Marriage (civil) 29 Apr 1945, Berlin, Ost
Berlin Bezirk, Germany
SPOUSE: Eva BRAUN
LDS ORDINANCES: SEALED TO SPOUSE: 14 June 1994, LA Temple
Source of Information: Film Call Number: 1903975

Answer 1

You're references seem shaky at best. But here is what the church really agreed to. It agreed to stop using records with names of holocaust survivors as a source for getting names of people to do proxy baptism for. However, as always has been the case, a member of the mormon church who has researched their geneology my submit names of their own ancestors to the temples to bebaptised by proxy. This does not violate the agreement the church made. However, this is the bigger question that I would like to ask people who complain about it. If you think the Mormon church is so crazy and is not true at all, what difference does it make to you anyway? It should just be funny that they think they are saving everyone, when they aren't really doing anything. I do not believe for one second that God will send someone to hell just because the Mormons now claim them as a post-mortum member. As you may know from my other answers I am a mormon on his way out of the church, but I frankly could care less if they keep my name on the "records" of the church because if it isn't true it doesn't matter. The only viable reason I could see would be to get them to leave you alone, but since my wife is still a TBM it wouldn't do me much good anyway.

Answer 2

Where is your source or website that proves this? Don't give me an anti-mormon book like Ed Decker's stuff or anything like that! I would like to see something concrete, newspaper article or something like that. Is this just a rumor you heard?

First off I would like to explain how we do our works for our kindred dead:

1) We do baptisms, sealings, endowments, etc. for people who have passed on into the next life without receiving these saving ordinances.
2) When we do these ordinances the person on the other side CHOOSES whether or not he/she wants to accept it. We don't force anyone to be baptized. That defeats the whole purpose of free agency if we forced baptism on people. We just do the service so that the person can have the opportunity to accept it. It's a service, but it is NOT forced nor would we want to force people to be baptized. We believe when you die that you are a spirit and you retain your characteristics, mind, pretty much everything except you don't have a physical body. This is the basis for our belief that you can make choices after you die.

Another issue is the sealing which I know a lot of people don't know about either so let me explain:

1)You are sealed in a temple for time and all eternity to ONLY ONE SPOUSE!
2) The sealing that is binding in heaven and earth is only binding throughout now and the eternities if we stay righteous and keep the word of the Lord. If we break our covenants or stray, there is a chance that we might not be able to be with our spouse forever.
3) This includes families as well.

We must be righteous to keep the ordinances in place for us. There is a high chance that if Hitler were sealed to his parents that the covenant may not be binding because of the horrible things he did and how unrighteous he was. I don't know if God would ever forgive him because he didn't repent while on Earth, so I don't know if the sealing would be in effect when Christ comes again and we are all judged. His parents could accept the gospel as well as him, but I can't presume to know if they would or what would happen if they did and then were judged. I don't know where they would go.

We perform these ordinances as a service to those who have passed on. Without us, they cannot be made perfect neither without our dead can we be made perfect. Baptisms for the dead is mentioned in the Bible, so we are not just making stuff up here. Temples were built in Biblical times (Temple of Solomon, Tabernacle, etc.) and we have them now to do this great work.

I don't know exactly the context of the promise the Church made about that, but I don't think that would renege on their promise.

Answer 3

As I understand it, the LDS church agreed to only perform proxy baptisms for deceased Jews if they were related. So there can still be work done for Jews. I know a few members of the LDS church that are of Jewish descent. Also, if there have been "illegitimate" baptisms since the agreement, it isn't really the church's fault, as much as it is the members of the church, if you can see the difference. I hate to use this as an example but it's the best I can think of right now. It's like blaming the Catholic Church for those Fathers that molested the little boys. It isn't the church's fault, its the Fathers'.

Answer 4

Do you know what happens when someone vicariously baptises someone?

The person who is dead is

a. given the opportunity to accept or reject the baptism, or

b. is not given that opportunity, for whatever reason.

We do the baptism, that's all. After that, it's up to God and everyone up there. We don't count them as members or in heaven or any thing else.

As for the Jews, I don't know about Mr. Wiesenthal, but the only ones that are allowed to be vicariously baptised are those whos names were submitted by a family member.

Answer 5

that is an previous tale, obviously the AP is in basic terms attempting to bash the mormons some extra. It even says interior the object, "archives .... confirmed the baptism occurred in November 1993" ameliorations were made in 2010 to lead away from from happening again. would not look newsworthy to me.

Answer 6

They feel that the only way to get the gospel out to people is by this means. Since the salvation of your dead Jewish relatives is so important for them, they continue.

Answer 7

Mormons are misguided nutjobs! It makes me angry that they think they are better than everyone else.

And, yes, I was one for 27 years. Good thing I didn't waste my WHOLE life.

Answer 8

Did you hear this one about hitler:
http://www.nowscape.com/mormon/hitler_temple_records.htm

Answer 9

It really doesn't mean anything.