And does it really make sense to refuse to baptize a live person on parole if you're just going to baptize them after they're dead anyways.
2007-06-25 08:29:20 · 8 answers · asked by Melissa Y 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Members of the LDS Church perform, "baptisms for the dead.." It is the act of performing the baptisms yourself, in "proxy" of the deceased. You do not actually take a dead body and baptize it, which some erroneously believe.
The LDS Church believes that by doing so, you are providing the opportunity for the deceased to "accept" baptism in the next life. It is still up to the deceased to "accept it or not.
The doctrine is based on 1 Corinthians 15:29. And it is a doctrine based upon the mercies of Christ. if an individual never did hear of the Gospel of Christ while living in this life, he is not banished to hell just because he lived in a dark corner of the world. With the mercy of Christ, that person is given a chance to "accept" baptism in the next life, and decide to accept Christ there.
2007-06-25 10:41:52 · answer #1 · answered by Kerry 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The word baptism comes from the Greek ba-pti'-zein meaning "to dip, to plunge." Not sprinkling (which is seen in many religions today that consider such baptism).
To illustrate: If you sink was stopped up, would you sprinkle water on the plunger, hoping the sink would stop? Of course not. You "dip, or plunge" the plunger into the sink and bring it back up and the job is completed. The same with those being baptized. Not by a mere sprinkling, but by actually dipping them below, just as Jesus was at the Jordan River.
Christian water baptism is an outward symbol that the one being baptized has made a complete, unreserved, and unconditional dedication through Jesus Christ to do the will of Jehovah God. Infants do not have the capacity to make unconditional dedications. Hence, baptism is not for infants.
Acts 8:12: "But when they believed Philip, who was declaring the good news of the kingdom of God and of the name of Jesus Christ, they proceeded to be baptized, both men and women."
In a nutshell, baptism is not by sprinkling water nor is it for infants. What about the condition of the dead?
Ecclesiastes 9:5: "For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all, neither do they anymore have wages, because the remembrance of them has been forgotten."
Psalm 115:17: "The dead themselves do not praise Jah, Nor do any going down into silence."
The dead cannot praise God, nor anything else for that matter. Then again, would such baptism of the dead really benefit them? No. For they are dead. They have no clue what is being done to them. They do not even know how long they have been dead.
So now is the time for those appreciating the opportunity to use their strength and vigor to serve Jehovah, rather than waiting until their life-force wanes to consider their obligation to the Creator.
2007-06-27 00:33:13 · answer #2 · answered by the_answer 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have never heard of Baptizing a dead person, what is the benefit of it. As for as Baptizing an Baby, the only good it does is make the mother or grand mother feel good. Being baptized is an open showing of the obedience of the Lord, after you receive Christ and saved, I know of some people that were saved, but never was baptized, for one reason or another, but they are saved just the same. One of these was bed stricken, and could not go to be baptized, with water.
2007-06-25 19:44:37 · answer #3 · answered by Auburn 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It makes no sense to baptize a dead person. Baptism is done for the benefit of a person's soul. You cannot do anything for the person after he or she is dead. His or her soul is already with God or not.
2007-06-25 15:35:26 · answer #4 · answered by Sldgman 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Both are not positive things and not according to God's New Testament. The baptism FOR the dead as seen in Corinthians was practiced amongst these believers because of their dead loved ones not having the opportunity to be baptised during their lifetime.. so they did so FOR them when they died or else they will miss the resurrection from the dead at the Lord's return. Paul did not abide by this practice of baptism for the dead and even made reference to what they were doing to prove that resurrection was real to those who were preaching otherwise... but not to encourage this practice in any way ..this practice is done by the cultic mormon group to this day... seems that they missed the point paul was making and decided to make it a dogma in their church.
baptism for babies is also NOT a new testament practice...
If we look at what baptism is . Its an outward sign to those around you and also a declaration to satan that YOU are for CHRIST and are being baptised into His death and coming out in resurrection as a New Man in Christ,.
It is a conscious decision and follows your believing into Jesus CHrist,
an infant being baptised DOES NOT take away original sin.. But when we confess our sins with our mouth and believe in our hearts then we are forgiven and washed by the Blood Of Jesus Christ
I do not disagree with children being prayed for by a church when they are born. sort of like dedicating this little child back to the Lord and praying for God to have a way to norish and protect this child so they may grow up to love Jesus.
2007-06-25 15:41:12 · answer #5 · answered by Broken Alabaster Flask 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Baptizing infants frees them of original sin and ushers them into God's convent family.
Baptizing dead people. . . . well I don't know anything about that.
2007-06-25 15:33:21 · answer #6 · answered by stpolycarp77 6 · 0⤊ 3⤋
baptizing is pointless and there is no god
2007-06-25 15:36:00 · answer #7 · answered by jrobuck13 2 · 0⤊ 4⤋
both is useless...
2007-06-25 15:31:56 · answer #8 · answered by karen_03625 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋