Mormons, do you practise baptisms for the dead?

Question

I may be misinformed, but I have head that Mormons believe everybody who has ever lived will be saved due to Jesus' sacrifice thereby giving everybody a second chance. However, only "good" Mormons will rise up to the "highest level" of salvation, that is, they will get their own planet to populate and become "gods" of those planets. For this reason they practise baptisms for the dead to "improve" the deceased's chances in the afterlife.

First, is this acurate and, if not, please clarify. Second, can you please show me from the Holy Bible the basis for such beliefs.

I don't know who has been dishing out all those thumbs down, but it wasn't me! I ask this question because I genuinely want to know whether there is any Biblical basis for this belief and to give Mormons an opportunity to explain it. I don't think there is any evidence to suggest that we've got anti-Mormons trying to give Mormons a hard time.

The Bible says REPENT and be baptised. How can a dead person repent? Also the Bible says man dies ONCE and faces judgment. Right?

Answer 1

Baptism is held to be absolutely necessary for salvation: "Verily, verily, I [Christ] say unto you [Joseph Smith], they who believe not on your words, and are not baptized in water in my name, for the remission of their sins, that they may receive the Holy Ghost, shall be damned" (Doctrine & Covenant 84:74).

Although the book of Mormon (supposed to contain "the fulness of the everlasting Gospel" says nothing about baptism for the dead, Joseph Smith supposedly received revelations about this after the Book of Mormon had been 'translated'. The 'revelations' claimed that in the Bible book of Malachi 4:5,6 Elijah would come before the day of the Lord to turn hearts of fathers to their children and vice versa. This was interpreted to mean that, unless there is a 'welding link' of some kind or other between the fathers and the children, the earth will be smitten with a curse. This 'welding link' is baptism for the dead - the living being baptized as substitutes for the dead who died without a knowledge of the restored Mormon gospel. The font for such baptisms is built beneath the surface of the ground to simulate the graves of the deceased, must be performed in a temple and be carefully recorded. It is an ordinance so important, the salvation of the living depends upon it (Doctrine & Covenants 128:3-18,28-37). That's why Joseph Fielding Smith denounces the Reorganized Church as an apostate church because it does not practice baptism for the dead (Doctrine of Salvation I, 265).

These beliefs have no foundation in the Holy Bible whatsoever, which is why I'm not a Mormon, but the sources quoted are Mormon ones.

Answer 2

No, it is not totally accurate, but close.
Mormons do believe, as stated in 1 Corinthians 15:29, in a doctrine called "baptisms for the dead." It is a doctrine based in a belief God is a merciful God and desires all of his children to be saved. However, many live in parts of the world or in other times in history where a knowledge a God and Christ was/is not possible. Just because they did not know about Christ in the flesh should not mean that they will be damned for eternity. Rather, God has created a way where by those people can receive God and Christ, accept him, and receive the saving ordinance of baptism.
That can be accomplished by us here on earth, "vicariously," for and in behalf of them, get baptized for them. In the next life, these people then have the choice of accepting the baptism or not.
In no way is there a quota or expectation that one needs to do lots of baptisms for the dead in order to elevate your status in heaven. Simply not true. Baptism for the dead is simply and act of love, service, and sacrifice of your time and efforts to help "save" those that never had a chance to learn about God and Christ, and allow them to have the ordinance of baptism done for them.

Answer 3

Baptism is a "saving" ordinance - so as words - it fairly is had to return to heaven. people who have been under no circumstances baptized with Priesthood Authority are provided that threat by using "baptism for the lifeless". the hot testomony scripture your pronounced had to do with Christians who have been following the practices of the Church, yet had grow to be perplexed and for some reason now not even believed interior the resurrection - which might make baptism for the lifeless a waste of time. however the resurrection is actual and subsequently baptism for the lifeless a necessity. The e book of Mormon scripture has to do with people who "have everyday the commandments of God" who willfully sinned against God - in different words - those are Mormons who understand the fullness of the gospel and decide to not stay it. it rather is fairly not your standard Joe. people who have not had the prospect to settle for the fullness of the Lord's Gospel in this existence could have the prospect to examine and settle for it on the different factor - this is why the ordinance of baptism could desire to be accomplished on their behalf. God loves ALL His little ones. Why could desire to somebody flow the hell only by way of fact they under no circumstances had the prospect to hearken to His be conscious?????

Answer 4

If you believe what those anti mormons answers, then you may as well skip reading this.

Here is my answer as a LDS Mormon for 30 years and on....

Yes, we do believe in baptism for the dead.

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
(New Testament | Mark 16:16)

5 And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water!
(Book of Mormon | 2 Nephi 31:5)

AS stated by scriptures, Baptism is reguired for all those who believe. Think about all those people never have a chance to know about Jesus Christ in all the different times on earth, would God forget about them? And if those that are dead accepted the gospel after death, they do not have a physical body to baptize, that is why is up to us to give them that chance. As for those who do not accept the gospel, the baptism will not be counted.

Bible reference, despict what others think we take it out of text, read it your self:

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?
(New Testament | 1 Corinthians 15:29)

Our intepretation: If there is no resurrection for the dead, why baptism for the dead is performed.

Read the whole chapter 15 of the 1 Corinthians, Paul is talking to members of the church concerning resurrection.
Paul is teaching church doctrine to his people.

Answer 5

Yes, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints performs the ordinance of baptism for those who have died. The acceptance of this work is up to the person involved. The scriptural references to 1 Corinithians is the most direct. The other is to 1 Peter 3. In this he talks about Christ going to teach the spirits in prison. By inference this is the opening of missionary work to those who died without the Gospel. Why would they be taught, if there were no chance for their salvation and baptism?

The idea of being exhaulted is found in other scriptures in the New Testament. For example Rev 3:21 "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." This does not mean that only "good" Mormons will achieve this goal.

Answer 6

The Mormons I speak to claim that it is not a second chance but a first chance for those who ave not had an opportunity to hear the gospel in this life. This contradicts two key scriptures:


"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse" (Rm 1:20-21)

And perhaps more importantly:

"And just as it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgement— so also the Messiah, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him" (Hebrews 9:27-28 ).

In other words God can and does witness to us through His created order, and their is no first or second chance that side of the grave. Further, the verse another person alluded to about baptism from the dead is taken out of context:

"Again, what will they do who are given baptism for the dead? if the dead do not come back at all, why are people given baptism for them?" (1 Corinthians 15:29 ).

In other words Paul is making the point that if non-believers
believe that the dead are raised, shouldn't we as believers have even more hope as ours is based not on the dead but on Jesus being raised from the dead.

Answer 7

That is true.
The reason being that since Mormonism is a relatively new religion, they believe the people who were born before it's introduction, and those who have never heard of it, have the right to be Mormons!
That's why they are happy to trace your ancestry completely free of charge, even though it is extremely time consuming.
I can't show you in the Holy Bible, but remember the Church of Latter day Saints uses other books in conjunction to the Bible and peculiar to Mormonism, one of which I believed is called Pearls of Wisdom written [I think] by their founder Joseph Smith.
The reason they always say that it's the fastest growing religion on the planet is the fact they baptise after death and include these numbers in their calculations.

Answer 8

yes. Mormons do practice baptism for the dead. When I was sixteen years old I did baptism for the dead in the temple.

Answer 9

I wonder about the defensiveness of the Mormon who admitted that Mormons do practise baptism of the dead, but accused others who gave that answer of being "anti-Mormon." I personally was impressed with ability of all the others to answer the question in a straight forward manner without espousing any personal feelings about the practise.

Answer 10

IMHO, not all get a second chance, if they had a first chance and rejected Christ.

As for getting our own planets, I don't know about that.

We practice vicarious baptism so taht those who died without ever hearing the gpsoel or getting the chace to accept or reject it.