If I believe it's a sin to have a baptism, who are you to tell me I'm wrong? What you are saying is that my belief I could be sent to Mormon hell (heh, sorry I'm really just having fun with this now:) ) is incorrect because they are doing something they believe is good for me. Well, my belief is that they are doing something bad or wrong in my religion's eyes and therefore I don't know the consequences of this ritual. Maybe all mormons actually go to hell and they are bringing me with them. Nobody knows, but if I didn't decide to convert or become baptized when I'm alive, other people should not be making those faith decisions upon my death. So my reasoning is just as plausible as yours, yes?

For someone who thinks this is a non-issue you certainly have a lot to say about the procedure involved.

About people not wanting their records "out there": they already are. Anybody who wants to know anything about you can do so with a minimum amount of time, and if you're not using a shredder with great regularity, you're just making it easier for anyone to find out information on you.

As for your ancestors, there's a lot of information out there, but never as much as you'd like. There are THOUSANDS of different types of forms you can use to do genealogy, but I was only able to find one with the proper LDS terminology - after a lot of searching, this form was found at www.familysearch.org (the LDS site).

While I know that, at one time, I found ONE of my ancestors' marriages "sealed", I am unable to find it now. That's how "easy" it is to find.

While I use their records, I do NOT share my belief system with Mormons. Just read any one book by a former Mormon to understand why - and why I think this is all a tempest in a teapot. Anyone who even tries to call me an anti-Semite is seriously barking up the wrong tree, as I attended a Messianic Jewish congregation for years. Any real Christian prays for the peace of Jerusalem, and has a heart for His people.

If someone wants to get hopping mad about this, go ahead. You're not going to change anything. For heaven's sake, I've had more than one Mormon tell me with a straight face that they have traced their genealogy back to Jesus and Mary Magdalene and further! How can you even take someone like that seriously?!

ps - Sugarandspice - this may be one of the only threads on which we totally agree!

Nobody called you an anti-semite. We don't lop that term around because then it means nothing.

As for not changing anything, everything in the world changes. At one point the Mormons agreed to not baptize certain groups after protests. Sometimes it's not even about change...it's about expressing your feelings and/or standing up for yourself.

-Rudey

Do you seriously believe that you could go to hell because of something someone totally unrelated to you did without your knowledge?

Most religions are not just about one individual who lives in a bubble.

-Rudey

Well, I was just forestalling that label. When I told my Jewish cousins that someone referred to me as an anti-semite once, they got a good laugh out of that!

As for the rest, I can agree to that.

So you know how there's a head of the Mormon church? When there's an agreement signed, who signs for the Jewish community?

There isn't one head. As a result of the diaspora and the destruction of the temples, you have all sorts of groups and sects.

-Rudey

Just because someone pissing on my grave isn't going to change my after-life destination, doesn't mean I want to be buried in a urinal.

Since I don't believe in hell, that would be highly unlikely. However, I think the point is being lost in all these posts. It matters to me if another religion tries to baptize and "save" me from what they believe is eternal damnation. Respect my religious beliefs and don't insult it by doing something like this.

I guess those of you who don't care are the agnostic or atheists of the board. And also, since most people on here are not completely dead, I have no clue if I'll have knowledge of this after-death ritual, so I guess I just want my body to be left alone when I pass on.

From a conservative Christian perspective: Christians are warned to disallow non-Christians from praying over us (especially laying hands on us) because of the potential doors we will be opening. However, if someone is praying over our dead bodies - since bodies left on earth are basically just sacks of flesh - it really doesn't matter.

On the other hand, we would need to consider the impact on the living. I would NOT want a future member of my family coming across my name and believing that I was LDS. If that family member were seeking God (meaning, a non-Christian trying to find truth) seeing my name on any LDS paperwork could cause her/him to begin looking into Mormonism. What would be even worse is if the enemy (yes, Satan) already had a stronghold in that person's life.

Conclusion: Because it has a possible negative spiritual outcome, I would be very unhappy if I found it had happened to me.

So a bunch of people sign for the Jewish community? I'm just confused about how that works. I know it has nothing to do with the topic at hand, I was just interested.

There are a hundred communities. There is a big split between European and Spanish/Middle Eastern/African. Some belong to umbrella organizations and there are many organizations for different things...sorta like NIC and FIPG and all that good stuff.

-Rudey

I was thinking the same thing about Hitler. First, Hitler does not deserve to go to any heaven, second it is even worse if a jew is baptized and let's say they accept the gospel while dead and Hitler can technically accept it also then the Jew is sharing heaven with Hitler. I can maybe get over the whole proxy baptizing thing but baptizing a horrible person like Hitler I really can't get.