Quote:
Originally posted by RxyChrldr
The official title is "Blessings for our Ancestors," and this is what the official church website www.mormon.org has to say about it:
"Many people have died without receiving baptism and other ordinances that Jesus Christ taught were necessary to enter the kingdom of God (John 3:5). Because Heavenly Father wants all His children to have the opportunity to return to Him, He has provided a way for those who have died without these ordinances to receive them.
In holy temples, members of the Church can perform these ordinances on behalf of their ancestors who have died.
This makes it possible for those who have not received these ordinances to accept them, if they choose, and return to live one day with our Heavenly Father."
|
Right... but then doesn't this ignore the rest of John 3? Specifically the whole part about belief being necessary to be "born from above"? ie. baptized (though the original greek means I think both from above or again...) - how can an ancestor or another dead person believe?
The theological arguement for ancestoral baptism (of your faith and others) seems pretty weak, if not disrespectful to the faith and beliefs that those ancestors (or others) chose to practice...