I've just come across this thread and find it pretty interesting. I am LDS, but was not raised in the church. There are definite rules the church has set out for the baptisms (which as someone mentioned earlier are not actually converting people against their will, but rather letting them hear the beliefs and make that decision for themselves). It's pretty clear that we are *not* to baptize Jewish or Muslim people, so whoever is doing such is making up their own rules and not following that of the church. I don't personally perform baptisms for the dead, but I have a good understanding of why many faithful Mormons do because i've asked many many questions about it myself. I also can understand why people who don't know about it could be upset or weirded out about it, because I definitely was before I learned the purpose and good intention of it. If anybody participating in or reading this thread is truly curious about the practice, i'd recommend asking an LDS missionary who actually is able to explain it well. 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."
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