Mormon Baptism

April 9, 2004, The Spokesman-Review, Mormons baptizing victims of Holocaust, researchers say, by Mark Theissen, Practice would violate 1995 agreement with Jewish leaders
December 13, 2003, The Victoria Advocate - AP, page 3D, Mormon's proxy baptisms draw protests, by Mark Thiessen,
December 13, 2003, Lawrence Journal-World, Buying names for proxy baptisms creates tension, by Mark Thiessen,

December 12, 2003, Deseret News - AP, Russian Orthodox Church claims Mormons buying names for disputed proxy baptisms, by Mark Thiessen, 

December 7, 2003, Prescott Daily Courier - AP, page 6C, Russian Orthodox Church: Mormons buying names for proxy baptisms, by Mark Thiessen,
December 6 2003, Deseret News - AP, Russian Orthodox say LDS buys souls' names, by Mark Thiessen, diigo,
December 11, 2002, Kingdom Daily Miner - AP, page 12, Mormons will meet Jews over baptism of Holocaust victims,
May 20, 2000, The Spokesman-Review, Methodists say Mormon converts require baptism,

June 2, 1995, The Yavapai [AZ] Daily Courier - AP, Mormon leaders change baptism; Send new signals on old practice, especially baptism for dead,
April 29, 1994, Rome News-Tribune - AP, page 6B, Mormon baptism offensive to some,
October 5, 1991, Herald-Journal, Mormons: A people to emulate, by Mike McManus, 

May 28, 1988, Eugene Register-Guard, Mormons offer help in tracing families, by Randi Bennet,
July 27, 1985, Gainesville Sun, Saving the dead: Mormons put genealogy in the service of faith, by Jennifer Brandlon,
July 27, 1985, Gainesville Sun, In the genealogical library, the search never ends, by Jennifer Brandlon,
July 27, 1985, Eugene Register-Guard - AP, Mormons in vanguard of genealogy movement, Millions of members occupied by posthumous proselytizing,
May 30, 1981, Spokane Chronicle, Mormons seeking ancestors, by Alice Feinstein, Chronicle Religion Writer,
From The Church Editor's Desk: About July 22, 1967, The Deseret News, Mormons in Russia, by Henry A. Smith, 

April 9, 2004, The Spokesman-Review, Mormons baptizing victims of Holocaust, researchers say, by Mark Theissen,  Practice would violate 1995 agreement with Jewish leaders

December 13, 2003, The Victoria Advocate - AP, page 3D, Mormon's proxy baptisms draw protests, by Mark Thiessen,

December 13, 2003, Lawrence Journal-World, Buying names for proxy baptisms creates tension, by Mark Thiessen, Archive for Saturday, December 13, 2003 Buying names for proxy baptisms creates tension Email Print Facebook Tweet By Mark Thiessen - Associated Press Writer December 13, 2003 SALT LAKE CITY — The Mormon practice of posthumously baptizing non-Mormons, which has angered Jews and others in the past, is now creating tensions with another religion -- the Russian Orthodox Church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is funding the preservation -- at 10 cents a sheet -- of thousands of names of dead Russian Orthodox Church members. The church flatly rejects allegations that it is buying the names of dead souls, and insists the effort in Russia is aimed only at providing an archive of genealogical data for the public good. However, critics contend the church is using the names for its oft-criticized ritual called proxy baptism, a practice they say is rife with ethical and moral problems. "It takes away the most essential gift God has given people, their freedom," said Father Joseph, a spokesman for the patriarchal parish of the Russian Orthodox Church in the United States, who does not use his last name. "It turns religion into magic." The LDS church has long collected names from government documents and other records worldwide, then made them available for use in temple rituals, during which Mormon stand-ins are immersed in water to offer the dead salvation and entry to the Mormon religion. The practice is primarily intended to offer salvation to ancestors of Mormons, but many others are included, since Mormons believe that individuals' ability to choose a religion continues beyond the grave. It "does not force a change of religion on any deceased person," said Dale Bills, a spokesman for the Utah-based church, which has more than 11 million members worldwide. "Proxy baptism is a caring expression of faith that provides deceased persons the opportunity to accept or reject what we believe to be a blessing offered in their behalf." Helen Radkey, an independent researcher in Salt Lake City, said she has found such notable non-Mormons as Adolph Hitler, Anne Frank, and even Roman Catholic saints and popes among the 600 million names in the church's database, called the International Genealogical Index. The Catholic Church is among the groups that do not even recognize Mormon baptisms for the living. And, "re-baptism is, by definition, an impossibility" in the Catholic view, said the Rev. Ronald Roberson, associate director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. "Either you're baptized or you're not." He said the Mormon practice, "constitutes a denial of the baptism that already took place. "People could certainly have reason to be upset," Roberson said. In 1995, the Mormon church acceded to demands by Jewish leaders that the denomination end its practice of posthumously baptizing Jews. However, several Jewish organizations complained a few years later that the practice hadn't stopped, and Radkey produced the names of at least 20,000 Jews in the index. The church responded last December by rededicating itself to ending the practice and removing the names. Radkey, however, said many names still have not been removed, despite what she called a "cosmetic" cleanup two months ago of Jews who died in concentration camps. Within the last few months, she has found the names of prominent Jews still in the database, albeit under their original names or those with alternate spellings. They include David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister (which was later removed), and Theodor Herzl, the founder of Zionism. Radkey said the inclusion of Ben-Gurion, listed by his birth name of David Green and baptized since 2000, indicated the Mormons were not sincere about abiding by the agreement with Jewish leaders.

December 12, 2003, Deseret News - AP, Russian Orthodox Church claims Mormons buying names for disputed proxy baptisms, by Mark Thiessen,  Russian Orthodox Church claims Mormons buying names for disputed proxy baptisms Posted: Friday, December 12, 2003 By MARK THIESSEN Associated Press Writer SALT LAKE CITY The Mormon practice of posthumously baptizing non-Mormons, which has angered Jews and others in the past, is now creating tensions with another religion the Russian Orthodox Church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is funding the preservation at 10 cents a sheet of thousands of names of dead Russian Orthodox Church members. The church flatly rejects allegations that it is buying the names of dead souls, and insists the effort in Russia is aimed only at providing an archive of genealogical data for the public good. However, critics contend the church is using the names for its oft-criticized ritual called proxy baptism, a practice they say is rife with ethical and moral problems. ''It takes away the most essential gift God has given people, their freedom,'' said Father Joseph, a spokesperson for the patriarchal parish of the Russian Orthodox Church in the United States, who does not use his last name. ''It turns religion into magic.'' The LDS church has long collected names from government documents and other records worldwide, then made them available for use in temple rituals, during which Mormon stand-ins are immersed in water to offer the dead salvation and entry to the Mormon religion. The practice is primarily intended to offer salvation to ancestors of Mormons, but many others are included, since Mormons believe that individuals' ability to choose a religion continues beyond the grave. It ''does not force a change of religion on any deceased person,'' said Dale Bills, a spokesperson for the Utah-based church, which has more than 11 million members worldwide. ''Proxy baptism is a caring expression of faith that provides deceased persons the opportunity to accept or reject what we believe to be a blessing offered in their behalf.'' Helen Radkey, an independent researcher in Salt Lake City, said she has found such notable non-Mormons as Adolph Hitler, Anne Frank, and even Roman Catholic saints and popes among the 600 million names in the church's database, called the International Genealogical Index. The Catholic Church is among the groups that do not even recognize Mormon baptisms for the living. And, ''re-baptism is, by definition, an impossibility'' in the Catholic view, said the Rev. Ronald Roberson, associate director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. ''Either you're baptized or you're not.'' He said the Mormon practice, ''constitutes a denial of the baptism that already took place. ''People could certainly have reason to be upset,'' Roberson said. In 1995, the Mormon church acceded to demands by Jewish leaders that the denomination end its practice of posthumously baptizing Jews. However, several Jewish organizations complained a few years later that the practice hadn't stopped, and Radkey produced the names of at least 20,000 Jews in the index. The church responded last December by rededicating itself to ending the practice and removing the names. Radkey, however, said many names still have not been removed, despite what she called a ''cosmetic'' cleanup two months ago of Jews who died in concentration camps. Within the last few months, she has found the names of prominent Jews still in the database, albeit under their original names or those with alternate spellings. They include David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister (which was later removed), and Theodor Herzl, the founder of Zionism. Radkey said the inclusion of Ben-Gurion, listed by his birth name of David Green and baptized since 2000, indicates the Mormons are not sincere about abiding by the agreement with Jewish leaders. ''If he would be done since the 1995 agreement, then they'll do any Jew,'' she said. Bills said the church is actively abiding by the agreement, and will remove Jewish names when they are presented to church officials. There's no agreement with the Russian Orthodox Church, however. The Mormon church arranged through the Russian Society of Historians and Archivists in Moscow to microfilm church membership lists from the 18th century, paying 10 cents a sheet for thousands of names. The church says it is a service to humanity. Historical, genealogical data is preserved on microfilm, and is safe from natural disasters since one copy is kept with the sponsoring organization and the other on church property in Utah. After objections were raised last month by one Russian Orthodox Church parish east of Moscow, the preservation work has been suspended for further review, The Moscow Observer reported. ''Nothing is forced on anyone,'' Bills said. ''Since no offense is intended, we hope none will be taken.'' The concern extends to the U.S. office of the Russian Orthodox Church, which says the Mormons have no right to rebaptize people after their deaths. Said Father Joseph, the church's New York-based spokesman: ''The decision that the person makes is made here on Earth, that's final.'' On the Net: Mormon church: http://www.lds.org Mormon church' genealogy site: http://www.familysearch.org

December 7, 2003, Prescott Daily Courier - AP, page 6C, Russian Orthodox Church: Mormons buying names for proxy baptisms, by Mark Thiessen,

December 6 2003, Deseret News - AP, Russian Orthodox say LDS buys souls' names, by Mark Thiessen, diigo, Not even a year after The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints again promised to stop baptizing dead Jews into its faith, the church has raised concerns by funding the preservation — at 10 cents a sheet — of thousands of names of dead Russian Orthodox Church members. The church flatly rejects allegations that it is buying the names of dead souls, and insists the effort in Russia is aimed only at providing an archive of genealogical data for the good of all mankind. Others say the church is continuing its oft-criticized ritual of posthumously baptizing the dead as Mormons — a practice that critics say is rife with ethical and moral holes. "Obviously we can't approve the practice, it takes away the most essential gift God has given people, their freedom," said the spokesman for the patriarchal parish of the Russian Orthodox Church in the United States. "It turns religion into magic," continued Father Joseph, a hieromonk who does not use his last name and is secretary to the administrator of the parish, St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral in New York. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has long collected names from government documents and other records worldwide. The names are then used in temple ordinances, one of which involves church members being baptized by proxy to offer the dead salvation and entry to the LDS religion. It's primarily intended to offer salvation to the ancestors of church members, but many others are included. The practice "does not force a change of religion on any deceased person," said Dale Bills, a spokesman for the Utah-based church that has more than 11 million members worldwide. "Proxy baptism is a caring expression of faith that provides deceased persons the opportunity to accept or reject what we believe to be a blessing offered in their behalf." Salt Lake City independent researcher Helen Radkey said she has found such notable non-Mormons as Adolph Hitler, Anne Frank, and even Catholic popes and saints within the church's database — called the International Genealogical Index — of 600 million names. "From our perspective, the Catholic church does not recognize the validity of Mormon baptisms," said the Rev. Ronald Roberson, the associate director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C. "Rebaptism is, by definition, an impossibility," he said. "Either you're baptized or you're not." But LDS faithful believe that individual ability to choose continues beyond the grave. "Nothing is forced on anyone," Bills said. "Since no offense is intended, we hope none will be taken." Even though Catholics believe the rebaptisms change nothing in the afterlife for the deceased, Roberson said he could see how finding out that a service has been done on one's behalf might affect their survivors. "It constitutes a denial of the baptism that already took place," he said. "People could certainly have reason to be upset." In 1995 the LDS Church agreed with Jewish leaders to end its practice of posthumously baptizing Jews. However, after several Jewish organizations complained that the practice hadn't stopped and Radkey produced the names of at least 20,000 Jews in the index, the church last December rededicated itself to ending the practice and removing the names. Radkey, however, said many names still have not been removed, despite what she called a "cosmetic" clean-up two months ago of Jews who died in concentration camps. In fact, within the last few months she has found the names of prominent Jews still in the database, albeit under their original names or those with alternate spellings. They include David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister, and Theodor Herzl, Hungarian journalist and the founder of Zionism. Radkey said the inclusion of Ben-Gurion, listed by his birth name of David Green and baptized since 2000, indicates the LDS Church members are not sincere about abiding by the agreement with Jewish leaders. "If he would be done since the 1995 agreement, then they'll do any Jew," she said. Bills said the church is actively abiding by the agreement, and will remove Jewish names when they are presented to church officials. There's no agreement with the Russian Orthodox Church, however. The LDS Church arranged through the cash-strapped Russian Society of Historians and Archivists in Moscow to reimburse the labor costs for transferring 18th-century church membership lists to microfilm. The church says it is a service to humanity. Historical, genealogical data are preserved on microfilm and safe from natural disasters, since one copy is kept with the sponsoring organization and the other in Salt Lake City. After objections were raised last month by one Russian Orthodox Church parish east of Moscow, the practice has been suspended for further review. The concern extends to the church's U.S. office, which says the LDS Church has no right to rebaptize people into a different faith after their deaths. "The decision that the person makes is made here on Earth, that's final," said Father Joseph, the church's New York-based spokesman.

December 11, 2002, Kingdom Daily Miner - AP, page 12, Mormons will meet Jews over baptism of Holocaust victims,




May 20, 2000, The Spokesman-Review, Methodists say Mormon converts require baptism,




June 2, 1995, The Yavapai [AZ] Daily Courier - AP, Mormon leaders change baptism; Send new signals on old practice, especially baptism for dead,

April 29, 1994, Rome News-Tribune - AP, page 6B, Mormon baptism offensive to some, Saints and sinners, popes and pillagers, martyrs and mass murderers -- everyone who ever lived, in fact -- eventually will get the chance to be a Mormon. Alive or dead. At least, that is a central tenet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which has 50,000 full-time missionaries proselytizing the living, and many times more members performing baptisms and other rituals for the dead. To Mormons, the idea is a deeply spiritual, divinely inspired undertaking, staggering in its scope: to give every post-mortal spirit a chance to accept or reject baptism in the "true Church of Jesus Christ." "If they do not accept the baptism, it is of no effect," according to the church-sanctioned Encyclopedia of Mormonism. To some non-Mormons, nowever, the practice is appallingly presumptuous, a sort of theological hijacking. For example, Mormon genealogical records show baptisms performed in church temples for dozens of Roman Catholic saints, including Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Francis Assisi, Ignatius Loyola, Thomas More and Thomas Becket. "You can guess how we feel about it," said Julie Anderson, spokeswoman for the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake, although Catholic authorities will say nothing officially about the Mormon practice. Helen Radkey, a former Catholic and former Mormon, is blunt, calling it "religious bigotry" and a "basic issue of respect and arrogance." Radkey, whose two sons attend Jesuit-run Gonzaga Univeersity, visited the Martyrs' Shrine in Ontario, Canada, last summer and was deeply moved by the martyrdoms of French Jesuits Jean de Brebeuf and Gabriel Lalemant. The two missionaries were grotesquely mutilated over several hours and then killed by Iroquois warriers in 1649, some 181 years before Joseph Smith founded the Mormon Church on the premise that all other churches were false and corrupt. Upon her return to Salt Lake City, Radkey went to the Mormon Family History Library to look up more information on Lalemant. She said she "freaked" when she discovered he had been baptized---twice---by Mormon stand-ins. "These men died for what they believed in, and it's disgusting to have someone come in and baptize them after they'd given everything," she said. In a December letter to Radkey, Father John J. Paret, director of the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs in upstate New York, offered another perspective. "I don't know just what to say about these strange activities of the Mormons, except that it does not seem that they will hurt us in any way," Paret wrote. "Indeed, it would seem to be a tribute to the (Catholic) Church and to the Jesuits that the Mormons should seek to make these great men their own in some way." Mormon officials are well aware of the criticism. They seek to defuse it by stressing that baptisms and other, uniquely Mormon rituals performed for the dead have no validity by themselves. The dead in "the spirit world" awaiting God's final judgment must accept the true gospel of Jesus Christ before the ordinances done by proxies can apply, said Thomas E. Daniels, spokesman for the church's Family History Department. "So it is a labor of love," Daniels said, since the ordinances are believed essential to salvation in the presence of God. "We are doing for them what they can't do for themselves." However the project is viewed, it is accelerating as the church approaches 9 million members and plans to build many more than its current 45 temples. The church's registry of names---an extraordinary boon to genealogists and other researchers of all faiths---exceeds 2 billion. Millions more are added each year as teams of Mormon specialists pore over public records throughout the world, offering free microfilm copies in exchange for access. Church photographers make over 100 million exposures of documents a year. Since the first baptisms for the dead were performed in 1842, Mormons have logged some 200 million such ordinances. But several million have been inadvertent duplications owing to a multilicity of records, spelling errors and, perhaps, the allure of celbrity. Radkey's research shows that Joan of Arc has had 14 proxy baptisms. Judy Garland, Charlie Chaplin, Jack Benny and W.C...Fields have had five each; Humphrey Bogart, Lucille Ball, Fred Astaire, Boris Karloff Marilyn Monroe and Walt Disney four each; and Vivian Leigh, Alfred Hitchcock and Mae West three apiece. "Nothing is going to entirely eliminate duplication," Daniels said, not even incorporation of the cumbersome microfilm into a new computer system designed of offer quicker access. Dupliccation currently run about 3 percent to 4 percent a year, but are expected to decline. Last year the church adopted a policy that rank-and-file members could submit for baptism only the names of their own ancestors.

October 5, 1991, Herald-Journal, Mormons: A people to emulate, by Mike McManus,
















May 28, 1988, Eugene Register-Guard, Mormons offer help in tracing families, by Randi Bennet,







July 27, 1985, Gainesville Sun, Saving the dead: Mormons put genealogy in the service of faith, by Jennifer Brandlon,
July 27, 1985, Gainesville Sun, In the genealogical library, the search never ends, by Jennifer Brandlon,

July 27, 1985, Eugene Register-Guard - AP, Mormons in vanguard of genealogy movement, Millions of members occupied by posthumous proselytizing,





May 30, 1981, Spokane Chronicle, Mormons seeking ancestors, by Alice Feinstein, Chronicle Religion Writer,





From The Church Editor's Desk: About July 22, 1967, The Deseret News, Mormons in Russia, by Henry A. Smith,