This week we delved into Ancestry.com searches. I learned a lot about searching in different ways. I took a name from my Family Tree who’s name was just listed as Mrs. John Crosby. I want to find her given name. I found more information on their daughter but I am still searching for Mrs. John Crosby.
I am still, however, not doing great on some of the quizzes. The wording of the questions are confusing at times. I am hoping this will get better.
I had to have a procedure done this week so my mind was not always where it should have been. The week went by so fast to me, probably because I was down for 2 days. Then all of a sudden it was Friday and I wasn’t even close to being done with my assignments. Fridays I work then immediately after that I take my son to the San Diego Temple for his shift. That shift is from 5 pm – 10 pm. I kept thinking I would just sit in my car and do my school work instead of going in. Well, when I got parked and got my son out of the car and situated in his wheelchair I had the impression to go and do a session. I was able to do my relative, Emily Sills, who was born in 1826. She had been waiting a long time. I felt blessed by my Heavenly Father and I could feel the calming affect of being in the temple.
Shared with us, this week, was a scripture from 1 Corinthians 15:29 – “Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why then are they baptized for the dead?” I really did not know what this meant. It confused me. So I went to my trusty LDS.org and looked it up to see what I could find from the leaders of the church. They never fail me! First one I read was from Robert L. Millet, assistant professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University. He wrote: “Verse 29 [1 Cor. 15:29] has spawned a host of interpretations by biblical scholars of various faiths. Many consider the original meaning of the passage to be at best “difficult” or “unclear.” One commentator states that Paul “alludes to a practice of the Corinthian community as evidence for Christian faith in the resurrection of the dead. It seems that in Corinth some Christians would undergo baptism in the name of their deceased non-Christian relatives and friends, hoping that this vicarious baptism might assure them a share in the redemption of Christ.”
Some recent translations of the Bible have attempted to clarify this passage. The New English Bible, for example, translates 1 Corinthians 15:29: “Again, there are those who receive baptism on behalf of the dead. Why should they do this? If the dead are not raised at all, what do they mean by being baptized on their behalf?”
Many non-Latter-day Saint scholars believe that in 1 Corinthians Paul is denouncing or condemning the practice of baptism for the dead as heretical. This is a strange conclusion, however, since he uses the practice of baptism for the dead to support the doctrine of the Resurrection. In essence, he says, “Why are we performing baptisms in behalf of our dead, if, as some propose, there will be no resurrection of the dead? If there is to be no resurrection, would not such baptisms be a waste of time?”
On the subject of baptism for the dead, one Latter-day Saint writer observes, “Paul was most sensitive to blasphemy and false ceremonialism—of all people he would not have argued for the foundation truth of the Resurrection with a questionable example. He obviously did not feel that the principle was disharmonious with the gospel.” The full article can be found at the link below.
Was baptism for the dead a non-Christian practice in New Testament times, or was it a practice of the Church of Jesus Christ, as it is today?
This started clarifying this scripture for me. But I searched more and I found a General Conference talk given by Elder Boyd K. Packer from October 1975 regarding the redemption of the dead. He says: “Then another ancient scripture, ignored or overlooked by the Christian world in general, was understood and moved into significant prominence: “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?” (1 Cor. 15:29.)
Here then, was the answer. With proper authority an individual could be baptized for and in behalf of someone who had never had the opportunity. That individual would then accept or reject the baptism, according to his own desire.
This work came as a great reaffirmation of something very basic that the Christian world now only partly believes: and that is that there is life after death. Mortal death is no more an ending than birth was a beginning. The great work of redemption goes on beyond the veil as well as here in mortality.
The Lord said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.” (John 5:25.)
His full talk can be found at: The Redemption of the Dead
In John 3:5 it says “…Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
So, if we do not do the work for our ancestors how are they going to feel? Some did not get the chance to know what was needed to return to our Heavenly Father. The church had not been restored in their time. It is our responsibility to help them. In a talk at church a returned missionary shared a dream one of her investigators had. This dream really impacted me. She was in a room with some other people but they were ashen looking and looked so sad. Also in this room was a beautiful ornate door with the feeling of happiness beyond the door. She asked them why they did not go through the door. They said “We can’t. We need you!” That is when she realized that these were her ancestors! She had been hesitant about getting baptized until this dream. She knew she had to get their work done for them. This was a testament to me that the family hsitory work we do for the dead is vital. Our ancestors and those of others need us to find them and do their temple work. They want, as much as we do, to enter into the Kingdom of God.
Karen Laszko 