There is a clear basis for baptism for the dead in the Bible:

1 Corinthians 15:29) “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?”

Mainstream theologians have desperately cooked up “at least two hundred different interpretations of this passage” to avoid the principle of proxy ordinances. But lately, theologians have started to finally admit that it really does refer to baptism for the dead, exactly as we have been saying:

TheGospelCoalition.org) “Confessing I’m no closer to certainty than anyone, I think it wise to take the passage at face value: it seems that certain Corinthian were baptized on behalf of people—possibly family members or friends who’d died.”

But baptism for the dead is not biblical… even though it is in the bible right here.

Many in the church consider proxy baptism a minor issue, not really worth bringing up in a religious discussion. But this may be a bigger deal than we give it credit for. Our doctrine of proxy baptism is a massive shift away from old misguided mainstream conceptions of salvation and justice, and this principle provides a desperately needed modern foundation for societal morality. The world needs to hear about it, understand it, and adopt it, and they need to hear it now. The “spirit of Elijah” is an unexpected theme throughout the Doctrine & Covenents scripture–Malachi 4 is quoted over and over again in Joseph Smith’s early revelations, always in an urgent tone.

Connection to our ancestors is needed now more than ever, and people inwardly know this–when in the history of mankind have people ever been as inherently interested in museums and archaeology as people are today? Anxiety over past sins of societies, class consciousness, and historical interpretation has boiled over into worldwide rioting–tearing down statues, burning religious books, perpetuating old racial supremacy, etc. Anxiety about ancestry and history is becoming more and more symptomatic of an out-dated paradigm in mainstream society that needs to change. In the midst of recent protests, I keep seeing Anti-Mormons agitating protesters to target our temples for vandalism in particular. Our temples are being vandalized, and I don’t think it is coincidence that a violent Anti-Mormon recently targeted the Provo temple, where a huge number of proxy ordinances for the dead are performed by MTC missionaries. I also don’t think it is coincidence that the news media avoids talking about these hate crimes targeting Latter-day Saints. The devil wants to stop the paradigm shift our temples bring.

Opposition To Baptism For The Dead – The old theologians are proving unsuccessful rebutting our gospel through debate, so the media is now trying the tactic of portraying our practice as offensive. It used to be good ol’ fashioned Anti-Mormon ridicule. Plenty of that bitter mockery still going on on social media, and hysterics are thrown with falsehoods–‘Mormons forcing people to join their church in the afterlife.’ That kind of bigotry is regular. But now, religious leaders in mainstream media are calling proxy baptism “arrogant” and “insulting.” New York Times hyped an Anti-Mormon website where you submit the name of “your favorite dead Mormon” and convert him to be “gay for eternity.” This bigoted ridicule and the outrage-tactic used by the news media are a dangerous development, as they stoke religious division, suppress our right to worship according to our beliefs, and generate resistance to a paradigm shift which is so desperately needed. Media corporations should not be trying to shut down people’s worship practices, and of course, they should not be perpetuating religious bigotry. Look at which tool of the gospel news media propagandists and social media mobs are attacking, and you will often find what the devil is most afraid of.

Baptism For The Dead In The New Testament

Mainstream theologians give two reasons for why this Bible verse does not support Latter-day Saint baptism for the dead:

Out of context – “They have usurped this verse and taken it out of context.”

Contradicts the gospel – “The idea that a living person can somehow help a dead person by being baptised contradicts the gospel of Christ.”

Context: Resurrection – The apologists argue this verse is about resurrection rather than salvation, and therefore could not suggest salvation may be offered to the dead through ordinances: “since 1 Corinthians 15 is about resurrection of the dead, not gaining salvation, the Mormons take the passage out of context.” Paul in this chapter addresses those in the church who deny the resurrection.

In order to get full context, consider the entire chapter up to this verse. Pay close attention to the themes–redemption from sin, resurrection, and grace. Also pay attention to the pronouns–I, we, they:

Who Is They? – Theologians speculate about who “they” is–the individuals being baptized for the dead. Is it church members, local Corinth neighbors, or Pagan apostates? When you read the New Testament it is always important to keep careful track of the subject, object, and indirect object, because many times the author will jump back to something he was talking about several verses ago and call refer to it as “him” or “they.” That is the case here.

Paul introduces himself as one of multiple disciples who have preached the gospel of Christ’s atonement from sin and resurrection from the dead, and points out that this gospel is to be believed whether it come from the mouth of him or the rest of the disciples: “they.” Then he introduces another “they”–those who have “fallen asleep in Christ” or died expecting to enter paradise. This is the same “they” that “are Christ’s at his coming,” made alive in a proper “order.” Those are the two objects of this discourse, the two “theys” in this chapter–1) disciples saving souls 2) those who died “in the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4 indicates those who “fall asleep in the Lord” will rise in the first resurrection. In other words, they “were laid to sleep through Jesus,” as opposed to dying–they are not damned but experience spiritual and physical death as a temporary setback. In verse 29, both “they’s” come together: the disciples are baptized for those who died in the Lord.

Not Just About Resurrection – The theologians are not being truthful when they say this is strictly about resurrection of the body and has nothing to do with the salvation which baptism is necessary to bring. The first five verses introduces the topic of grace and Christ dying to remit sins, as well as the resurrection of Christ. Clearly that’s what it is about. But theologians have gone to great stretches to make sense of this verse. Martin Luther said “they” refers to Christians being baptized above the dead, above the crypts, not for the dead. The word hyper can mean “above” in its accusative form, but it is a genitive case here, which means it means either “beyond, in excess of” or broadly “because of, in behalf of.” John Calvin said it refers to people baptized “close” to death, as in soon before they die of old age. But again, that is the accusative case of hyper, and again does not make sense in the context of the chapter. Others say it refers to saints being baptized for the sake of Christian martyrs, which admittedly makes more sense in the context of Paul’s explanation of his call to preach. But that does not make sense knowing the function of baptism–baptism is not all about being with martyrs in the afterlife.

Read here if you want further debunking of the mainstream theologians. I’m not going to beat a dead horse (ba da, ching). Ellicott conceded:

Ellicott’s Bible Commentary , via BibleHub) “The only tenable interpretation is that there existed amongst some of the Christians at Corinth a practice of baptising a living person in the stead of some convert who had died before that sacrament had been administered to him. Such a practice existed amongst the Marcionites in the second century, and still earlier amongst a sect called the Corinthians. The idea evidently was that whatever benefit flowed from baptism might be thus vicariously secured for the deceased Christian. St. Chrysostom gives the following description of it:—“After a catechumen (i.e., one prepared for baptism, but not actually baptised) was dead, they hid a living man under the bed of the deceased; then coming to the bed of the dead man they spake to him, and asked whether he would receive baptism, and he making no answer, the other replied in his stead, and so they baptised the ‘living for the dead.’””

Oh, but Paul certainly didn’t endorse the practice, Ellicott insists. He uses second-person grammar, “’they’ throughout this passage” to “separate” himself from those doing this. The Catholic church likewise claims: “While the rest of his teaching in chapter fifteen refers to ‘we,’ his Christian followers, ‘they’ are not further identified.” Well, that is false. We have seen that Paul used “they” in this chapter to refer to other disciples preaching the gospel. Who else would be “they”? Theologians like Ellicott have not given any explanation of who else “they” may refer to except some random group of Corinthians somewhere that Paul never brought up. People don’t use pronouns to refer to some random subject that they never introduced. Also, why didn’t Paul strongly condemn the practice if it were heretical? It doesn’t seem like an Apostle of the Lord would talk about a prevalent apostate practice during a discourse on resurrection and just go without mentioning that you should not practice it. If the “custom possibly sprang up amongst the Jewish converts,” why didn’t he condemn it and set them straight? Why didn’t anyone condemn it in scripture?

Early Christian author Tertullian in the 2nd century AD suggested there were Christians practicing baptism for the dead, but he found it heretical, and explained “dead” really means “body”:

Anti-Nicene Fathers Vol. III) “Let us now return to the resurrection, to the defence of which against heretics of all sorts we have given indeed sufficient attention in another work of ours… “What,” asks he, “shall they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not?” Now, never mind that practice, (whatever it may have been.) The Februarian lustrations will perhaps answer him (quite as well), by praying for the dead. Do not then suppose that the apostle here indicates some new god as the author and advocate of this (baptism for the dead. His only aim in alluding to it was) that he might all the more firmly insist upon the resurrection of the body, in proportion as they who were vainly baptized for the dead resorted to the practice from their belief of such a resurrection. We have the apostle in another passage defining “but one baptism.” To be “baptized for the dead” therefore means, in fact, to be baptized for the body; for, as we have shown, it is the body which becomes dead.”

Early Christian Baptism For The Dead

Other evidence for the practice of existing in early Christian times:

Shepherd Of Hermas – This early 2nd century apoclyptic wring promotes baptism for the dead in very specific detail. After explaining that baptism is absolutely necessary to enter the kingdom of heaven, the saints of the church are presented as a metaphor of stones forming a tower. Baptism is the “seal” that unites the stones into a tower:

Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 1, The Pastor of Hermas, Ch. xvi.) ““Why, sir,” I said, “did these stones ascend out of the pit, and be applied to the building of the tower, after having borne these spirits? “They were obliged,” he answered, “to ascend through water in order that they might be made alive; for, unless they laid aside the deadness of their life, they could not in any other way enter into the kingdom of God. Accordingly, those also who fell asleep received the seal of the Son of God. For,” he continued, “before a man bears the name of the Son of God he is dead; but when he receives the seal he lays aside his deadness, and obtains life. The seal, then, is the water: they descend into the water dead, and they arise alive. And to them, accordingly, was this seal preached, and they made use of it that they might enter into the kingdom of God.””

Hermas notices some saints already were baptized but then are baptized again.

““Why, sir,” I asked, “did the forty stones also ascend with them out of the pit, having already received the seal?” “Because,” saith he, “these, the apostles and the teachers who preached the name of the Son of God, after they had fallen asleep in the power and faith of the Son of God, preached also to them that had fallen asleep before them, and themselves gave unto them the seal of the preaching. Therefore they went down with them into the water, and came up again. But these went down alive [and again came up alive]; whereas the others that had fallen asleep before them went down dead and came up alive. So by their means they were quickened into life, and came to the full knowledge of the name of the Son of God. For this cause also they came up with them, and were fitted with them into the building of the tower and were builded with them, without being shaped; for they fell asleep in righteousness and in great purity. Only they had not this seal. Thou hast then the interpretation of these things also.”” Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 1, The Pastor of Hermas, Ch. xvi.)

Clement Of Alexandria – Early 2nd century theologian Clement discussed this passage from Shepherd of Hermas and its implications:

“Do not [scriptures] show that the Lord preached the Gospel to those that perished in the flood, or rather had been chained, and to those kept “in ward and guard”? And it has been shown also, in the second book of the Stromata, that the apostles, following the Lord, preached the Gospel to those in Hades. For it was requisite, in my opinion, that as here, so also there, the best of the disciples should be imitators of the Master; so that He should bring to repentance those belonging to the Hebrews, and they the Gentiles; that is, those who had lived in righteousness according to the Law and Philosophy, who had ended life not perfectly, but sinfully… If, then, He preached only to the Jews, who wanted the knowledge and faith of the Saviour, it is plain that, since God is no respecter of persons, the apostles also, as here, so there preached the Gospel to those of the heathen who were ready for conversion. And it is well said by the Shepherd, “They went down with them therefore into the water, and again ascended. But these descended alive, and again ascended alive. But those who had fallen asleep, descended dead, but ascended alive.” So I think it is demonstrated that the God being good, and the Lord powerful, they save with a righteousness and equality which extend to all that turn to Him, whether here or elsewhere. For it is not here alone that the active power of God is beforehand, but it is everywhere and is always at work… that they who heard and believed should be saved; and that those who believed not, after having heard, should bear witness, not having the excuse to allege, We have not heard… For it is not right that these should be condemned without trial, and that those alone who lived after the advent should have the advantage of the divine righteousness. But to all rational souls it was said from above, “Whatever one of you has done in ignorance, without clearly knowing God, if, on becoming conscious, he repent, all his sins will be forgiven him.”… If, then, He preached the Gospel to those in the flesh that they might not be condemned unjustly, how is it conceivable that He did not for the same cause preach the Gospel to those who had departed this life before His advent?” Clement of Alexandria, Stromata 6.6)

6th Canon of the Council of Carthage – Much later, a 5th century Catholic council addressed the issue, treating it perhaps as a matter of literally doing ordinances to dead bodies: “It also seemed good that the Eucharist should not be given to the bodies of the dead. For it is written: ‘Take, Eat,’ but the bodies of the dead can neither ‘take’ nor ‘eat.’ Nor let the ignorance of the presbyters baptize those who are dead.”

Epiphanius Of Salamis – Around the same time in 403 AD, Salamis told of vicarious baptism being performed in Cerinthus:”For their school reached its height in this country, I mean Asia, and in Galatia as well. And in these countries I also heard of a tradition which said that when some of their people died too soon, without baptism, others would be baptized for them in their names, so that they would not be punished for rising unbaptized at the resurrection and become the subjects of the authority that made the world.”

John Chrysostom – (347-407 AD) Perhaps the condemnation of the practice in the Council of Carthage was inspired by this Archbishop of Constantinople who had condemned the practice among the Marcionites as heretical: “When any Catechumen departs among them, having concealed the living man under the couch of the dead, they approach the corpse and talk with him, and ask him if he wishes to receive baptism; then when he makes no answer, he that is concealed underneath says in his stead that of course he should wish to be baptized; and so they baptize him instead of the departed.”

Synod of Hippo – (393 AD) Canon 18 of this synod reinforced the policy that we saw at the Council of Carthage: “And that neither the Eucharist nor Baptism should be given to the bodies of the dead.”

Confusion In Early Latter-day Saint Restoration – The neoteric restoration of vicarious ordinances predictably led to confusion initially. At first, saints were running out to the nearest river zealously baptizing for everybody dead they could think of, and the need to regulation became apparent. The church then restricted vicarious work to the temple and kept careful records. But even still today, “Some people have misunderstood that when baptisms for the dead are performed, deceased persons are baptized into the Church against their will. This is not the case.” Misinformation persists. Such chaos and confusion was to be expected with such a huge change. The same chaos happened when Brigham Young revealed that Adam had taken a leadership role in the Creation as Michael the archangel. Some misunderstood Brigham Young’s words and perpetuated a false “Adam-God theory.” And now many scholars consider it established history, and Anti-Mormons, eager to lie about what we believe, try to keep the confusion going. So it is with baptism for the dead. Opponents of the church will never let go of the early confusion and use the wide discrepancy between this principle and what mainstream Christians believe to make us look bad and impede the work of saving the dead. They will try to muddle the issue and the history, posing a problem to defenders of the church.

Orthodox Intercessory Prayer – Vicarious ordinances are not completely different than what mainstream Christians believe. Orthodox and Catholics believe in intercessory prayer on behalf of the dead.

Orthodox Church In America, May We Pray for the Departed?) “We can and we must pray for them, for their salvation and for our own. We pray for them and request their intercession for the same reason the Church has always offered that prayer: because even now we are united with them in the eternal bond we know as ‘the communion of saints.'”

What specifically is the ‘communal bond of the saints’? The Catholic catechism says: “Baptism therefore constitutes the sacramental bond of unity.” Baptism “recipients are incorporated into the church in a bond of unity.” If they believe prayer literally intervenes to strengthen the baptized dead, why not intervene further to give the unbaptized dead the chance to join the communion of the saints?

Orthodox Church In America, May We Pray for the Departed?) “There is, in other words, a trajectory that leads from the prophecy of Daniel, through Maccabean tradition, and into 1 Corinthians and the Pastoral Epistles, which confirms that in Judaism and early Christianity prayer for the dead was an accepted and integral part of worship, as well as an appropriate preparation for the coming resurrection.”

Like Paul said, why are they then baptized for the dead if the dead rise not at all?

Orthodox Church In America, May We Pray for the Departed?) “It is a practice that continued without interruption through the first Christian generations, and gradually it took specific liturgical form in funeral services and memorials for the departed. ”

Orthodox blame Protestant “reaction against medieval Catholicism” for the prevailing attitude today that intercession for the dead is “naive, foolish, pointless.” True, but have they stopped to consider that early Christian reaction against founding Christian principles likewise is responsible for their reaction against vicarious baptism? The logic justifying such liturgical works is sound, and indeed one would think such zeal to help the dead would lead to the intercession they could fathom–why stop at funeral prayers? Furthermore, evidence for such practices are also to be found among the original Christian church. It is as if they are biting into an orange but refusing to eat the fruit inside. Why not?

Indeed, if liturgy does not affect whether the dead enter into our out of the community of saints, why did the Catholic church reportedly dig up bones of baptized persons to post-humously excommunicate them and consign them to hell? They can vicariously damn the baptized but not vicariously baptize the worthy? Why is it one-sided?

All Saints Day – I was surprised to see a profound exploration of vicarious work for the dead in a Disney cartoon, of all places. In Coco, released in 2017, a boy inexplicably filled with the love of music, despite his family’s protestations, travels to the land of the dead. He is shocked to discover his ancestor is in danger of losing his eternal identity because everyone alive has forgotten about him. Coco must preserve his ancestor’s existance by displaying a physical photo of him, and along the way the boy discovers that his ancestors are the reason he loves music. Thus, he turns out to be necessary to his dead ancestors and his ancestors are necessary for his happiness.

On All Saints Day, Orthodox and Catholics bake soul cakes which act as intercessory vehicles for souls stuck in purgatory. A meal for the departed is left on the table, a dinner offering, and libations and anointings are poured on their gravestones. These are practices that go all the way back to ancient Egypt. Theologians argue these are simply metaphorical traditions. But if transubstantiation is believed to apply to the sacramental host I do not see why these other liturgies would not be literal as well. They certainly were considered literal intercession vehicles to the Egyptians, whose funeral literature is filled with food offerings, libations, and anointing for the dead.

I also do not think it is coincidence that Joseph Smith studied the Book of the Dead and Book of Breathing right before he instituted baptism for the dead in 1842. Skeptics incorrectly attribute recovered papyrus fragments to the Book of Abraham, which was also published in 1842, and forget about various work for the dead–which just happens to relate to these fragments’ actual translation. The papyri fragments are physical works of intercession for the dead, and intercession for the dead was what Joseph Smith developed as he was studying them.

Saviors On Mt. Zion

“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head. For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been. But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions… And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.” Obadiah 1:15-17,21)

Theologians say this scripture was a promise to valiant Hebrew fighters like Zerubbabel and Maccabees that they would ascend the Mount Zion when Israel finally conquers the Gentiles. Well, did that prophecy come true? No, Israel got conquered. The scripture says this will happen in “the day of the Lord,” at some future time. Some say it refers to Israel conquering all the nations of the world to set up the kingdom of the Lord.

But Latter-day Saints look at it differently, and we fit it into a wider scope of Old Testament prophecy of the latter-day gathering of Israel. Joseph Smith said:

Times & Seasons May 1841) “The election of the promised seed still continues, and in the last days, they shall have the priesthood restored unto them, and they shall be the ‘Saviors on mount Zion,’ the ‘ministers of our God’ [Isaiah 61:6], if it were not for the remnant which was left, then might we be as Sodom and as Gomorrah [paraphrasing Isaiah 1:9].”

Teachings Of The Prophet Joseph Smith) “And now as the great purposes of God are hastening to their accomplishment and the things spoken of in the prophets are fulfilling, as the kingdom of God is established on the earth, and the ancient order of things restored, the Lord has manifested to us this duty and privilege, and we are commanded to be baptized for our dead thus fulfilling the words of Obadiah when speaking of the glory of the Latter Day. “And saviours shall come up upon mount Zion to judge the remnant of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lords.” A view of these things reconciles the scriptures of truth, justifies the ways of God to man; places the human family upon an equal footing, and harmonizes with every principle of righteousness, justice, and truth. We will conclude with the words of Peter: ‘For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles.’ [1 Peter 4:3] ‘For, for this cause was the Gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the Spirit.’ [1 Peter 4:6]”

The soldiers who conquer the Gentile nations are the ministers of God, the priests of the Most High, who restore the gospel in the midst of the Gentiles. They conquer and they save. Baptism for the dead was considered “the only way that men can appear as saviors on mount Zion.” It is not a military conquest, but a conquest of temples and the paradigm shift of turning the hearts to the fathers. That is what will save Mount Zion. Brigham Young said vicarious works for the dead are the the “principles whereby saviours will come upon Mount Zion to save the house of Esau, which is the Gentile nations, from sin and death… Men and women will enter into the temples of God… and officiate year after year for those who have slept thousands of years.” Baptism for the dead will conquer the nations and save the Gentiles from destruction.

When Joseph Smith instituted baptism for the dead, I’m sure many were wondering how it could possibly be the means of conquering and saving the nations of the Gentiles. Now it is more apparent, with everything going on in the world today. More than ever, people need to turn their hearts to their ancestors and to their families. The family is under attack more than ever. When in the history of the world has it been doubtful that a large portion of the population would ever find a spouse and create a family? When has the definition of family been assaulted to this degree? When have so many people been conditioned by society to be ashamed of their own tribe’s history? DNA companies are exploding in popularity and a genealogy service recently sold for $2.6 billion. In an age of globalist homogeneity, people are desperate to connect with their ancestral heritage and gain that connection with their primal identity.

Sealing On Earth & Heaven – Interestingly, the church’s formal introduction of vicarious baptism in 1842 focused on the concept of keeping records. Many are surprised to discover the extent of the church’s ancestral records, and there are suspicious conspiracy theories about what we are doing with that information. The Catholic church warns: “the Mormon church has teams of men and women microfilming records of Catholic and Protestant parishes, cemetery records, birth and death certificates—virtually any sort of record pertaining to past generations.” Simply put: in order for all powers, authorities, keys, and revelations in the history of the world to be restored in these latter days, we need to build a record that includes the entire record of the world:

“And further, I want you to remember that John the Revelator was contemplating this very subject in relation to the dead, when he declared, as you will find recorded in Revelation 20:12—And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works Or, in other words, taking a different view of the translation, whatsoever you record on earth shall be recorded in heaven, and whatsoever you do not record on earth shall not be recorded in heaven; for out of the books shall your dead be judged, according to their own works, whether they themselves have attended to the ordinances in their own propria persona, or by the means of their own agents, The ordinance of baptism by water, to be immersed therein in order to answer to the likeness of the dead, that one principle might accord with the other; to be immersed in the water and come forth out of the water is in the likeness of the resurrection of the dead in coming forth out of their graves; hence, this ordinance was instituted to form a relationship with the ordinance of baptism for the dead, being in likeness of the dead. Consequently, the baptismal font was instituted as a similitude of the grave, Paul hath declared, 1 Corinthians 15:46, 47, and 48: Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as are the records on the earth in relation to your dead, which are truly made out, so also are the records in heaven. This, therefore, is the sealing and binding power, and, in one sense of the word, the keys of the kingdom, which consist in the key of knowledge. And now, my dearly beloved brethren and sisters, let me assure you that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation. For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, as Paul says concerning the fathers—that they without us cannot be made perfect—neither can we without our dead be made perfect. [Malachi 4]– I might have rendered a plainer translation to this, but it is sufficiently plain to suit my purpose as it stands. It is sufficient to know, in this case, that the earth will be smitten with a curse unless there is a welding clink of some kind or other between the fathers and the children, upon some subject or other—and behold what is that subject? It is the baptism for the dead. For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect. Neither can they nor we be made perfect without those who have died in the gospel also; for it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fulness of times, which dispensation is now beginning to usher in, that a whole and complete and perfect union, and welding together of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and glories should take place, and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time. And not only this, but those things which never have been revealed from the foundation of the world, but have been kept hid from the wise and prudent, shall be revealed unto babes and sucklings in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times.” D&C 128)

Ancient Work For The Dead

Fear Of Death – Pagans derived a counterfeit vicarious ordinances with magic rituals, such as the “ritual of elevating the troubled dead” and food offerings which were meant to “help bring the dead to a place of renewal.” Skeptics say baptism for the dead is Pagan, and we certainly must take care not to adopt Pagan perversions of the principle. But the difference between us and the Pagans is their “rituals are more about comforting the living than about guiding the Deep Self into the afterlife.” We must not likewise make it about feeling better about death and grieving. Movies and books are filled with Pagan themes of bringing “peace” to ghosts stuck on earth, guiding them to the afterlife. We must not adopt this idea of trapped souls. Pagans dwell on death as the ultimate evil to be feared while we fear sin and consider death a natural part of existence. We want to empower the worthy to pass through the gates of heaven at resurrection, not alleviate people’s fear of death.

Ghost Dance – Native American tribes practiced rituals involving ancestors which they hoped would “save themselves” and usher in “another world coming.” Black Elk of the Lakota tribe said holy men traveled east in search of a coming “Messiah” and received instructions for a “ghost dance” ritual, which would “bring back their ancestors.” Little is known of this ritual due to violent suppression by the United States government, but we know they danced in a circle which represented the world, and some of the lyrics they sang have been recorded. Notice the themes of ancestors and living uniting and helping each other in sacred ritual actions:



“My son, let me grasp your hand, Says the father. You shall live, Says the father… By means of it you shall live”

“Who think you comes there! Is it someone looking for his mother!”

“Now he is walking. There is a buffalo bull walking, Says the father.”

“This is to be my work! All that grows upon the earth is mine! Says the father.”

“I love my children! You shall grow to be a nation! Says the father.”

“It is your father coming, it is your father coming, A spotted eagle is coming for you.”

“You see what I can do! You see them, you see them.”

“It is my own child”

“There is the father coming. The father says this as he comes: “You shall live,” he says as he comes.”

“Look at me! Look at me! I make a road for one of the Crow nation! You shall live indeed, Our friend says so.”

“The whole world is coming, A nation is coming, The Eagle has brought the message to the tribe. The father says so, Over the whole earth they are coming.”

“It is I who make these sacred things, Says the father. It is I who made the sacred shirt.”

“Verily, I have given you my strength, Says the father, The shirt will cause you to live.”

“Soon I shall see my child, Says your mother.”

“The holy (hoop) shall run, Come and see it, The swift hoop shall run, Says the father.” recorded by James Mooney, 1894 via www.ghostdance.us) “You shall see your grandfather… You shall see your kindred, The father says so.”“My son, let me grasp your hand, Says the father. You shall live, Says the father… By means of it you shall live”“Who think you comes there! Is it someone looking for his mother!”“Now he is walking. There is a buffalo bull walking, Says the father.”“This is to be my work! All that grows upon the earth is mine! Says the father.”“I love my children! You shall grow to be a nation! Says the father.”“It is your father coming, it is your father coming, A spotted eagle is coming for you.”“You see what I can do! You see them, you see them.”“It is my own child”“There is the father coming. The father says this as he comes: “You shall live,” he says as he comes.”“Look at me! Look at me! I make a road for one of the Crow nation! You shall live indeed, Our friend says so.”“The whole world is coming, A nation is coming, The Eagle has brought the message to the tribe. The father says so, Over the whole earth they are coming.”“It is I who make these sacred things, Says the father. It is I who made the sacred shirt.”“Verily, I have given you my strength, Says the father, The shirt will cause you to live.”“Soon I shall see my child, Says your mother.”“The holy (hoop) shall run, Come and see it, The swift hoop shall run, Says the father.”

Strength From The Dead – In the face of invasion from settlers, they adopted ancestor reverence to a plea for military strength, according to historians. The Greeks did the same kind of thing when they adopted the Egyptian practice of making vicarious statues of gods and people, believing the statues invited their spirits. The temple of king Set at Abydos saw the worship of “seventy-five royal ancestors” which received formal sacrifice offerings. A high official named Tenroy is shown making prayer and sacrifice vicariously to the statues: “Tenroy asks them in a prayer to grant him a share of the daily offerings which were made to them in the temple.” Such statues are also found in ancient America: “48 stones from the Cumberland River valley of Tenessee and Kentucky… relatively small compared to those of more familiar civilizations such as the early Maya or early dynastic Egypt.”

In a Panagia chapel pedestal is inscribed, “the city vowed and dedicated these (statues of) saviour demigods on behalf of their forefathers and of themselves in the land and of their children and their wives.” African tribes believed “living monarchs must work on behalf of their ancestors along with everyone else… deceased royalty… also continue to work on behalf of ancestors from the generations that preceded them.” (M. Lambek)

Corruption of the principle of vicarious work thus has turned it into a search for supernatural strength, as well as coping with fear of death. What can our ancestors really do for us? To us, the hearts of our fathers do not turn to us to help us accrue worldly power or kingship. The purpose is to seal us to our family and tribe to be unified with them and have them engaged in our righteous causes. The fathers “plant the promises in the hearts of the children.” As Bruce R. McConkie said: “Salvation is a family affair… it is worked out in and through and by families.” One of the major promises planted by the fathers into our hearts is the Abrahamic promise that God will intervene for the seed of Abraham to spread the “blessings of salvation” throughout the world and to build a might nation. We receive rights and blessings of the priesthood, ordinances of salvation, and anything else needed to accomplish this. We are “chosen and appointed to be saviors to Israel” by distributing these blessings from the fathers to the world, both the world of the living and to those who have passed.

Bruce C. Hafen wonderfully explained how turning to the dead strengthens families and society:

“Yet today, to an unprecedented degree, the fabric of society is literally coming apart at the seams﻿—those permanent seams of human interconnectedness we call kinship and marriage. In a society that seems ever more angry and unhappy, many children, parents, and spouses are turning their hearts not toward one another but toward their own self-focused needs. “They seek not the Lord … , but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world” (D&C 1:16). Ours is the age of the waning of belonging. Perhaps we are witnessing the flip side of the promise associated with the fifth commandment﻿—namely, that the earth could be “utterly wasted” at the Lord’s coming… Statistics reflect some results of this problem﻿—rising rates of adolescent crime, births to unwed parents, divorce, and family violence. But the attitudes that produce these statistics are in some ways more revealing than the statistics themselves. As one contemporary but anonymous writer put it, we are seeing today a “general … transformation of our society from one that strengthens the bonds between people to one that is, at best, indifferent to them; a sense of an inevitable fraying of the net of connections between people at many critical intersections, of which the marital knot is only one.” These “points of disintegration” have at least one common cause: “The overriding value placed on the idea of individual emancipation and fulfillment, in the light of which, more and more, the old bonds are seen not as enriching but as confining. We are coming to look upon life as a lone adventure,” but it is becoming “a journey that has been rendered pointless by becoming limitless.” In addition to individual aimlessness, this trend gives us amnesia in our “group memory,” the essential knowledge each succeeding generation must possess to ensure social continuity, even survival of the culture. The fraying of human connections is choking off the transmission of this knowledge and understanding from one generation to the next. “Our society requires, as a minimum for its survival, that its members share a common set of beliefs, abide by a common set of rules, and … recognize their mutual dependence.”… These attitudes have also produced a “children’s rights” movement that compares children to oppressed minority groups who should be liberated from domination. In some ways, this trend has helped raise society’s awareness about the seriousness of child abuse, and it has made such agencies as juvenile courts and schools feel more accountable for what they do. But rather than planting the promises made to the fathers in the hearts of the children, this movement has too often sought to liberate children from any sense of dependence upon, or even connection to, parents and other adults… Society seems confused about what parents and children actually owe each other. Does kinship denote a relationship of a different order from any other, or is kinship of lesser significance because we typically do not choose even our close relatives? Is the “nonbinding commitment” (notice the impossible contradiction in those two terms) of cohabitation really that different from marriage when there is so much divorce?” Bruce C. Hafen, 1994 General Conference)

We Need Each Other To Be Saved – This is illustrated by Joseph in Egypt who rose from slave to the highest position of prominence possible yet found he was dissatisfied with life until he could reunite with his family. He refused to reveal his true identity until each brother was there in the room with him: “Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.”( Gen. 43:3) Likewise, we will not see the Saviors face unless our whole families are there.

In today’s modern Socialist society it is hard to see outside ourselves. Many live paycheck to paycheck and do not save up for their children’s future. Many do not even have children. The world treats us like parts of a machine which can simply be replaced once they expire, and so that is how we treat ourselves. No care of what came before and will come after us. Family legacy is a trope on TV shows, old-fashioned notions we are encouraged to flee away from. Marriage and family is defined in the most selfish terms. Corporate-government replaces family dynasty. No longer do adults think about what they will pass down to the next generation. That is up to the government now, along with all cross-generational responsibilities. We don’t care about history–the History Channel is all about wacky alien conspiracy theories now. History is useful to form political narratives that attack ideological enemies, that’s about it. Yet from the dawn of civilization, humans lived to establish dynasties across space and time, and now our generation is giving that up because of pure selfishness. Instead of saving up for college for the next generation, Americans hand the next generation social security debt to pay for early retirement–selling their children into economic slavery. Instead of instilling legacy to their children, they plop them down in front of the Disney Channel and hope they quiet down. Instead of molding together dynasties, they teach the children to heat their people’s history. Media corporations are hard at work convincing Latter-day Saints to resent the pioneers and believe fake history. They want us along with everyone else to eat, drink, and be merry, caring not for anything outside of our lifespan. This is precisely what vicarious work for the dead solves.

Necessity Of Being Born Again

Biblical Support For Intercessory prayer – Orthodox point to the New Testament to justify their intercessory prayers. Paul offered a prayer on behalf of the martyr Onesiphorus to bless his soul in heaven. Scholars say the nature of that prayer leaves “no serious reason for questioning the now widely accepted view that at the time when St. Paul wrote these words Onesiphorus was among the departed.”

In the apocryphal Book of Macabees, Judas Maccabeus performed a formal temple sin offering on behalf of dead Israelites who had violated the law of Moses. He performed a formal ordinance for the dead as well as intercessory prayer:

2 Macabees 12:40-45) “Then under the tunic of every one of the dead they found sacred tokens of the idols of Jam′nia, which the law forbids the Jews to wear. And it became clear to all that this was why these men had fallen. So they all blessed the ways of the Lord, the righteous Judge, who reveals the things that are hidden; and they turned to prayer, beseeching that the sin which had been committed might be wholly blotted out. And the noble Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves free from sin, for they had seen with their own eyes what had happened because of the sin of those who had fallen. He also took up a collection, man by man, to the amount of two thousand drachmas of silver, and sent it to Jerusalem to provide for a sin offering. In doing this he acted very well and honorably, taking account of the resurrection. For if he were not expecting that those who had fallen would rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he was looking to the splendid reward that is laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Therefore he made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin.”

Prayer, washings, and temple ordinances were normal practices in Israel: “Intercession for the departed was an integral part of the Jewish worship.” If this long-practiced standard were suddenly changed in Christianity, why didn’t any of the New Testament writers explicitly say so? Why did Paul talk about it without denouncing it?

No Repentance In The Grave – Theologians reason that a man is responsible for his own works and there is no repentance in the afterlife. They usually take Hebrews 9:27 out of context:

“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” Hebrews 9:27-28)

This chapter is about why it was necessary for Christ to die to make atonement for sin. The point was mankind must die in order to get to final judgement in a linear progression of the plan of God, Christ had to die in order to get to the point of resurrection–resurrection is a linear chronology rather than a rebirth back to the way things were before. There is nothing here to indicate no works can be done for those who are dead. If it meant saving ordinances can’t apply after death, why doesn’t it say so? Instead, Paul seemed supportive of those who are baptized for the dead and suggested it was effective between the period of death and final judgement. Paul very clearly was speaking of the point before judgement and resurrection.

The Catholic church says baptism for the dead amounts to a second chance: “Scripture is very clear in stating that this life is the only chance we get. Once we die, our fate is sealed: ‘It is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment’ (Heb. 9:27). There are no ‘second chances’ after death.” There is no second life after death until we get to resurrection, at which point it is permanent. But baptism for the dead is not a ‘second chance.’ Those who reject it in this life will not accept it in the next, because they will be the same person as in this life. Vicarious ordinances are a first chance for those who had no chance before. Baptism for the dead is like an advocate for a blind voter filling out his voting card. It does not take away from the dead person’s self-responsibility for their welfare and salvation based on personal merit.

Theologians also cite Ecclesiastes:

“For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 9:4-6)

To me this actually sounds like an endorsement of vicarious work for the dead. The dead’s memory must not be forgotten and they must have a “portion in” physical acts being done on earth if they are to have any hope of redemption from sin. Many theologians have wrested with this scripture over the ages, but what we can all agree on is that nobody should “procrastinate the day of their repentence,” and I think that is the message here. It will in any case get much harder or impossible after death, even with vicarious ordinances. It is common sense that those who do not accept the gospel and baptism in this life will not have a change of heart in the afterlife. Will repentance be impossible? I do not see anything in scripture to indiciate it will be for those who will accept the requirements of vicarious baptism and join the “rest of the Lord.”

Must Be Born Again – The mechanics of being born again are inconceivable to us (see Ecclesiastes 11:5), but we know baptism is the physical act that makes us spiritually born again (see John 3:7-10,22). Many mainstream Christians say we go too far when we claim physical baptism is absolutely necessary to enter heaven. The Catholic church says anyone who is good will go to heaven without baptism anyway:



“God judges individuals based on their actions in this life. Since he is a just judge, he does not hold people accountable for what they did not and could not have known. Thus, those who do not hear the gospel in this life will be judged based on the knowledge they did have in this life. God gives his light to all people (John 1:9), and the universe itself gives evidence of God (Ps. 19:1-4), evidence which is sufficient to establish basic moral accountability (Rom. 1:18-21). For those who are ignorant by no fault of their own, God will not hold their ignorance against them; but it is wrong to assume that people have no light from God unless they hear an oral proclamation of the gospel. If they live up to the light that has been shown to them and would have embraced Christ and the gospel had they known about them, then they can be saved (Rom. 2:15-16). Neither is their lack of baptism an obstacle. Scripture reveals that sometimes the graces that normally come through baptism are given to those who have not yet been baptized (Acts 10:44-48). Such people have what the Church terms “baptism of desire” and are united to God through their desire to do what he wants of them. There are other ways for accounting for God’s justice and mercy in dealing with those who have not heard of God and the gospel. It is not necessary to postulate another preaching of the gospel and a second chance of repentance in the afterlife, much less the necessity of proxy baptism for the dead, on that basis. God can simply let whomever he wants into heaven, whether they have water baptism or not. God is not bound by the sacraments he himself instituted (CCC 1257).”

(Catholic.com)

This is begging the question. Requiring physical baptism is not rejecting the notion that all are born with a conscience. Of course everyone has an inherent sense of morality and it is true people will be judged against actions they knew were wrong. Romans 2:12 tells us: “For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law.” A just God does not hold us to a standard that we don’t know about, but that is not what baptism is. Baptism is not the law of God. The scripture the Catholic church cites to claim the effects of baptism come upon those not baptized actually makes the opposite point:

Acts 10) “While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with atongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.”

The Holy Ghost is not something forbidden from those unbaptized. Most who get baptized do it because they have felt the Holy Ghost and experienced gifts from the Holy Ghost, such as faith, healing, and speaking in tongues. What confirmation of baptism brings is the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, what we term “the gift of the Holy Ghost” in short. If these Gentiles already received the fruits of baptism, why did Peter command them to be baptized? Isn’t that a “second baptism”, the very thing Hebrews 7 forbids?

If good people go to heaven and receive the gifts of grace as if they were baptized, why is baptism important at all? A mainstream Christian might reply: Well if you happen to know about baptism, it will help you repent and become a Christian. But this is simply not what the scriptures say. Baptism is not just a helpful thing in life. “Except a man be aborn of water and of the Spirit, he cannot denter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5) A man must be baptized, and not just born of the Spirit–it must be water, physical H2O.

Nicademus found it hard to understand how a physical act causes a spiritual transformation, but clearly that is what baptism does. Speiritual resurrection, physical resurrection, and judgement go together in Christ. Along with Christ’s role of giving spiritual life comes his role of giving physical life and judgement (John 5:25-27). Every physical ordinance we do is a spiritual necessity, a physical certificate we receive that we must present at final judgment, a warrant of worthiness.

Otherwise, what is the point of any physical act? Early Christian sects took this road of philosophy and decided physicality altogether was to be escued. But clearly physical behavior has spiritual consequences, and the physical act of binding covenants is not something that magically happens because you are a good person. It is not accomplished without a physical act. The neoplatonic disregard for phsyicality pulled the early church away from recognition of the eternal physical nature of things into an epherial world of creation out of nothing and the sufficiency of nice intentions. Well, that just does not work out. We have diplomas and certificates of achievement in our educational system for a reason, and we often see what happens when a hiring company ignores such standards: they probably end up with worse workers. There needs to be a diploma you can hold in your hand to prove you have undergone the necessary training and to act as a token of qualification for potential employers. Likewise, a physical baptism proves you have taken upon yourself the name of Christ, in deed as well as in word.

Alma explained that people’s eternal nature does not just magically go from unholy to holy in the resurrection, and the “way prepared for us” to become holy does not magically apply if we have not entered properly by the gate, which is baptism (see Alma 41:3-4, 7-8). The way is prepared for all to have the opportunity to enter into that gate so that all are fairly restored according to their works (see Alma 42:27). That must necessarily mean baptism being available to everyone, which is what vicarious work for the dead achieves.

Peter said the gospel was being preached to the dead and suggested he was saving everyone through baptism:

“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. he like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 3:18-21)

This preaching to the dead will redeem them so that they can be spiritually righteous:

“Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.” 1 Peter 4:5-6)

Social Equality

A strong counter-current is pulling many to recapture cross-generational legacies. Interest in genealogy is higher than ever before. Many are obsessed with discovering true history. Many are creating large families and fighting for their children’s future. Even Marxists can see beyond the short-sighted selfishness that the devil has poured upon society and at least attempt to build for the future generations. “Everyone is useful to everyone else. We couldn’t do without anyone,” is the Marxist motto in Brave New World. But among the many fatal flaws of the Marxist ideology is their assumption that the individual is limited by his class. In Marxism, nobody is saved unless all are saved, which means compulsory baptism. You must join the party. Skeptics lie and say vicarious baptism is compulsory in order to make it sound more like Marxism: “If we could help save dead people through proxy baptisms and indulgences, why couldn’t we go one step further and save other living people with proxy baptisms and indulgences?” Because living people are able to get physically baptized. The point is not to force people to baptize but to make it available to those who do not have access. It is equal accessibility.

People of a Socialist ideology like to bring up the old racist priesthood policy that excluded some from leadership positions in the church. They are weaponizing history to attack their ideological enemies, but also perhaps they make this argument because they do not believe justice can extend beyond death–and that is another fatal flaw of Marxism. To them, there is no atonement to wipe away past sin or give justice to victims who are dead, no final judgement. We believe vicarious ordinances give equal opportunities to those who did not receive them due to that temporary policy. That solves such problems of societal privilege. But Socialists do not believe this, and that is why they treat such things as original sins from which we cannot be absolved.

They ridicule us for baptizing for people like Adolf Hitler because the Socialist ideology does not solve justice through equal opportunity. They solve it by taking from one person and giving to another–redistribution. That means no work for those deemed “evil.” We instead make our ordinances available to all who would receive them, even those who certainly won’t receive them, because that is necessary for divine justice.

Perhaps vicarious work has never been done to the scale we are doing it today. It sounds like it was localized. But it is truly a blessing for us to begin this massive worldwide scale because it teaches us not to treat history as a tool for political narratives and to make no assumptions about anybody’s worthiness. A man who regularly performs work for the dead is not likely to resent Brigham Young’s “controversial history” because he will understand history’s role in real social justice. This is the true method of bringing social equality, and that is something the world needs right now. Opposing Socialist ideologies do not do anything like this. Mob violence is increasing across the world from those who do not believe in repentance for those who have gone before. While their solution is to smash statues, ours is to redeem the dead. Their solution destroys all the good the slave-owning founding fathers may have done and actually does nothing to stop the evil either. Our solution connects us to the fathers and lifts us beyond any mistakes they made. Vicarious ordinances are the superior solution to historical social injustice.