Megan – What Do Mormons Believe?

Q: Do you baptize dead bodies?

Q: Do you baptize dead bodies?

A: Ewww. No. Absolutely not. Baptizing corpses would be really creepy. *Shudder*

We do perform ordinances for those who have died by proxy (that is, I might stand in for my great-great grandmother or something). Those vicarious ordinances are a large part of what happens in LDS temples around the world. However agency still applies in the afterlife. What I mean is, once a body and spirit are separated (see Life After Death – Part 1) the spirit retains the ability to make choices, to accept or reject these ordinances. No one is ever forced to become Mormon! Such a thing would inherently be contrary to the nature of God. Being baptized in and of itself does not constitute “Mormonism”. The person who the ordinance is performed for must always exercise faith and repentance before the ordinance of baptism will have any pertinence.

I certainly hope that clarifies that for you and anyone else wondering. I personally find this to be a beautiful doctrine and one for which I am very, very grateful. When understood, I feel it makes a lot of sense as well as being fair and loving. If you’d like to know more, I recommend these other articles from our site:

Temples

Does Everyone Get a Chance?

Question Box: Do Mormons believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?

In a word, yes. Let me share a quote from one of the General Authorities, Donald L. Hallstrom, who spoke at this last weekend’s General Conference. He said, “Born of a Heavenly Father, both spiritually and physically, [Jesus Christ] possessed the omnipotence to overcome the world. Born of an earthly mother, He was subject to the pain and suffering of mortality. The great Jehovah was also named Jesus and additionally was given the title of Christ, meaning the Messiah or Anointed One. His crowning achievement was the Atonement, wherein Jesus the Christ “descended below all things” (D&C 88:6), making it possible for Him to pay a redeeming ransom for each of us.”

We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He is the only way whereby mankind may be saved. I invite you to read more on this topic. Elder Hallstrom’s talk in its entirety can be found here, along with the rest of the wonderful talks we heard last weekend. You may also be interested in the following articles on this website:

Question Box: The Atonement

Is Jesus the only son of God?

What do Mormons believe about the Atonement of Jesus Christ?

Taking the Sacrament

When investigating the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the question often arises, “What do I do when the Sacrament comes around? Am I allowed or even supposed to take it?” Taking the Sacrament

The LDS sacrament is known to other Christians as the Eucharist, Communion, or generally, the Lord’s Supper. Two priesthood holders, usually young men, bless first the broken bread and then the water, which have been placed in trays. After the respective prayers, these trays are passed to the seated congregation.

When it comes to you, you can either take one and pass it, or just pass it. Either way, no one will fuss.

In my personal opinion, there is no harm in taking the Sacrament without being a member. No one is going to look at you like you’ve blasphemed their faith by partaking. I, along with many other members, allow my children to take the Sacrament and they haven’t been baptized as members yet.

However, it is important to understand why we take the Sacrament: 1) It reminds us of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and His great sacrifice on our behalf. 2) It serves as a renewal of the covenants we made at our baptism.

Regarding the first, I feel that most visitors would have no problem viewing the bread and water as symbolic of the body and blood of our Redeemer. The second reason just doesn’t apply though. Without having been baptized, you can’t renew those covenants.

Essentially, it’s up to you. You’re certainly under no obligation to take the Sacrament. If you feel more comfortable passing the tray along, that’s perfectly acceptable. If you’d like to take it, you’re welcome to do so, though it will mean far more to you after baptism. This weekly ordinance allows baptized and confirmed saints to maintain the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, the greatest gift we can have in life.

Become as Little Children

I’d like to share a personal experience with you all today. I was recently doing a Family Home Evening Lesson on prayer. For those who aren’t already familiar, let me explain the concept. Family Home Evening is traditionally held Monday nights, every week. It is a time in which families sing hymns, read scriptures, have a lesson, an activity, and of course, pray together. It is a beautiful melding of family bonding time and teaching important gospel truths, sharing testimonies with the people who matter most in your life. I love Family Home Evenings.

Anyway, so in this particular Family Home Evening lesson we read the scripture Alma 33:11 which describes praying in faith through one’s afflictions. I asked my children if they knew what the word “affliction” meant and explained to them that it is something difficult: when something hard happens in life and we maybe don’t know what to do or how to get through that experience and I told them it is important to pray to make it through these times of difficulty. My four year old son has been playing a video game with my husband and when I talked about afflictions, he immediately drew a corollary to this game. They’d stopped playing last time at a point in which the characters were stuck on one side of a large crack in the ground and my son commented that he just didn’t know what they were going to do about it or how they would get their guys around or over this big hole in the earth. When he said the closing prayer that night, he asked Heavenly Father to help them to find a way to get around that big crack in the ground in their game.

Maybe it’s one of those “you had to be there moments”, but this touched my heart and I know my children and I were both taught that night by the Holy Ghost. My eyes got a little misty as the scripture Mosaiah 3:19 came to my mind elijahwsaviorpic and I marveled at the simplicity and depth of my son’s faith. I know that he believes and accepts what I’m teaching him. I know that he loves his Redeemer, Jesus Christ. My son was taking my lesson to heart and applying it to his sphere of understanding. Would that we all prayed with such faith! Would that we never doubted that our omnipotent Father in Heaven cares about us and whatever we may be experiencing. I know this to be true. Jesus is the Christ, he suffered for your sins, died for you and was resurrected again because of that great love that our Father has for each and every one of us. Just as my son prayed for help to get through what he truly saw as a difficulty in his world, we can pray for any difficulty in our world and I know our prayers will be answered.

Do Mormons Pray To or For the Dead?

Q. Do Mormons pray to or for the dead?

Mourners often pray at gravesides of loved ones. To the first part, no; we do not pray to the dead. We pray to God the Eternal Father. We believe in His Son, Jesus Christ and we end our prayers in Jesus’ name. We believe that the Father and the Son are both very much alive.

Perhaps you are referring to the uniquely Mormon practice of baptism for the dead. It’s not exactly a prayer to or for the departed, but an ordinance and covenant made on their behalf. If that is what you meant, please read Baptisms for the Dead.

Regarding prayer for the dead, I would begin by recommending reading some of our other articles on prayer. Most recently, I like the way this one addresses how we pray and what we pray about. Personally, I would say there’s nothing wrong with praying for deceased loved ones. In fact, I think it’s a wonderful idea. The prophet Joseph Smith received revelation pertaining to the eternal welfare of his late elder brother, Alvin. I am sure the prophet Joseph prayed for his brother many times; he and his wife Emma likely prayed for the many children they lost as well. I know I have personally prayed for loved ones who have passed on, both those I knew in life and those I did not have the opportunity to meet.

There is a great bond that joins all generations. As Malachi of old prophesied, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse” (Malachi 4:5-6).

So go ahead and pray for deceased loved ones. God will undoubtedly hear you.