One of the first things I read yesterday morning was a CNN article about Mormons baptizing Holocaust victims. I was repulsed by the audacity of the Church of Latter-Day Saints to have such a practice, and also to trivialize the horrific and tragic events of the Holocaust.
Though Mormons and a Holocaust group are negotiating a plan to stop this practice, the practice itself is so contrary to what Christ teaches us about salvation. The basis of the belief of the posthumous baptism is that it reunites people with their loved ones in heaven… even after they died.
The Bible makes it very clear that there is one way to get into heaven. That is the humility, faith, and repentance of each individual human to put their faith in Christ. Jesus said, “I am the way, the Truth, and the Life. No one gets to the father except through me.”
So the idea of baptizing a dead person for their salvation completely contradicts Jesus’ teaching, but working out salvation for your loved ones also reveals another fallacy in the Mormon faith.
A couple years ago some friends and I took a road trip to Salt Lake City and toured the Mormon Temple. One of the biggest selling points of their church is the promise to spend eternity with your family. You can make sure your whole family goes to heaven and lives comfortably together if you convert to Mormonism.
But 2000 years ago, Jesus directly addressed the question of family in heaven. Trying to trap Jesus, the Pharisees ask him about a woman who is widowed multiple times. When she dies and goes to heaven, who will she be married to? Jesus plainly answers their question:
“Marriage is for people here on earth. But in the age to come, those worthy of being raised from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage. And they will never die again. In this respect they will be like angels. They are children of God and children of the resurrection” (Luke 20:34-36).
Heaven is heaven because it is the first time when we are able to stand before God without our sinful nature. “He will be our God, we will be his people” (Revelation 21:3). That is the goal of heaven.
