President Obama’s mother is the latest prominent name reported to have been baptized and endowed vicariously in the Provo Temple. The LDS Church is investigating the report while clarifying that any ordinances performed without a relative’s consent is inappropriate.
“The offering of baptism to our deceased ancestors is a sacred practice to us, and it is counter to church policy for a church member to submit names for baptism for persons to whom they are not related,” said LDS Church spokesman Scott Trotter.
The Politico picked up on the story and has an image of the ordinance record with another statement from the Church.
According to “doctrinal background” provided by an LDS spokesman, “well-meaning Church members sometimes bypass this instruction and submit the names of non-relatives for temple baptism. Others — perhaps pranksters or careless persons — have submitted the names of unrelated famous or infamous people, or even wholly fictitious names. These rare acts are contrary to Church policy and sometimes cause pain and embarrassment.”
I must confess to not having as much sympathy as I probably should for those who get outraged over this. Who cares if some misguided (but well-intended) church wants to do perform a baptism, in-name-only, as a means of offering voluntary salvation for someone who has passed on? If you don’t believe it’s a true practice, does it really matter? And if Mormons are right, wouldn’t it be a nice insurance policy?
Regardless, the practice does sound weird to many and it does bother some people. So to give further reassurance to those unsettled by the practice of Baptism for the Dead, perhaps the LDS Church could take a page from some atheists and offer a Certificate of Debaptism.
For the nonbeliever, these certificates are just as meaningful and effective as vicarious temple baptisms. To resolve any qualms over the ecclesiastical designation of a dearly departed, simply download and fill out. It would be as easy as that.
(Incidentally, the baptism was discovered and publicized by Helen Radkey, an excommunicated Church critic who appears to have taken it upon herself to instigate controversy with the LDS Church and as many others as possible, focusing on baptisms for the dead. Not that that makes Ms. Dunham’s baptism any better.)