Biblical Reasons Ministry
BAPTISM FOR THE DEAD
Image of baptismal font in a Mormon temple. Click for larger view.
Baptism for the dead is usually performed by Mormon youths between the ages of twelve and eighteen. Dressed in white clothes, the youth enters the baptismal font and stands upright. Using his (her) left hand, he (she) grasps his (her) own right wrist, and uses the fingers of the right hand to hold the nose shut while being immersed. The person performing the baptism stands at the left side of the youth and grasps the youth’s right hand with his left hand. He then raises his right arm to an angle of ninety degrees ands repeats the baptismal prayer. Following the prayer, he places his right hand on the youth’s back and supports him (her) during immersion, raising the youth quickly out of the water to an upright position again, when the ceremony is repeated several more times on behalf of other deceased persons.
Brother _______, having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you,
for and in behalf of _______, who is dead, in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
CONFIRMATION OF THE DEAD
Following baptism, the deceased must be confirmed a member of the Mormon Church. This ceremony does not have to be performed by the same proxy by the baptism, and usually isn’t. The proxy sits in a chair, and two Mormon Elders place their hands on the proxy’s head, and repeat the following, for each deceased person.
Brother _______, in the name of Jesus Christ, we lay our hands upon your head, for and in behalf of _______, who is dead, and confirm you a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and say unto you, Receive the Holy Ghost. Amen.
RECONFIRMATION
This ceremony restores temple blessings
lost through excommunication or by one’s name having been removed from the
records of the Church.
Brother _______, in the name of Jesus Christ, we lay our hands upon your
head [for and in behalf of _______, who is dead], and confirm you a member
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and say unto you,
Receive the Holy Ghost, and confirm upon you all your former Church and
Temple blessings. Amen.
ORDINATION OF THE DEAD
This ceremony gives the Priesthood to the deceased.
Brother _______, having authority, we lay our hands upon your head, and
confer upon you the Melchizedek Priesthood and ordain you an Elder in the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for and in behalf of _______,
who is dead, and seal upon you every grace, gift and authority appertaining
to this office in the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood, for and in his behalf, in
the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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"Jesus' blood on the altar was the ultimate payment. He made us worthy permanently. When Jesus died on the cross the veil covering the Holy of Holies tore in half. The mercy seat lay exposed to mankind. There is no veil, anymore, between God and man. Jesus ripped it down. But Mormonism has hung up a new one." -Kathleen Baldwin
To the questioning Mormon. God loves you and has a
wonderful plan for your life. Visit Testimonies Turned to Christ at
the top of this section to understand that you're not alone.
"It
wasn’t until one day that when I was flat on my back for days, and crying
out to Him, that I realized how all along He had been trying to get my
attention, and the only way to get it was to make me stop dead in my tracks,
flat on my back, and focus on Him and what it was that He was trying to tell
me all along. In
James 4:8 (a) we read: 'Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.' In
James 4:10 we read: 'Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will
lift you up.'" He Gave You Jesus
- by Justjo "Counterfeit, fake, bogus,
imitation, forgery, fraud, copy.... We all recognize these words, as well as
understand their meaning. There are many counterfeits out there. If they were
easy to detect, they would not be called counterfeits. God gave us these
wonderful books in the Bible to test these counterfeits. This is where we find
our markers to detect them. The Holy Spirit does not contradict Gods word...."
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