Helping the Living vs. the Dead

[Anonymous]

I have also wanted to take a moment and reflect on some personal thoughts about baptism for the dead. If you google images, LDS baptismal fonts, you will see some of the most beautiful fonts on earth today. Each baptismal font rests atop a team of 12 beautiful oxen, 3 facing 3, 3 facing west, north and south.

1 Kings 7:25

“It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward.”

An ox is actually a male bull who has been castrated, yoked into submission and is driven by his master to plow the fields and do all of the heavy labor. Although Oxen were the most prized of all animals they could be considered a metaphor for slavery as they were never to be free and where living under the yoke of bondage. The castration further showed that these animals would never have increase and would be “cut of” whilst in mortality.

Each of the twelve oxen represent a tribe of the house of Israel, scattered to the four corners of the earth in all directions.

But is there another symbolism? I fancy to think that the bondage, powerlessness and castration (cut off from increase) is a similitude of death. What greater bondage then the grave? What deeper sense of powerlessness than death? What castration could be more final than being cut off from life itself? What slavery could be more bitter than sin?

It is true that ancient men (the Greeks, I think), may have used the Oxen to depict the gods of the underworld or death. Yet above these oxen, resting on their shoulders, is bore a baptismal font. The “sea” or font transcends all. It gathers the House of Israel, tribe by tribe. It bares the ordinance of baptism in the similitude of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Perhaps its meaning is that through Christ and our covenants with Him, death itself is conquered!

We are forever freed from the slavery of sin. We are gathered together as one in Christ, to be no more scattered to the four winds of the earth. We are free!

We conquer death through Christ.

These are beautiful symbols and worthy of our sacrifice and devotion. I accept them.

Now for the living: I just want a small closet with a sink in it so that I can wash my hands when I lead the nursery. President Monson, our nurseries have as many as 16 18-36 month old toddlers. We need to wash our hands. Just a closet with a small sink would be fine. We also have to serve water and we always run out as toddlers seem to spill the water from their tiny dixie cups. Sometimes, accidents happen that require us to wash our hands very quickly. Hand sanitizer isn’t enough when a little person has a diaper accident!!!

Let’s not forget our youth. They are the present and future of the Church. The next Prophet of the Church may be in nursery at this time. The impressions we make on our wee ones will influence their feelings toward the church forever.

My point is that our priority must be with the living, especially the children. These babes can’t go into the Temple and use the baptismal fonts. They just want Teddy Grahms and water. The symbol here is LOVE. If we love them, they will grow to love the Church. Simple.

[Anonymous]

Mwallace,

That was beautiful. I am grateful our nursery has a little private bathroom. But your idea is even better. A small sink/fountain in every nursery room.

[Anonymous]

President Monson puts 8% less focus on “Redeeming the Dead”!

Three-fold mission of the church becomes four-fold, right?

I really like adding “Helping the Poor and Needy” to the mission of the Church. That sure makes us seem more like Christians, doesn’t it?

If you look at the four-fold mission, only one quarter is dedicated to connecting us to dead people (assuming the folds are equal, which nothing says they are).

So, if we wondered which is more important to us right now, the living or the dead, who could argue for the dead? That being said, I agree that geneology is more than just finding dead people to baptize. Most people feel something learning about their connections to the past. Something about that draws us in… some of us more than others.

I have enjoyed the new family search records system, which makes it MUCH easier to prepare an ancestral name for temple work and hopefully will begin to fix the massive mess of temple work record keeping. I have been a little amazed by the poor record keeping we’ve done in the past. I discovered that my wife’s grandfather had been baptized eight different times in three different temples. That didn’t even include his first baptism, at eight years old; he was never excommunicated, but was a lifelong member. I was also amazed finding a somewhat famous ancestor had been baptized over 30 times. He probably kept getting ex’d in the Spirit World. This made me wonder about all the names I’ve proxied through the temple. Were they real people? Were they already members? Was that the 20th time their name had been used? Was this why I usually never felt much of an uplift when doing temple work? Kind of takes some luster out of the experience.

But, temples are for us, I think… more than for our dead. I’m not convinced our dead need to be baptized in temples, if they need to be baptized at all. I still believe, however, that it is a rewarding experience for me to get baptized for a dead relative, especially ones I knew personally.

We are drawn to our past. And, if there is a choice between “helping” an ancestor and helping a stinky, filthy, poor person we’ll often pick the one that doesn’t require us to get dirty. But Pres Monson says we should help these poor people… not perfect them, but help them. Cool.

Do we start with easing the 10% tithing burden on members who cannot afford it? heh.

[Anonymous]

I was just looking at the temporary housing kits (600) that the Church will be sending to Haiti. They include tin roofs, wood, tarp and cement. They are basically temporary structures for shelter during the coming raining season.

I was scanning pictures of housing in Haiti when I had to fully realize that most of the people were living in shacks prior to the earthquake. I wish that we could just scape the plans for the 75 million dollar Philadelphia Temple and build a 2 million dollar edifice – and spend 73 million on housing for Haiti. It would just completely restore all of my faith in the Church if I saw them spend on the living!!

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. We are the richest. This would be such a way to connect, to grow the Church spiritually. We are so dang good at building things. We are the pros. I love the little tin and wood housing kits, but come’on, we can do better. I would love to just literally build the Kingdom of God on earth – and fill it with little children, little Haitian children.

Please, God, Please.

[Anonymous]

Cnsl1 wrote:

I really like adding “Helping the Poor and Needy” to the mission of the Church. That sure makes us seem more like Christians, doesn’t it?

Yes, although considering LDS give 10% plus other donations already – hoping it goes for God’s will – we already are. The only problem is we have NO idea where tithing money is spent. There’s no financial transparency & thus no accountability from the top.

Quote:

So, if we wondered which is more important to us right now, the living or the dead, who could argue for the dead?

Amen to that!

The dead may be easier to do temple work for – but the living are a more urgent, real responsibility.

Our greatest commandment is to love God & love others as ourselves. My guess by “others”, Jesus meant those alive.

There are untold health concerns & living conditions that need our love & care/tithes… hunger is one major one: “In round numbers there are 7 billion people in the world. Thus, with an estimated 925 million hungry people in the world, 13.1 percent, or almost 1 in 7 people are hungry.”

http://www.worldhung…acts%202002.htm

Quote:

But, temples are for us, I think… more than for our dead. I’m not convinced our dead need to be baptized in temples, if they need to be baptized at all.

I agree, for those who are uplifted by the experience.

Personally, I am not, but I respect that others are.

Quote:

Do we start with easing the 10% tithing burden on members who cannot afford it? heh.

Better yet, 1/3 of our tithes should be allocated to the poor (fast offering and humanitarian aid) as instructed in scripture:

“And at the end of 3 years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, & shalt lay it up within thy gates; & the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) & the stranger, & the fatherless, & the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, & shall eat & be satisfied; that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.” -Deut 14:28-29

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