February 27, 2004/Adar 5 5764, Vol. 56, No. 23
Crossing the lineEditorialBehind closed church doors, Mormon faithful have proxy baptized the Baal Shem Tov, Anne Frank, Theodore Herzl and David Ben Gurion - along with hundreds of thousands of other Jews.According to Mormon belief, the only way to enter heaven is by being baptized through Mormon rite. Consequently, over the years Mormons have posthumously baptized the souls of millions of people who lived their lives as Jews, Eastern Orthodox, Catholics and myriad other religious traditions. According to Mormon belief, the ritual does not make our ancestors Mormon; it gives their souls, which retain free will, the ability to choose to accept "the gospel" and enter the hereafter. We could choose to push aside concerns about proxy baptisms. If our loved ones lived their lives in the earthly domain as Jews, why would they want to adopt some other faith in the world to come? But consider the implications of proxy baptism. The practice is religiously intolerant. People must have the right to express religious - or non-religious - belief as they see fit, as long as they do not infringe upon the rights of others. Who are the Mormons to say they carry the only key to open heaven's gates - and then force this key upon our deceased? Proxy baptism is a form of religious libel. Heartfelt as it may be, it ultimately casts doubt on the Jewish identity of our religious, philosophical, political and cultural leaders. Centuries from now, when people look to historical documentation about our seminal figures, they'll find that the church's International Genealogical Index lists their day of birth, death - and baptism. Mormon faithful also cross the line by collecting the names of Jews murdered in the Holocaust and inflicting yet another injustice upon them in the form of posthumous baptism. These innocents died for no other reason than because they were Jews. For the sake of our collective religious memory, their religious identities must remain intact. And for the sake of historical accuracy, their religious identity must remain unquestioned. Proxy baptisms of Holocaust victims alter history. They strip the religious identity of the dead and play into the hands of fascists, Neo-Nazis and bigots alike who deny that 6 million Jews - as well as brave Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, and Protestants - perished in the Holocaust, or even worse, that the Holocaust never occurred. We call upon the Mormon faithful to understand the implications and unintended consequences of one of the tenets of their faith - and take the painful step of stopping proxy baptism for the benefit of us all. |
