And there you have it. Another response which does nothing to respond to what I actually wrote. Which in turn indicates that the way you twisted my previous post was deliberate and not a misunderstanding.
You can call me a hypocrite all you want. There is a clear difference. Parents have a direct responsibility for their children.
LDS however, are violating the wishes of the deceased by baptizing people into their religion, even by proxy, who showed no interest whatsoever in the faith. By their fruits indeed.
Michael
In point of fact, sir, the vast (and I do mean “vast”) majority of those for whom we have done the proxy work have never had a chance to show–or not show–“interest” in the faith.
Just as the vast majority of humans who have lived on the planet have never had a chance to ‘show interest’ in Christianity as a whole. Even now there are more non-Christians than Christians in the world, and do you think that all those people have had a chance for a full and fair introduction to Christ?
As for changing the subject, sir, I did not. You were the one who was talking about the indelible mark upon the soul that baptism is. Yes, parents have responsibility to children, and yes, Catholic parents, in order to live their faith, make certain that their children are baptized, because they believe very strongly in the rightness of this action.
Yet children do not remain children very long. In fact, compared to eternity, childhood is less than an instant. Yet you do something to children that they neither ask for, can object to or choose, and which is permanent. You see nothing wrong in that–you feel justified; it is your right to do this.
MY point is that since you DO do this to another soul without permission or thought as to whether that soul wants it or would choose it, then the hypocrisy of objecting to Mormons offering a clear choice to another soul is beyond hypocritical.
As to records…I’ve looked at some LDS records regarding this. We get the record of a man, born in, oh. 1952. His record says he was baptised Catholic when he was a week old. It also claims that he had a confirmation when he was about seven. Later he and his family join the CoJCoLDS. He serves a mission, comes home and remains a faithful Mormon throughout his life–serves as a Bishop, a Stake President, Mission President, General Authority…sends three of his own children on missions…and dies a true believing Mormon.
The Catholics, however, in spite of his very clearly chosen decision IN LIFE to be LDS, still consider him to be Catholic…and his records show that he was baptised Catholic. It is my understanding that the saying ‘once a Catholic, always a Catholic’ applies here, at least in an ‘eternal’ sense, yes?
He did not choose to be baptised Catholic. Yet to Catholics, his baptism at a week of age trumps any decision he made later.
And yet you criticize the Mormons for…not CHANGING the records (because we most certainly do not do that) but adding an offer that the person can say ‘no.’ to.
Sorry, but…I have been told that I MUST see your perspective, that I MUST see your POV, and I MUST accede to your wishes–and your total control of your ancestors, as if they were not real people, but rather trophies in a box that you own. However, they are not. They are still our ancestors. They are still who they were, their choices in life remain unchanged; their manner of dying remains unchanged, and their religious choices remain what they were. We are not interested in changing that, or in anybody’s understanding of those things. We ARE interested in making them an offer that they can accept, or refuse, NOW.
You know, just as if there actually is an afterlife where people actually think, make decisions, and grow mentally and spiritually. You believe that they can do that too, you know…that they can change and grow—else why a purgatory?
