Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-02-04
M0RMONIC SUBSTITUTE
BAPTISM.
An Attempt to Disproye that Baptism
for the Dead Is Biblical.


Understood. which the ignorant and |
unstoudfast wrcst. AZ they do also the |
other scriptures. unto their own dc- /
atruction." Peter Q. lG.
This passage II. IN some way, COM
nectcd with the resurrection OF the |
dead, OF this we are certain. IL "
found In the very midst IT Pauls in- |
comparable argument on that subject. !
Aud the text Itself says, III the dead |
are not raised at all. why arc they then |
baptized for thcmG' 80 We can rest |
assured that. after some fashion. it u
related TO the actual raising OF The |
dead.
We do not particularly propose to
give our own Ideas concerning THIS pas
sage; only perhaps NJ our Ideas may De
voiced In the words ~ others. We nfat
adducc. for the candid confederation OF
the reader some Of the remarks o, Dr'
-. -. Whodon After showing, philo-
logically, that Il does not mean "aubst-
tutivc baptism" !. o.. II does not inrnh
that living persons were baptized in-
stead ~" dead persons who had died
unbaptized. he continues; The true In.
depreciation H.. we believe that OF
Chryuostum The apostolic Christians
wero baptized unto the faith Of the rea-
direction OF the dcnd. and thereby they
were sponsors In behalf % the dead.
that the dead should rise. baptism
was itself an affirmation In bohnlf ot
the dead who were hHHailcd and con-
dcmncd to final death by these dcnlcra
~ their resurrection. In favor OF THIS
View. l. r. Pnula use ~ huper. NJ In
behalf OF, with an intermediate Idea.
. II lies IN the direct line
~ an argument Paul has quoted IN
favor Of the resurrection the Christian
preaching. ". 40 faith. 90 tho saliva
iion % the dead Chrletinnn, uN The
jeopardy OF the living 900, why should
he not quote Christian baptism az a
pledge In behalf ~ The dcadf These
donlcrH were against the dead; Chris
tinn baptism wan FOR the dead. ?. The
church early recognized The connrc Ton
between baptism and the resurrection
u has It's basis IN tho words or ~,
Paul. Hurled with him IN baptism,
wherein airo yc nro risen With him.
Col. .! ~. Aud go ChryHoHtom
says; When we have Instruct
cd tho catcchumcn In the
divine myatcflca % the Gospel. ana are
about to bapilgo him. we command him
TO say. 1 believe In the resurrection OF
the body. THIS N what ~. Paul re-
calls To their memory. II there u no
resurrection ~ the body why are you
baptized for the dcadf I. This accprds
with the phrase the deadf the hap
iiam being. not Tor the dead person, OF
some dead persons. but for the uni
vcraul dead
10th Wordsworth and whedon show
from the Greek that the being hap
tized FOR the dead cannot wen refer 10
"nnbstitutivc" or proxy" baptism.
Thus Wordsworth wriicAi "neslden.
such imaginary proxies could not be
said 20 be baptized huper ton nckron.
ie., for the dead. generally and COLI
iectlycly, but only huper nciSron. for
dead persons individually, OF whom
they were the proxies" Aud Whedon;
ut could hardly be said that such sub
rtitutes were baptized universally for
the dead; dead beyg u Greek plural
with the article. and 20 riRnifylng all
the dead The phrase 20 express THIS
rubatitutive meaning should be hupcr
nckron. FOR n dead person. or nokrun,
without the article. FOR dead persons.
In adducinR these things concerning
| this passage ~ scripture We have hh
object In View, Note now the follow
lng. The people generally known ne
"MormonH" have q very misleading and
pcrniclouH Idea. which. on the strength
/ of this passage, they are nasiduounly
propngntlng throughout the land. The
/ words of one ~ their own writer's VIII
/ explain what I mean. Very many
/ N those who have gone into the spirit
| world had never submitted 20 the or
/ dinnnce Of baptism. while vast mum.
beers Of those who had been baptized
| had tho ordinance Administered by one
| who held no rightful authority what
| ever lie. by one not "Mofmon"l and
whose acts God win not by any means
recognize. Those that are IN tho
flesh can do vlcnrioua work for theh
dead aud become 'aaviors upon Mount
Zion" n.ld. John Morgan).
Whore did they get this superstition
| II RaVorH very much ~ certain doc
tfinc OF Roman Catholicism. VIA. tho
detention OF souls In purgntory ana
their being relieved by the "auffrngcr
I Al. - ..IfN. -
mons do not claim that they borrowed
thlr nuperatition from Rome und then
| chnnged ID somewhat after having Dor
| tnwod Il. Let them fpeak for them'
selves; "On the third day OF April
1886. the Prophet Joseph smith and
| Of Kirkland hal the vision % heaven
opened, aud Elijah the Prophet wis
was taken To heaven without tasting
death, stood before thcni. Ellihl
the Prophet having come and confcrre,
the authority TO hnptiEc Tor tho dead
the I.ntter-day SaintH usually know
as Normonsl are nsslduouHly cnrnfe,
In erecting temples wherein this ordl
nance may be- performed. Th'
children nre feeling after their father
a. O., the futherH In the spirit world,
Hupposo) ana seeking 10 open thol
prison doors. and bring them through
the door ~ baptism into the sheep
lowing themselves 10 be hoodwinked hl
such . palpahlo and absurd error "a
this surely, tho prediction OF chris
IA stlu being fulfilled; And MAN.
false prophets shall rise. and shall dc
ceivo many" Matt. ~; IL
Claiming that the rite OF AuhsthutiN
or vicarious baptism was conferred b'
heavenly authority the Mormona ~
COR 10 %. 10 holp them out, Now
notice strange Inconsistency q dlfcr
contradiction. Paul Il speaking Of III
resurrection " the dead" not OF tn
'1lving." OF dead men, not OF Nv
spirits" Although the Mormons tal
lnclously make use NJ Paul's worlnthe
do not, after all. believe IN baptizlng 10
the dead" but for the living, T. e., 10
: Hnirits which they deem are Yet aliv'
} Paul says not word here OF spirits
living spirits, lie speaks OF the dead.
dead mon; ana such dead men, too, "a
are o. have n physical resurrectior
Consequently ths Apostle refers ca holl
IS men who are dead" and not 1
hndllosa spirits whom the 'Mormons
claim ARE alive. In view, then, nf thl
lucontrovertible fact that the "haptisT
for the dead" spoken of by the Inspire
Apostle refers 10 baptlsIn In behalf q
actually physically dead, while N
, "haptiam Tor the dead" taught by N
unlnspirod "MormOns" refers ns the
I | aver, 10 baptism for spirits who AZ
alive and In persou--in view OF ihl
fact, we ask how the latter reconcll
their view with the Scripture words
with them Palls dead" means "lly
, | ing" Their view, in fact, " utterly IN