Mitt Romney’s congregation posthumously baptizes people of other religions — a practice that landed the Mormons in controversy yesterday when its leaders admitted that the ritual was performed on behalf of the parents of Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal, whose mother died in the Holocaust.
Jewish leaders have complained for decades that Mormons have baptized in proxy some 650,000 Holocaust victims, including Anne Frank. Leaders from both religions have met several times to discuss the baptism.
At the latest meeting, in September 2010, the two delegations reached a compromise involving new genealogical database technology. Under the agreement, Mormons can’t submit the name of a Holocaust victim for baptism unless he or she was directly related to the person making the request.
A member of Romney’s congregation in Boston, though, said the Mormons don’t put too much effort into checking the relationships.
“I’m sure the church is doing its best to abide by that agreement, but it’s really up to the individual,” said the member, who asked not to be named. “The church doesn’t claim to be policing the names that are submitted.”
The member said he had witnessed Romney and his wife, Ann, perform proxy marriages and endowments, and was “virtually certain” that Romney had performed proxy baptisms as well.
A Salt Lake City-based researcher, Helen Radkey, blew the whistle on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints last week when she noticed documentation of the Wiesenthal baptisms while working on a larger, Romney-related project.
Earlier, Radkey, an ex-Mormon, had found that Romney’s atheist father-in-law, Edward Davies, was posthumously baptized in November 1993. The record suggests a family member may have submitted Davies’ name, which would be in line with the rules for entering names in the database. Ann Romney converted to Mormonism when she was 17.
To instigate a proxy baptism, a church member submits the name to FamilySearch.Org. The church member must include the baptism candidate’s surname and birth or death date, and the candidate must have been deceased for at least a year.
The church member can then visit a Mormon Temple and perform the baptism, a 10-second ceremony in which a person is symbolically immersed in water on behalf of the deceased. The temple must note the ceremony’s completion in the “Family Search” database.
On average, about five people a day visit the Boston temple to submit the names of people who they want baptized posthumously, said the man who attends church with Romney and who volunteers at the temple. Each visitor brings in a list of five to 10 names, he said.
A Romney spokeswoman first referred all questions to the Mormon church, then didn’t respond to inquiries about the candidate’s position on proxy baptisms.
“Church members are still not following the rules,” said Radkey, who has been exposing notable proxy baptisms since 1999. “The problem is that Mormons believe it’s morally right to perform posthumous rites for non-Mormons. They’re told on one hand to only submit names of relatives, but they believe they’re supposed to save others, too.”
Radkey said database administrators often delete high-profile baptism submissions, from Adolf Hitler to Mickey Mouse. She claims the Jewish actor Tony Curtis was posthumously baptized, as was one of the 9/11 hijackers.
In a statement, Mormon leaders said they “sincerely regret” the actions of the member who submitted the names of Asher and Rosa Wiesenthal and had revoked the member’s access to the records.
But some Jewish leaders believe the Mormon Church needs to send a stronger message to its congregation before anything will change.
“We consider this a moral issue, not a technical issue,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, who participated in baptism-related meetings with Mormon leaders.
“We feel that the only steps the Mormon church has taken focus on technology rather than turning inwardly and discussing among their own flock that this is not the kind of behavior that is acceptable or condoned. There’s a gap here that can only be closed by the leaders of the Mormon church.”
Katie.Baker@thedaily.com
The book on Mormons
There are a number of sacred customs and beliefs within Mormonism that differ from other Christian denominations. Mormon men can remarry, but Mormon women can’t. Mormons believe the Three Nephites, a trio of immortal disciples, are still alive.
In addition to the New and Old Testaments, Mormons follow a third holy scripture called the Book of Mormon. The scripture was published in 1830 by church founder Joseph Smith, then 17, after he said an angel named Moroni told him the location of holy gold tablets. Engraved on the tablets was the text of the Book of Mormon.
Mormons wear specially made undergarments (pictured) every day beginning in early adulthood. The thin, white articles resemble knee-length shorts and T-shirts. The special undergarments are believed to help church members stay true to their covenants. The sale of garments is restricted to members of the church in good standing.
Mormons abstain from alcohol, coffee, tea, tobacco, gambling and other behaviors the church considers addictive.
The president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints — the official name for the Mormon church — is considered a prophet who communicates with God.
– Samuel Goldsmith
Jewish leaders have complained for decades that Mormons have baptized in proxy some 650,000 Holocaust victims, including Anne Frank. Leaders from both religions have met several times to discuss the baptism.
At the latest meeting, in September 2010, the two delegations reached a compromise involving new genealogical database technology. Under the agreement, Mormons can’t submit the name of a Holocaust victim for baptism unless he or she was directly related to the person making the request.
A member of Romney’s congregation in Boston, though, said the Mormons don’t put too much effort into checking the relationships.
“I’m sure the church is doing its best to abide by that agreement, but it’s really up to the individual,” said the member, who asked not to be named. “The church doesn’t claim to be policing the names that are submitted.”
The member said he had witnessed Romney and his wife, Ann, perform proxy marriages and endowments, and was “virtually certain” that Romney had performed proxy baptisms as well.
A Salt Lake City-based researcher, Helen Radkey, blew the whistle on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints last week when she noticed documentation of the Wiesenthal baptisms while working on a larger, Romney-related project.
Earlier, Radkey, an ex-Mormon, had found that Romney’s atheist father-in-law, Edward Davies, was posthumously baptized in November 1993. The record suggests a family member may have submitted Davies’ name, which would be in line with the rules for entering names in the database. Ann Romney converted to Mormonism when she was 17.
To instigate a proxy baptism, a church member submits the name to FamilySearch.Org. The church member must include the baptism candidate’s surname and birth or death date, and the candidate must have been deceased for at least a year.
The church member can then visit a Mormon Temple and perform the baptism, a 10-second ceremony in which a person is symbolically immersed in water on behalf of the deceased. The temple must note the ceremony’s completion in the “Family Search” database.
On average, about five people a day visit the Boston temple to submit the names of people who they want baptized posthumously, said the man who attends church with Romney and who volunteers at the temple. Each visitor brings in a list of five to 10 names, he said.
A Romney spokeswoman first referred all questions to the Mormon church, then didn’t respond to inquiries about the candidate’s position on proxy baptisms.
“Church members are still not following the rules,” said Radkey, who has been exposing notable proxy baptisms since 1999. “The problem is that Mormons believe it’s morally right to perform posthumous rites for non-Mormons. They’re told on one hand to only submit names of relatives, but they believe they’re supposed to save others, too.”
Radkey said database administrators often delete high-profile baptism submissions, from Adolf Hitler to Mickey Mouse. She claims the Jewish actor Tony Curtis was posthumously baptized, as was one of the 9/11 hijackers.
In a statement, Mormon leaders said they “sincerely regret” the actions of the member who submitted the names of Asher and Rosa Wiesenthal and had revoked the member’s access to the records.
But some Jewish leaders believe the Mormon Church needs to send a stronger message to its congregation before anything will change.
“We consider this a moral issue, not a technical issue,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, who participated in baptism-related meetings with Mormon leaders.
“We feel that the only steps the Mormon church has taken focus on technology rather than turning inwardly and discussing among their own flock that this is not the kind of behavior that is acceptable or condoned. There’s a gap here that can only be closed by the leaders of the Mormon church.”
Katie.Baker@thedaily.com
The book on Mormons
There are a number of sacred customs and beliefs within Mormonism that differ from other Christian denominations. Mormon men can remarry, but Mormon women can’t. Mormons believe the Three Nephites, a trio of immortal disciples, are still alive.
In addition to the New and Old Testaments, Mormons follow a third holy scripture called the Book of Mormon. The scripture was published in 1830 by church founder Joseph Smith, then 17, after he said an angel named Moroni told him the location of holy gold tablets. Engraved on the tablets was the text of the Book of Mormon.
Mormons wear specially made undergarments (pictured) every day beginning in early adulthood. The thin, white articles resemble knee-length shorts and T-shirts. The special undergarments are believed to help church members stay true to their covenants. The sale of garments is restricted to members of the church in good standing.
Mormons abstain from alcohol, coffee, tea, tobacco, gambling and other behaviors the church considers addictive.
The president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints — the official name for the Mormon church — is considered a prophet who communicates with God.
– Samuel Goldsmith
