Mormon Dilemma 47
D&C 124:29-30; “For a baptismal font there is not upon the earth, that they, my saints, may be baptized for those who are dead—For this ordinance belongeth to my house, and cannot be acceptable to me, only in the days of your poverty, wherein ye are not able to build a house unto me.”
and
2 Nephi 9:38; “And, in fine, wo unto all those who die in their sins; for they shall return to God, and behold his face, and remain in their sins.”
Along with:
1 Cor. 15:29; “Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?”
Let’s review the biblical scripture above shall we? Paul was delivering his famous speech to the Corinthians on the defense of the resurrection of Jesus.
The Corinthians did not believe in the resurrection, yet they were practicing baptisms for dead people. This practice was performed by the false teachers in Corinth and Paul was asking the question why they would do such a thing if they didn’t believe in the resurrection to begin with.
If you read the entire passage in context you will see that in verses 12-49 Paul is asking the Christians a series of questions regarding the false teachings of the Gnostics and other groups who were trying to infiltrate the true gospel with their manmade edicts which were clearly contradictory to the gospel of Christ.
Paul didn’t use the terms “we” or “us” in v. 29, instead he said “they”, meaning someone other than the Christians. Paul had a deep love for the Corinthians and saw them as his special group of children who were new in the Lord. He was an excellent orator and being a student of Gamaliel, you can be assured he knew the Torah front to back. If the body of Christ was practicing baptisms for the dead, he certainly wouldn’t have used the term “we” and he would’ve expounded on this important ritual if it was mandated by God.
Another clue that something about this practice is amiss is the resounding absence of any such teaching in the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon makes no mention of people being baptized for the dead anywhere in its text. With the claim that the Book of Mormon is the fullness of the gospel, you’d think this would’ve most certainly been a topic of discussion. Instead, we find quite a contradiction and dilemma in our findings that no such practice is or was needed. The section of D&C was written on January 19, 1841 which was at least twelve years after the Book of Mormon was written.
Once again we see an evolving philosophy with Smith and how it’s virtually impossible to trust in the god he’s trying to sell to his unsuspecting audience.