Doctrines of Salvation 2:188 “APOSTATE CHURCH AND SALVATION FOR DEAD. They have in the Catholic Church the doctrine of indulgences…They sold these indulgences. That is one of the main things that took Martin Luther out of the Catholic Church. He began to realize that the practice was wrong; it was not possible, not just or right for a person to sell forgiveness of sins for a price, either before or after the sin…
In the Catholic Church they offer prayers for the dead to get them out of purgatory. And people pay the priests to pray for the dead. Now that is a corruption of the doctrine of salvation for the dead.” — Joseph Fielding Smith, 1955
2 Corinthians 6:2 “(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)”
Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment”.
Today we’re wondering why Mr. Smith thought Catholics are wrong, but baptisms for the dead are okay with God.
1.The Bible tells us there’s nothing we can do for anyone’s salvation because it’s a gift from the Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9
2.What’s the difference between Catholics praying for those in purgatory, and Mormons praying to their god to accept their works for the dead?
3.Catholics pay the Church to get relatives out of purgatory, and a Mormon must be a full tithe payer (10% of their income) to receive a temple recommend to do works for their dead loved ones so they can be saved.
4.Mr. Smith stated the Catholics version of this practice is a corruption of the doctrine of salvation for the dead. However, the entire idea either of them are doing this is a corruption of biblical standards.
Jesus clearly told us that at death the unrighteous are eternally separated from God Luke 16:19-31. Regardless of what it says in 2 Maccabees 12:45, or D&C 124:29-30, prayers, penance, baptisms, and/or endowments for the dead, are wrong.
If you believe you can save people, let alone after they’ve died, you’d have to throw out a number of scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments.
With Love in Christ;
Michelle
Well said Michelle.
Thanks! 🙂
For the LDS Church doing baptisms for the dead and endowments for the dead makes great business sense. If you Uncle Billy and Cousin Melvin released from Spirit Prison, you pay your tithes so that you can go to the temple to have the necessary work done for them.
I don’t know how many times I have heard Mormons talking about seeing a departed relative in a dream or a vision, prompting them to do the temple work on their behalf. It’s all about guilt. What is more important, Cousin Melvin’s salvation or 10% of your income?” After all, even the Bible talks about the evils of the love of money.
Temple work for the LDS Church is a well planned and thought out source of revenue for the church.