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