Nope read the Bible carefully and you'll find everything we do in there. We don't need to bend anything because our doctrine is based on scripture. Do you pay tithing? Abraham paid tithing. Why is our Church the only church with 12 Apostles? The quorum of the 70 is found in the Gospels. Read the Bible and you'll know that Joseph was a Prophet.
Well the Book of Mormon covers 1000 years and it was written by many different prophets as was the bible. Tell me how the Book of Mormon contradicts the bible, we follow the bible more closely than any other christian faith.
sole prophet? 1% of the world? So why do we send missionaries across the globe, why do we have a succession of prophets? If your church doesn't send out missionaries you are not a christian church because Christ explicitly instructs us to preach the gospel to every corner of the world. Why is the Book of Mormon translated into hundreds of languages if it is only meant for 1% of the world?
Glad you asked. 1 Corinthians 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? This is Paul explaining the resurrection and it's purpose and the reason why they did baptisms for the dead in those days as we do them now.
A few other viewpoints on the matter: http://carm.org/baptism-for-the-dead-in-1-corinthians-15-29 http://www.gospelway.com/salvation/baptism-dead.php http://4mormon.org/mormon-baptism-for-dead.php
I've seen all this ABM and it doesn't add up. So now we don't need baptism? Why then was Christ of all people baptized by John the Baptist? Why does Catholicism baptize infants? We need to decide if baptism is important or not it seems.
Sure, I was baptized. Our church baptizes believers (on their own volition) all the time. The Scriptures say nothing about "proxy" baptisms (for others), though.
Another reference for baptism for the dead and the family history work that is central to the LDS Church. Any thoughts on this? Malachi Chapter 4 5 ¶Behold, I will asend you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: 6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. Now what is this referring to and when does Elijah return?
So why do you baptize, what is the purpose? If everyone does not need baptism why does anyone need it?
As an act of obedience to his Father, God, Christ was baptized by John the Baptist. I'm a follower of Christ. While the act of baptizing certainly isn't a prerequisite for salvation (see: the thief on the cross next to Jesus), it's an outward act of obedience as a Christian. In and of itself, the dipping into the water is meaningless. What it represents, however, is the outward testimony (to those who are witnessing the event) of one's new faith commitment. It's a symbol of the cleansing/repenting of the old life (lifestyle) and coming into (represented by the lifting out of the water) a new life in Christ.
ABM do you mind me asking which faith you belong to? Baptism is meaningless? As for the thief on the cross, he has to go through the same process as all of us to gain salvation. We believe that everyone goes through the same ordinances as they are all necessary for the highest Kingdom. As you may know there are 3 degrees of glory spoken of in our doctrine, there is more than baptism needed to achieve the highest level of the highest kingdom. We believe that every single saving ordinance will be performed for everyone before final judgement. We see baptism as a literal washing away of sin and the weekly sacrament as the renewal of the baptismal covenant.
What my inference was, the taking the dip part is a '"symbolic" act. There's nothing magical in the water, itself. As I previously mentioned, baptism is an act of faith......not a prerequisite to salvation. I attend Mars Hill Church in SE Portland. I'm of the Christian faith. http://portland.marshill.com/ http://marshill.com/
I agree with ABM on this one. Baptism is really more a profession of faith and symbolic more than having anything to do with your salvation. It isn't a "pre-requisite" for your eternal life but is something every new christian should do as it let's others know of their commitment and those in attendance need to keep that person accountable. it's much the same as a wedding, it isn't necessary to have the big ceremony and isn't needed to be married but it's a way to show your commitment to the people you know and love and hope they help you stay accountable to the person you wed.
Interesting, so is there anything in your opinion that does matter? Why not just say you have faith? What exactly do you think salvation is and what do you need to attain it? Are you guys works + grace guys or just grace? Baptism and Marriage have a lot more significance in the LDS church than they seem to have in much of Christendom. I really don't think Christ gave us ordinances that are meaningless nor do I believe lip service is enough to gain exhalation. There is something wrong when the doctrine of Christ becomes a matter of opinion.
