-- February 25, 2012
Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert performs a mock posthumous conversion of Mormons to Judaism (1)
-- February 29, 2012
First Presidency letter on Baptisms for the dead
Feb 29, 2012: Letter to be read in Sacrament Meetings
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
We would like to reiterate the policies first stated in 1995 concerning the submission of names for proxy temple ordinances:
Our preeminent obligation is to seek out and identify our own ancestors. Those whose names are submitted for proxy temple ordinances should be related to the submitter.
Without exception, Church members must not submit for proxy temple ordinances any names from unauthorized groups, such as celebrities and Jewish Holocaust victims. If members do so, they may forfeit their New FamilySearch privileges. Other corrective action may also be taken.
Members are encouraged to participate in FamilySearch indexing which is vital to family history and temple work.
Bishops are asked to post this letter on their meetinghouse bulletin boards. Church members may seek the assistance of the family history consultants in their area for additional information, if needed. Name submission policies are also clearly stated onNew.FamilySearch.org.
We appreciate the faithful adherence to these policies by all members of the Church.
Sincerely yours,
The First Presidency
President Thomas S. Monson
President Henry B. Eyring
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf (2)
-- May 14, 2012
There is public criticism in the Netherlands of the Mormon practice of baptism by proxy after a Dutch newspaper revealed May 9 that several members of the royal family were posthumously "baptized" into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, colloquially known as the Mormon church.
The daily newspaper Trouw quoted unpublished documents in the Mormon church's global genealogical database that show the late Queen Juliana, her husband Prince Bernhard and Queen Beatrix's late husband Prince Claus were all baptized as Mormons after their deaths. (3)
-- July, 2012
Endnotes:
1 - Comedy Central
2 - circular
3 - The Christian Century
LDS History Chronology: Unconventional Baptisms
Mormon History Timeline: Forms of Rebaptism in LDS History
http://lds-church-history.blogspot.com/
