So I just read this article here:
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/im/2012/03/posthumous_baptism_was_it_wrong_for_mormons_to_baptize_daniel_pearl_.html
and thought it was very interesting. It reminds me of when people tell me I'm going to be damned eternally or someone of another faith tells me "I'll pray for you." I'm not offended when people tell me these things. Of course, most of the time when people tell me I am going to be damned eternally or they worry for my soul it's because I'm in my BYU nursing scrubs and my patients want to tell me how they feel about my Mormonism faith. (After all, to most people BYU=Mormon--even though it's not necessarily true.) I never bring up that I'm LDS or "Mormon" when I'm working at the hospital. But if I have patient ask me "Are you Mormon/LDS?" I always answer yes. Why should I hide my identity? I'm not ashamed. But I'm also not at the hospital to preach. I'm there to look after the physical and emotional welfare of my patients. To me, being asked if I'm Mormon/LDS is like being asked: "Are you blond?" Yes, I am blond. It's part of who I am. If you want to go on to say a joke about stupid blonds, go ahead, I'll probably laugh. I'll probably laugh at a Mormon joke too.
Anyways, while I'm never offended when my "non-member" patients tell me how wrong I am to be a Mormon or how my soul will be eternally damned (after all, it's because they care about me); I am offended if someone who is LDS/Mormon tells me my family member is going to be damned. But that's usually another Mormon/LDS person saying that, so I have the right to think: "Wahh? Aren't we on the same boat?" I can understand a NON-Mormon/LDS person telling me or my family will be damned, but another member? That's a little weird... But I digress. It's usually because my family and I are pretty moderate. It has to do with my Mom's mental illness too.
Anyway, if I am honest with myself, I don't really care if someone drinks, smokes, has premarital sex, does hard-core drugs, or swears like a sailor. I know God loves them as much as he loves me (the little Mormon girl who goes to church every week and refrains from such activities to show my respect and gratitude towards God). And I can't even imagine how great that love is. I mean, that crazy, sudden love I feel for my patients that sometimes overpowers me when I'm working with them....it's only a smidgen of how much God can love. And when I feel that love for my patients all I can think to do is say "Thank you, God, for this opportunity to even meet someone who you love so much."
I feel like I digressed a lot from the original topic of should you be offended if Mormons baptize you posthumously. I guess what I'm trying to say is, we are all equal. Please, don't be offended if I pray for you or someone of another faith prays for you. It's just because we care. And not care because "we know you'll be damned" if not. No, not at all. I care about you because you're another human being on this earth who has to go through life. Life can be pretty tough sometimes. Why not be on the same team? If I say I'll pray for you it's because in my life, I have received great consolation when someone else has told me they'd pray for me or my family. And a lot of those people weren't LDS/Mormon.
Anyways, I hope nobody is offended that my religion practices posthumous baptism. Truly, it's not meant to offend or take away your identity. I have both ancestors who joined the church with Joseph Smith and ancestors who are not LDS and never heard of Mormonism. I love them both equally. In fact, often I think about my non-LDS/Mormon ancestors (especially my great-grandmother, my great-grandfather, and great great grandmother who are from France). I hope I make them proud by the way I live my life and the choices I make. Some of them were also taken to concentration camps and I can't imagine the horrible things that happened. But they have a choice to accept or decline the posthumous baptismal covenants that my family members have done for them (done for them out of our love and admiration for the lives they led). And even though they weren't LDS or Mormon, I know they made a huge difference in the world.
