ROMNEY, THE MORMONS AND THE HOLOCAUST

Romney, the Mormons, and the Holocaust (Pajamas Media)
I wouldn’t have bothered to bring up this issue—disturbing as it is—when it looked like the Romney campaign was cratering. But now that it looks like he has as good a chance as any of the GOP candidates I think it’s worth knowing. It has to do with moral leadership which Mitt seems to be proclaiming every time he opens his mouth.

I’m surprised at how many people were unaware of this Mormon practice which was only—officially—curbed in 1995, although according to this article from the Salt Lake Tribune the practice continued beyond the curb on its “inappropriate” use.

The practice, sometimes known as “Temple work” involves a Mormon “standing in” for a dead person to allow said dead one to be baptized as a Mormon and enter Mormon heaven. It became an issue when it turned out that many Mormons were retrospectively baptizing Holocaust victims such as Anne Frank and other dead Jews including Einstein and Freud as Mormons in this way. Not only that, some Mormons had baptized less savory figures in history including Stalin, Mao, Ivan the Terrible—and even Hitler himself (along with Eva Braun so they could share Mormon heaven together).

While the Church did not encourage the baptism of Nazis, the doctrine was not changed until 1995 by which time Eichman, Himmler and Heydrich joined the Furher among the baptized. I know: this sounds too strange and offensive to be true, but Mormons are big on conversions and it’s a lot easier to convert the compliant dead than the living.

As I mentioned, in 1995, after protest from Holocaust survivor groups, the Church sought to end the practice of baptizing “inappropriate” dead people, and it deserves credit for this action however belated, but the practice continued for at least some years thereafter.

We know that Mitt Romney didn’t speak up publicly against his church’s second class citizenship for people of color, although he claimed to have wept with joy in 1978 (when he was 31) and this doctrine was discarded. Did he speak up at all against the shameful posthumous baptism of Holocaust victims? Of Hitler? How does he feel about it now? Why has no one raised the issue during the campaign?

Not the issue of the practice which was ludicrous and lamentable, but the issue of whether Mitt Romney felt any responsibility to dissociate himself from, or protest the practice. It’s what they call a character question. It has to do with “moral leadership”.

Does anyone have an answer? Doesn’t anyone care?

SEE: ROMNEY CONDUCTED "BAPTISMS FOR THE DEAD"

ROMNEY CONDUCTED "BAPTISMS FOR THE DEAD"

Romney conducted 'baptisms for the dead' (JTA)
U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney conducted "baptisms for the dead."

The former Massachusetts governor and one of the front-runners in the race for the Republican presidential candidacy told Newsweek magazine that he had taken part in the Mormon ritual, which involves baptizing live proxies for dead people.

Jewish groups have protested the practice, noting that in some cases the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has used Holocaust archives to search for names of the dead. Church officials in recent years have removed such names from the list.

Newsweek said Romney looked "startled" by the question and then said, "I have in my life, but I haven't recently." [ED. AND HE DIDN'T INHALE]

MORMONS STILL TRYING TO BAPTIZE DEAD JEWS

Mormons cancel Wiesenthal proxy baptism (JTA)
The Mormon church agreed not to posthumously baptize Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints agreed to a request from the Simon Wiesenthal Center and removed the name of the famed Holocaust survivor and Nazi hunter from a list of those scheduled to receive the ordination by proxy.
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No church ordinance was performed for Simon Wiesenthal and his name was immediately removed from the International Genealogical Index,” said Bruce Olsen, a church spokesman.

The Mormons agreed in 1995 to remove the names of Holocaust victims and Jews from a list of those to be posthumously baptized unless they were direct ancestors of current church members or written permission had been obtained from all living family members. But they didn’t honor the agreement and reiterated the pledge in 2000.

However, Wiesenthal’s name was found last month in a database of people to be posthumously baptized. “It was astonishing to us that they went against the agreement,” said Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Wiesenthal Center. “We believe that Simon Wiesenthal, who lived a full life with great deeds on behalf of mankind, can get to heaven on his own and doesn’t need any assistance.”