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Baptisms for the Dead:

Each temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints contains a baptismal font modeled after the molten sea of Solomon's Temple as described in 2 Chronicles 4:2-5

"Also he made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and five cubits the height thereof; and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.
And under it was the similitude of oxen, which did compass it round about: ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about. Two rows of oxen were cast, when it was cast.
It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward.
And the thickness of it was an handbreadth, and the brim of it like the work of the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies; and it received and held three thousand baths."

In these fonts members can be baptized by proxy on behalf of deceased family members and friends. Please note that a proxy baptism does NOT make the deceased a Latter-day Saint, either on church records or theologically. It simply means that the ordinance has been completed so that the deceased may choose to accept or reject it in the spirit world.

In regards to the subject, the prophet Joseph Smith taught the following:

“When speaking about the blessings pertaining to the Gospel, and the consequences connected with disobedience to the requirements, we are frequently asked the question, what has become of our fathers? Will they all be damned for not obeying the Gospel, when they never heard it? Certainly not. But they will possess the same privilege that we here enjoy, through the medium of the everlasting priesthood, which not only administers on earth, but also in heaven, and the wise dispensations of the great Jehovah. Hence those characters referred to by Isaiah [see Isaiah 24:21–22] will be visited by the Priesthood, and come out of their prison upon the same principle as those who were disobedient in the days of Noah were visited by our Savior [who possessed the everlasting Melchizedek Priesthood] and had the Gospel preached to them, by Him in prison. And in order that they might fulfill all the [requirements] of God, living friends were baptized for their dead friends, and thus fulfilled the requirement of God, which says, ‘Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.’ [John 3:5.] They were baptized of course, not for themselves, but for their dead. … Paul, in speaking of the doctrine, says, ‘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?’ (1 Cor. 15:29)."

Two things I want to say.

First, I've seen several comments saying someone other than Dallin H Oaks may be called as President of the church. That is false.

Succession in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is by seniority in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, with the longest-serving apostle becoming the next Prophet and President of the Church. When the Prophet dies, the First Presidency is dissolved, and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presides over the Church. The senior apostle then selects two counselors, and a new apostle is called to fill the vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve.

When David O McKay was getting near the end of his life, a seminary teacher told us that he thought there would be schism in the church when President McKay died. He said some people felt Joseph Fielding Smith was too old to assume the role so they would support bypassing him to select Harold B Lee as the new president. He even suggested that if the church divided, we should follow Harold B Lee. Of course, it played out just as the Lord had planned and I never heard of anybody leaving the church because of it.

Second, I have seen several posts about guessing who might be selected as counselors or as the new apostle. These posts were in good fun but there is always someone who has to smugly lecture them or make a passive-aggressive comment about playing the game instead of just waiting on the Lord.

I have no problem with people wanting to guess. I am as curious as the next person so it is kind of fun to see if I can get my mind to be the same as the Lord's.

However, I would make two cautions. One is to remember that the Lord's mind is not our mind, nor are our ways his ways (see Isaiah 55:8). The other is to be sure not to take yourself so seriously that you are disappointed if someone other than your choice is selected.

Be ready to offer your sustaining vote for whoever the Lord chooses. Our common consent is not a vote like in a political election. It is our chance to ratify the decision of the Lord.

Dallin H Oaks will be the president of the church and the Lord will choose those whom he wants as counselors and a new apostle. Be ready to accept and love them for they are on the Lord's errand.

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