Last night my three older children went with the other youth in the ward to various temples in the valley to perform baptisms for the dead. It is a spiritual experience that they had been looking forward to. They were encouraged to bring a family name with them. My mom took them a few weeks ago to do other family baptisms, so they each kept one name to take with them tonight.
As they were leaving, Estelle said to me, "Isn't it a little awkward to hold a dead body in the water to baptize them?" This was one of those parental moments where it took all the self control I could muster in order not to burst out laughing. She was sincere. Her tender feelings would have been crushed. Baptisms are sacred and not a laughing matter. However, the visual of my children gingerly holding onto the decomposed bodies of their ancestors in order for them to be baptized was not only grizzly, but funny! Poor Estelle probably was not looking forward to turning 12 so that she could have that experience. She told me that she thought that someone dug up the bodies so that they could be baptized. Poor thing.
I explained to her, using Taylor as an example, that he would go into the water and he would take the place of the person who had died and be baptized for them. I could have continued that we call them baptisms for the dead, not baptisms of the dead, but that wasn't necessary. She got it. I told her that their spirits had probably been taught the gospel, by other spirits and that they still got to choose if they wanted to accept the baptism or not. If they did choose to accept it their spirit would be so happy.
I cannot imagine how relieved she must have been to have had that little misconception cleared up! I'm just sorry I hadn't done it sooner.
As they were leaving, Estelle said to me, "Isn't it a little awkward to hold a dead body in the water to baptize them?" This was one of those parental moments where it took all the self control I could muster in order not to burst out laughing. She was sincere. Her tender feelings would have been crushed. Baptisms are sacred and not a laughing matter. However, the visual of my children gingerly holding onto the decomposed bodies of their ancestors in order for them to be baptized was not only grizzly, but funny! Poor Estelle probably was not looking forward to turning 12 so that she could have that experience. She told me that she thought that someone dug up the bodies so that they could be baptized. Poor thing.
I explained to her, using Taylor as an example, that he would go into the water and he would take the place of the person who had died and be baptized for them. I could have continued that we call them baptisms for the dead, not baptisms of the dead, but that wasn't necessary. She got it. I told her that their spirits had probably been taught the gospel, by other spirits and that they still got to choose if they wanted to accept the baptism or not. If they did choose to accept it their spirit would be so happy.
I cannot imagine how relieved she must have been to have had that little misconception cleared up! I'm just sorry I hadn't done it sooner.
Comments
Post a Comment