Bill Maher reclaims one from the Mormons

[_quaker]

Mormons generally appreciate that the practice looks absurd to outsiders. Especially to those who view regular baptism as absurd.

What is more difficult is when outsiders fail to show that they understand the 'absurd' practice when they mock it. You get baptized by immersion on behalf of someone who is dead so that they can have the opportunity to accept it. It's very straightforward.

But you see people running around claiming superior intelligence who can't at least understand the idea? Then you've got the minions of 'enlightened' people thinking they know what baptism for the dead is for parroting this Maher guy.

If you're going to mock something at least take the time to figure out what you are mocking.

[_Chap]

Mormons generally appreciate that the practice looks absurd to outsiders. Especially to those who view regular baptism as absurd.

What is more difficult is when outsiders fail to show that they understand the 'absurd' practice when they mock it. You get baptized by immersion on behalf of someone who is dead so that they can have the opportunity to accept it. It's very straightforward.

But you see people running around claiming superior intelligence who can't at least understand the idea? Then you've got the minions of 'enlightened' people thinking they know what baptism for the dead is for parroting this Maher guy.

If you're going to mock something at least take the time to figure out what you are mocking.

What aspect of Mormon proxy baptism for the dead do you think I do not understand?

I take it that you will not want to take the route that if I object to some aspect of the practice, or find it to some extent ridiculous, that in itself proves that I do not understand it.

Otherwise nothing done by others could ever be described as 'ridiculous' by anybody.

[_Willy Law]

I wonder if I would have been open minded enough to have seen the irony of being offended at this when I was a true believer. Obviously why me is not.

[_Doctor Scratch]

There should be a wider movement to do this sort of thing. It would be interesting if, say, an Evangelical group decided that they needed to help Mormons by doing this on a massive scale. Can you just picture smac, Scott Lloyd, and the rest of that crew nodding and smiling, saying how much they appreciate this kind gesture?

[_Wisdom Seeker]

I suppose that we should begin to mock all religious belief. Nothing should be sacred or personal anymore.

I think some Christians may believe that the act of posthumously baptizing someone is also mocking. For instance, I cannot be sure, but I assume that the work for Mother Theresa has taken place and that she has most likely been baptized after death. This is to say that her life here on Earth lacked the one very important thing, that is baptism into the "correct" church. Now I really don't know much about Mother Theresa but if for some reason her posthumous baptism is voided due to a hair, foot, hand or other body part not being fully submerged during baptism, do you really think God is going to say to poor Mother Theresa, "Hey, look lady, I don't care what you did here on earth, your not getting out of spirit-prison until they do it right."?

[_huckelberry]

From the opening post"who is Saul Alinsky?"

Wonderful, made my day. My whole week will be happier for having listened to it.

[_Chap]

I suppose that we should begin to mock all religious belief. Nothing should be sacred or personal anymore.

I think some Christians may believe that the act of posthumously baptizing someone is also mocking. For instance, I cannot be sure, but I assume that the work for Mother Theresa has taken place and that she has most likely been baptized after death. This is to say that her life here on Earth lacked the one very important thing, that is baptism into the "correct" church. Now I really don't know much about Mother Theresa but if for some reason her posthumous baptism is voided due to a hair, foot, hand or other body part not being fully submerged during baptism, do you really think God is going to say to poor Mother Theresa, "Hey, look lady, I don't care what you did here on earth, your not getting out of spirit-prison until they do it right."?

Once again the correct and unassailable point is made.

Baptizing someone such as Mother Theresa who has already been baptized into another Christian church (and remember Mormons insist - in my view quite properly - that they are a Christian church), implies that they spent their whole life in the wrong religion, and further that living members of Mother Theresa's church have an absolutely fundamental flaw in their religious life - they are not even properly baptized.

Despite their significant differences on doctrine and discipline, the major historic branches of Christianity do recognize one another's baptisms. Other Christians may reasonably be offended at being in effect told by Mormons that they have not passed the basic minimum requirement to be considered formally as a member of Christ's church, which for most Christians throughout history has always been baptism.

[_MrStakhanovite]

There is always a place for a timely and well thought out act of iconoclasm to drive home a point. Unfortunately, Bill isn’t it.

[_Chap]

There is always a place for a timely and well thought out act of iconoclasm to drive home a point. Unfortunately, Bill isn’t it.

Now the thinking has been done, we can close this thread.

Or maybe that was a typo for:

There is always a place for a timely and well thought out act of iconoclasm to drive home a point. Bill Maher, however, went further than I would have chosen to myself on this occasion. Of course, the tastes of others may differ from my own.

[_MrStakhanovite]

Now the thinking has been done, we can close this thread.

Huh?