Individuele leden of kerkelijk programma?

Als de mormoonse kerk geconfronteerd wordt met haar gewoonte om allerlei overledenen ongevraagd te dopen, schuift zij de schuld vaak op “individuele leden” die iets zouden doen wat niet mag. Dit strookt echter niet met de feiten.


De kerk heeft al meer dan een halve eeuw een programma om de archieven en begraafplaatsen van de wereld af te struinen naar namen van overledenen om hun tempels, waarin dit dopen voor de doden plaatsvindt, draaiende te houden.

Hieronder staan een aantal citaten uit mormoonse bronnen waarin dit bevestigd wordt. Dit programma heet tegenwoordig het “indexeringsprogramma” en via internet kan iedereen meedoen.


De kerk vertelt er op deze site niet bij wat ze met al die namen doen, zodat ze “te enthousiaste leden” de schuld kan geven als het gebruik van deze namen in hun occulte tempelrituelen in de publiciteit komt. De leden van de mormoonse kerk werken weliswaar mee aan het indexeringsprogramma maar zoals duidelijk wordt uit onderstaande citaten ligt de verantwoordelijkheid voor dit langlopende programma toch echt bij de mormoonse kerk zelf (klemtoon toegevoegd).

Lees ook: Vijf redenen waarom de mormonen denken dat ze iedereen postuum moeten dopen; Wat is het verschil tussen mormoonse kerken en tempels?

Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p.162: Those who are acquainted with the Latter-day Saint scriptures and the process of genealogical research will recognize that the extraction program is but a first step in the overall program of preparing a Church book of remembrance "worthy of acceptation" (see D&C 128:24). The extraction program is primarily aimed at more efficient identification and processing of names for individual temple ordinance work. It solves the immediate need to provide many more names for the operation of the temples. (CR October 1978, Ensign 8 [November 1978]: 30-31.)
Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol.1, BAPTISM FOR THE DEAD: In the early years of the Church, proxy baptisms were performed only for direct blood ancestors, usually no more than four generations back. Today, Latter-day Saints are baptized not only for their own forebears but also for other persons, unrelated to them, identified through the name extraction program.
Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol.3, NAME EXTRACTION PROGRAM: Name extraction programs sponsored by the LDS Church are based upon the doctrine of salvation of the dead. Names, dates, and places are the key elements in precisely identifying individual ancestors. Name extraction consists of systematically transcribing this information from original vital records. Church members perform temple ordinances for those whose names have been thus identified.
Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol.4, TEMPLES: With the growing number of temples, the number of endowments performed increased. Beginning in the 1960s, therefore, Church leaders directed genealogical society of Utah employees to obtain names from microfilmed vital records and make them available for temple work. By the early 1970s, three-fourths of all names for temple ordinances were being submitted in this manner.

To facilitate the members assuming a greater share in providing names for the temples, in 1969 they were permitted to submit names individually rather than only in family groups. Computers could then assist in determining family relationships. Beginning in 1978, small groups of Church members were called to spend a few hours each week in the name extraction program copying names and data from microfilm records. In this way most names for temple work were supplied by members rather than by professionals at Church headquarters. In 1988 the 100 millionth Endowment for the dead was performed; over five million were accomplished that year.
Dennis L. Lythgoe; BYU Studies Vol. 25, No. 4, pg.10: One of the most dramatic changes in the Church's approach to genealogy and temple work concerned the process of extracting names from old records. People were called, set apart, and trained in extraction procedures, old record-keeping practices and handwriting styles, and, where necessary, foreign languages. Then they extracted names from the records and sent them to the Genealogical Department, where the names were processed so that vicarious temple ordinances could be performed.
Introduction to Family History Teacher Manual, les 17: Tell students that in the family record extraction program, members type information from censuses, immigration, church, civil registration, and other records into computer files. The Church publishes these as part of its family history databases, so that individuals doing family history can quickly find references to their ancestors in the extracted records. In some cases, names from these files are also sent to temples to supplement the names members provide for ordinance work.