Swiss Native, Stonewalled by Mormon Church, Wants to Know Why His Ancestor Was Posthumously Baptized

Nicolas Ulmer, who lives in Switzerland, was doing some research about his ancestors and realized that one of them was baptized as a Mormon after his death… even though he had nothing to do with the Church. (It was big news a few years ago when people found out Mormons conducted “posthumous proxy baptisms” on Holocaust victims to give them a chance to be “saved,” a practice the Church says it stopped in 1995.)

Since the Mormon Church won’t answer Ulmer’s questions, he wrote a letter to the editor, now published on the Salt Lake Tribune‘s website:

I have no known family members who are, voluntarily, Mormon. I believe that Johannes would be outraged to learn that he has been retroactively “sealed” as Mormon — but he was never asked and would not have known what a Mormon was.

Is the frustrating runaround I have received on this issue symptomatic of how uncomfortable Mormons are with legitimate inquiry?

… They cannot simultaneously be mainline and ritually secretive.

I should not have to write to a Utah newspaper to provoke an answer. It is not I who have given offense.

Ultimately, the posthumous baptisms have no real effect on anything. But it’s still a symbolic dick move warranting an apology.

Justin, an ex-Mormon, says this is par for the course:

When I was a young Mormon boy, I was baptized by proxy for many, many, many, many, many deceased individuals (all male, BTW. It’s important to God that in proxy baptisms, the genitals match).

At the time, I sincerely believed I was doing those people a great favor; giving them the gift of God’s salvation. Seeing it from their perspective now, I see just how offensive it could be.

(Image via Shutterstock)