(LDS.org)
This is mere grandstanding silliness:
From the Latter-day Saint point of view, the ultimate “opt out” power remains with each individual even beyond death: Nobody will be compelled to accept vicarious baptism performed on his or her behalf. The dead, in LDS belief, remain conscious individuals with volition and agency.
From the atheistic point of view represented by the so-called “Satanic Temple,” individuals can’t be compelled to accept vicarious baptisms done on their behalf because (a) those baptisms are only performed for the dead and (b) the dead no longer exist. The Latter-day Saint practice of posthumous vicarious baptism is, on this understanding, merely a waste of time, with no real effect.
Neither the “Satanic Temple” nor anybody else has authority to forbid Latter-day Saints to perform vicarious baptisms on behalf of the dead — any more than they would have authority to prohibit lighting candles for the dead or saying prayers for the dead.
The dead are not injured by a ritual done quietly in a very private place that, from a neutral observer’s perspective, merely involves saying a few words, including their names, and submerging somebody else very briefly in water. The dead cannot be injured if they’ve ceased to exist. However, if, as Mormons believe, they do continue to exist, the practice in no way compels them to do or affirm or accept or change anything against their will.
Posted from Marbella, Spain
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