In Mormonism, performing baptisms for the dead is a chance to offer all those that have died without the church an opportunity to accept it and then consequently receive all the blessings that God has to offer. It is seen as a wonderful gift from a loving God and a way of uniting the generations. However, what is now an essential part of Mormonism was actually the result of a very popular vision from an English convert that Joseph later said was not correct.
England
In 1837, the church was beginning to experience significant difficulties from both the members and the non-members. The Kirtland bank was on the verge of failure, which Joseph prophesied was not possible, and the members were starting to get rich, complacent, and haughty according to Eliza Snow. The church had started to become prosperous and, to some degree, had forgotten the source of their blessings. Just one year after this, Sydney would call for the destruction of the enemies of the church, and the members would regularly enter Missouri and burn down the homes of Missourians.
Joseph saw this chain of events and knew that something had to change. On June 4th, 1837, Joseph received a revelation which began foreign missions and completely changed the course of the entire church. The revelation mentioned:
No quorum in the Church was entirely exempt from the influence of those false spirits who are striving against me for the mastery; even some of the Twelve were so far lost to their high and responsible calling, as to begin to take sides, secretly, with the enemy. … God revealed to me that something new must be done for the salvation of His Church. … Heber C. Kimball, one of the Twelve, was set apart … to preside over a mission to England, to be the first foreign mission of the Church of Christ in the last days.
Joseph Smith, June 4, 1837
After this revelation was received, Heber and Orson Hyde left for England to begin their missionary efforts. This resulted in many converts and helped to bring a new sense of excitement into the struggling church. On April 11th, 1838, the apostle David Patten, who was universally loved and admired in the church, was called to serve a mission as soon as he could arrange his affairs. He, however, was never able to accomplish this because he was tragically killed during the 1838 Missouri War at the Battle of Crooked River. Patten’s death sent shockwaves throughout the church and Patten was heralded as a martyr for a righteous cause.
Tributes to Patten were published in the Times and Seasons November 1839 edition and in several private journals. Knowledge of his death was spread far and wide, and became a rallying point for the struggling church. On November 11th, 1839, Willford Woodruff recorded in his journal a dream that he had where he saw David Patten among many other things. After this point, others also recorded their dreams of David Patten including Heber C. Kimball who mentioned a vision of his that included David Patten and his activities in the next life. Kimball’s account mentioned:
Tell sister Ann I hurd from brother Daivid a Short time a go he was preaching the gospel to the Spirrits in prison
Heber C. Kimball, Letter to Vilate Kimball, July 9, 1840
Ann Booth
One of the English converts, to join the church, was a woman named Ann Booth, who Heber mentioned in his letter and who also had a remarkable vision of David Patten. On March 12th, 1840, she had a vision of David Patten and the work that he was doing in the spirit world. In her vision, Patten was baptizing and confirming, into the church, those that had died. In addition, he was ordaining them to the Aaronic priesthood so they could baptize others. Brigham Young, who was serving a mission in England, heard of this vision and wrote an account of it to his wife.
This account caused a bit of a sensation among the church which already deeply revered David Patten and was pondering the next life. On July 2nd, 1840, just a few months after the vision became popular among the members, Wilford Woodruff was informed of the vision and recorded it in his journal under the heading “A Remarkable Vision”. Woodruff’s account mentions:
I beh
Wilford Woodruff, July 2, 1840oeld one of the 12 Apostles of the Lamb who had been martered in America … The Apostle then commenced to preach the Baptism of repentance for remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. … at the same time ordaining him to the Priesthood of Aaron
Ann’s vision seemed to confirm many of the concepts of Mormonism, at the time, and therefore became quite popular. It confirmed that the wicked people, at the time of Noah went to a spirit prison which is mentioned in Moses 7, and D&C 76. It was believed at the time that the people needed to hear, and accept the gospel, in order to leave prison. Four years earlier, on January 21st, 1836, Joseph received a vision, known today as D&C 137, where he was told that those that died without the gospel would still enter God’s kingdom.
Ann’s vision answered the question that Joseph’s revelation raised. How could the spirits enter God’s kingdom if they didn’t accept the gospel in this life? Those spirits needed baptism and needed to accept the gospel, just like the living. According to Ann’s vision, this would happen in the spirit world and so all the necessary conditions would be met. There was no longer a contradiction.
Baptism for the Dead
On August 10th, 1840, Seymour Brunson, a prominent high council member in Nauvoo died. He had been sick for about a month and had been moved into Joseph’s home in the hope that his health would improve. When it became apparent that he was not going to live much longer, he requested leave of Joseph to enter the next life. Vilate Kimball wrote, in a letter to Heber, that shortly before Seymour’s death, he mentioned that David Patten came to enlist him in the work that was going on in the spirit world. This work needed additional people, and Seymour Brunson was wanted on the other side. The letter mentioned:
I [Seymour] have seen Elder David Patten, and he wants me, and the Lord wants me, and I want to go. … At one time as Elder Joseph entered the room, he told him there was a light encircling him above the brightness of the sun, he exclaimed the room is full of angels, they have come to waft my spirit home. He then bid his family farewell, and sweetly fell asleep in Jesus.
Vilate Kimball, Letter to Heber C. Kimball, September 6, 1840, Published in Millennial Star, November 1840
Joseph preached at the funeral sermon of Seymour Brunson, which was described by many as a very large military procession and a solemn ceremony, which numbered in the 1000’s of attendants. It was at this funeral sermon that Joseph first introduced the idea of being baptized for the dead. The visions of Ann Booth, and descriptions of David Patten seem to have deeply affected the members and the funeral sermon was a perfect opportunity for Joseph to realign them. There appear to be no contemporary minutes from the funeral sermon. However, in a December 15th, 1840, letter to the Twelve apostles Joseph clarified that the doctrine of baptisms for the dead originated at the funeral sermon. His letter mentioned:
I first mentioned the doctrine in public while preaching the funeral sermon of Bro [Seymour] Brunson, and have since then given general instructions to the Church on the subject. The saints have the priviledge of being baptized for those of their relatives who are dead, who they feel to believe would have embraced the gospel if they had been priviledged with hearing it
Joseph Smith, Letter to the Twelve Apostles, December 15, 1840
This account is also confirmed by an 1854 account from Jane Neymon, who was immediately baptized for her son Cyrus after the sermon. Shortly after the funeral sermon, the members met for the October 1840 conference where Joseph spoke at length about needing a temple and the new concept of baptisms for the Dead. The conference minutes were published in the History of the Church as well as the Times and Seasons October 1840 edition.
The minutes for the conference record that on October 3rd, 1840, Joseph:
spoke of the necessity of building a ‘House of the Lord’ in this place.
Joseph Smith, Meeting minutes, October 3rd, 1840
On the next day October 4th, 1840, Joseph then:
arose and delivered a discourse on the subject of baptism for the dead, which was listened to with considerable interest, by the vast multitude assembled.
Joseph Smith, Meeting minutes, October 4th, 1840
During the conference, Robert Thompson read an essay on the priesthood and its importance that Joseph had helped prepare. In this essay, the need for the priesthood was heavily stressed along with the idea that the priesthood is how we get information from heaven. There was no other way. This likely was a response to the idea that, in the minds of the members, baptisms for the dead had originated with Ann Booth and not Joseph. This was a potential problem if recent converts could be getting valid visions like this. The essay mentioned:
[The priesthood] is the channel through which all knowledge, doctrine, the plan of salvation and every important truth is revealed from heaven.
Robert B. Thompson, Conference address, Oct 5, 1840
After this point, there were numerous private letters explaining baptisms for the dead to those not in attendance and a description of the general excitement people were feeling concerning the ability for them to participate in the salvation of those that died before them. These letters, which were all written shortly after the conference, included Vilate Kimball writing to her husband Heber, Phoebe Woodruff writing to her husband Wilford, and Robert Thompson writing to Heber. All discussed baptisms for the dead and a general feeling of excitement about the idea.
In Vilate’s letter, she even mentioned that Joseph connected the concept back to Ann Booth, however mentioned that Ann’s very popular vision wasn’t wrong according to Joseph, it was however not completely correct either. The spirits in the next life, can’t get baptized and must be baptized here in this life instead. This updated concept strongly supported the church and made the church, and its authority, responsible for the salvation of all people. The letter mentioned:
[Joseph] says they [the dead] will have the Gospel preached [to] them in Prison, but there is no such thing as spirrits [spirits] being baptised. he doesnot wholely [wholly] discard sisters Booths vishon [vision]; says it was to show her the neces[s]ity of being Baptised.
Vilate Kimball, Letter to Heber C. Kimball, October 11, 1840
About 3 months after the conference, Joseph received a revelation on January 19th, 1841, which is known today as D&C 124. This revelation speaks of many things, however it does reiterate the need for a temple so that the members could perform their baptisms for the dead. Their baptisms would be acceptable until the temple was built, however after that then they would need to be performed in the temple to be acceptable. D&C 124 also mentioned David Patten as being with God and performing the work of God in the next life. This aligned with the many dreams of the members including Ann Booth which seems to have initiated this entire chain of events.
Conclusion
Early Mormonism is a sequence of many changes and reactions, based on the response of the members, with baptisms for the dead being no different. The Doctrine and Covenants is filled with many examples of the evolution of the doctrines of the church. We see this in the sealing concept that originally was fundamentally different from what it is today, along with the understanding of the Godhead, and the priesthood structure itself.
Faithful adherents to the church will see this as Joseph earnestly seeking for truth, while others will see this instead as Joseph simply reading the room and reacting to the popular whims of his day. Ultimately this is a matter of faith as most things in Mormonism end up being. Historically, it appears that the rebellious actions of the members in Missouri, which almost cost Joseph his life and the destruction of the church, resulted in the death of David Patten. This in turn caused the thoughts and attention of the members to focus on Patten and his state in the next life.
The belief that he was in the next life doing the work of the church was widespread so naturally some would dream of this. Ann Booth’s very popular vision was an example of this. However, it possibly threatened to undermine the power of the church. If she could get a vision of the next life, and important concepts pertaining to it, then anyone in the church could. In addition, it raised the question of why the leaders were not getting these same dreams and visions?
In her vision, David Patten was baptizing and confirming members of the church, in the next life, therefore the church, at that time, only needed to focus on the living. In response to this, Joseph received the revelation that the church had to perform the needed ordinances in this life, while people like David Patten would simply do the teaching of the gospel in the spirit world.
This concept seemed to be the best of both worlds. It gave the people on the other side something important to do, while allowing the church here to retain the control and authority. Over time the necessary ordinances, for the dead, have grown as new concepts are added to Mormonism. Paradoxically, there is no mention of something as being required, and then all of sudden it is required to fully access God.
Scripturally, however simply using 1 Corinthians 15:29 as the entire support for this new concept seems to be quite a problem. Joseph used this scripture as the biblical support for it, however Moroni 8 seems to strongly suggest that the entire concept is invalid. For example, Moroni 8 says very clearly that those “without the law” don’t need baptism. For this reason, and many others, D&C 124 should be seen with a critical eye. If we wanted to take Moroni 8 as literal, then we would only be baptizing and performing any other required ordinances for those that died with the law, and an understanding of it so they could be accountable to the law.
This would massively limit the pool of people to perform proxy ordinances for and essentially restrict temples to the living only. If the temples were for the living only then this would change almost every aspect of Mormonism today. Mormonism would become a church similar to other Christian churches, instead of the sole source of truth and valid authority from God. In the eyes of members today, everyone that wants to return to God either needs to become a baptized Mormon in this life or the next life.
This is the fundamental change that baptisms for the dead brought into the church. In many ways, the church was no longer a servant of the people. The church was now essential for all aspects of our relationship with God. Only through the church in this life or the next, could we gain access to God. This is the very concept that Jesus fought against so much during his mortal ministry. He taught that everyone has access to God individually, yet we naturally love power and control more than freedom. Therefore, that is exactly what Mormonism teaches us. It tells us what we want to be told, and then we herald it as God’s reveled truth.
