It's Another Ash Wednesday!

Here we are...the home stretch into Spring.

Lots of things coming up the pike this Lenten Season...moving, working, saving...

Today though, I'd like to focus on a different Religious tradition. One that's pretty controversial. And one attached to my unhealthy obsession with the Mormons.

Baptizing Dead People.

Yep. You heard it right. Our Mormon friends are on a quest to Baptize all the dead people. Baptize 'em Mormon.

Now. Lest you, dear Blog Readers, think (with good reason) I'm immediately going to launch into some angry diatribe—I'm going to tell you: There's a part of me that thinks this is a wonderfully kind gesture.

You atheists just burst into fucking flames didn't you?

See...I believe that the desire to give a person a choice (if they are in fact given one once they reach the hereafter) about where they want to spend eternity is really kind of....nice. But aside from that, I have to say where it hit me the most was when I discovered that the Dead Baptisms were covering Holocaust victims. And that there was a huge movement to get these folks baptized right quick.

Some argue "How dare they. Those were JEWS (not all of them, some Catholics too). They're JEWISH. How DARE they convert them without permission." And that is a perfectly correct, and reasonable argument. One that I sort of agree with.

But here's the other side:

"Well, these people were tortured. And they were murdered. And buried in Mass Graves. WIth no family, no love, and no comfort to see them into whatever hereafter there might be. We simply want to offer some comfort. For them, for ourselves, for the world. Because, quite simply, we care. And it's the LEAST we can do when, for a long time, no one was doing ANYTHING to help those people."
I'm making that up, but if I were a Mormon, that's maybe a little of what I would say. Maybe not. Because I don't actually know what a Mormon would say about it because I've never asked. But, it's what I would say right this moment to justify it.
I just think it's a nice thing to do for someone.
And in this ever increasingly secular world where the expression of faith is becoming less and less accepted, well, I was really touched for a moment. By the selflessness of the sentiment.

Maybe I'm naive. Maybe it is some diabolical plot to turn us all into Mormons. I don't know. I don't care.
It's Lent baby. I'm feeling a little kinder today.

But not too kind.

Tocro: This one's for you. Happy Belated Birthday. Here's where it all goes down.



IT'S THE BATH OF THE DEAD!