Victim no Mor-----mon?

This isn't a crime, but it is so zany that it could fit nowhere better than in this section.  As I browsed CNN this morning, I saw the following title: "Message to Mormons:  Stop baptizing Holocaust Victims"  Immediately, my mind raced to California Prop 8 and I thought that the Mormon Church was under attack for something completely ridiculous as a run-off of the aggressions of those who were Pro-Gay marriage and lost thier legal affirmation of that right in California.  Was I right or wrong, you decide?

It seems that the Mormon Church has a been baptizing, by proxy, Holocaust victims.  Now, when I say this, I don't mean that they have been digging up the bones of dead Holocaust victims and baptizing them - I think we all would agree that would be creepy!  What it means is that relatives of Jewish Holocaust victims who have become Mormons are standing in baptismal pools getting baptized for their Holocaust victim relatives as an initiation rite into the Mormon Church. 

The Jewish faith seems to have a real problem with this.  They say that having their Holocaust victims baptized by proxy is taking away from the legitimacy of their Jewish victim status.  I have a real problem with this line of thinking.  For one, you can't take away someone's victim status by giving them an additional status.   I think we would all agree that standing in a garage doesn't make you a car.  The same can be said about the Mormon faith.  Being baptized does signify your standing as a Mormon, but it cannot make you a Mormon.  Furthermore, as a Holocaust victim, a relative "standing-in" for you cannot take away the fact that you died in a horrific concentration camp.

Growing up, I was exposed to both the Baptist and Catholic faiths.  In the Baptist faith, once you die, its a done-deal.  You're dead and any soul-saving opportunities died with you.  If you didn't get saved before you died, its game over.  In the Catholic faith, we pray for our dead that they will be received by God.  Our prayers for the dead are just prayers.  They cannot guarantee that our relatives will get to Glory but they can give our relatives comfort on their journey.  Our prayers also comfort us in the knowledge that our dead will be with God.  I think that the same can be applied to this situation.  Lets take this situation to the extreme.  Lets say that baptism in the Mormon faith does guarantee eternal life from everlasting-to-everlasting.  Lets just say that a current relative wants that for their Holocaust victim relative.  What's so bad about that?  The Holocaust victim will still be known as a victim and the Mormon relative will feel comfort and have prayers and signs of positive energy going towards their relative-victim.  I think we can all agree, that even in the stronger sense - that baptism did make the dead victim a Mormon, that individual still died as a Holocaust victim. 

Rant over.  The Mormon church has said that it will remove the names of its baptized by-proxy Holocaust victims and if they are successful, other living victims will be satisfied. 

Is this going to far?  Do Holocaust victims have the right to tell future-generation Mormons that they can't honor their dead in the way that they want to?  Do Holocaust survivors have control over who a dead-victims survivors are going to be?  Is the Jewish faith pushing it a little too far this time - or is the Mormon faith disrespecting the rights of Holocaust victims.

On a personal note, when I die, I will be going to Heaven.  I know why I will be going to Heaven and I will know how I got there.  However, I do believe in comforting prayers for the dead.  So, if a thousand people show up at my funeral and they all want to pray for my soul, I hope that they do!  After all, Heaven may end up being like a rush-hour laden  final destination on the Capitol Beltway and I may need some comfort trying to navigate through the gridlock!