Baptism for the Dead

This is from the Belfast Telegram. It's an interesting argument from an athiest.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/columnists/eamon-mccann/article13955402.ece;jsessionid=14550DCB3FA6A06D47E2EE657BEDA8A0?mode=error


Eamonn McCann: What if Mormons are right and Catholics and Protestants wrong?

Why are the Catholic bishops so concerned about Mormons baptising dead parishioners? The Mormons didn’t invent baptism of the dead. The practice has a significant history within mainstream Christianity. The decision to order its abandonment was taken only after heated debate, and was a close-run thing.


What’s the difference, anyway, between baptising the dead and baptising babies? A tiny infant will have as much understanding as a dead person — none at all — of the complex philosophical belief-system it’s being inducted into when baptised, say, a Catholic. Transubstantiation? There’s daily communicants go to their deaths without any clear understanding of the concept. So what chance the mewling tot?

Indeed, given that all Christian Churches believe that the soul lives on after death and retains understanding and consciousness of self, doesn’t it make more sense to baptise dead adults than live babies?

Apart from which, if the Catholic bishops hold that the beliefs of the Mormons are pure baloney (as they must), and their rituals therefore perfectly meaningless, how can it matter to them what mumbo-jumbo Mormons might mutter over Catholic cadavers?

The current controversy has been prompted by Archbishop Dermot Clifford and Bishop Bill Murphy complaining to the National Library in Dublin about records handed over by the Church being made available to all and sundry. The Mormons are believed to have taken advantage of this facility to comb through parish records and baptise the souls enumerated therein, a batch at a time.

The bishops stepped in after the Vatican warned all national churches earlier this year about Mormons misusing diocesan records. I have heard it suggested that the alarm of the Holy See had escalated after reports that Mormon multiple baptisms were regularly breaking the official record set by General Liu Kung Lee who, in one afternoon, baptised seven regiments of Chinese soldiers into Christianity with a fire-hose.

Let’s look at the facts as understood by the early followers of Christ. For more than 300 years after the Crucifixion, baptism of the dead was widely accepted, its biblical basis located in 1 Corinthians 15, 29: “Otherwise, what shall they do who are baptised for the dead if the dead rise not again at all? Why are they then baptised for them.” In other words, a deceased person could be baptised by proxy: otherwise, how could such a person be included in the Ressurection? A good question.

The radical Cerinthians and the Marcionites were especially energetic baptisers of the dead. It was to wrong-foot these sects, seen as competitors with the official Church at a time when it was consolidating its position as the State religion of the Roman Empire, that the Synods of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397) voted, after bitter debate, to condemn the practice.

Interestingly, a clear trace of baptism of the dead has lingered in official practice to the present day, in the form of prayers for divine intercession on behalf of the unbaptised souls. Prayers for intervention were encouraged in Catholic schools in the 1950s. For all I know, this remains the case.

Baptising the dead might be seen as analogous, too, to the Jewish prayer of intercession. Which serves as a reminder that US Jews put a halt to galloping post-mortem Mormonism a couple of years ago by arguing that deJudaising those who’d perished in the concentration camps constituted a profound insult to Holocaust victims. Following talks in New York between leaders of the two religions, the Mormons backed off.

The key point is, surely, that all religions believe that the soul, after death, at last knows what’s what — whether Hinduism, Free Presbyterianism, Jainism, Judaism, Islam, Catholicism or whatever is the true religion. What if it’s Mormonism? What if it’s an everyday occurrence on the other side that Catholics and Protestants are left standing dumbstruck at the Gates, gasping: “Mormons! Who’d have believed it?” And maybe a wife berating her husband: “There! I told you it would be the Mormons! But would you listen?! Now it’s eternal hellfire for the two of us, I hope you’re satisfied.”

In that scenario, shouldn’t all members of all other religions be literally eternally grateful to the Mormons for sharing their saving grace even unto and after death?

If, on the other hand, it isn’t the Mormons at all, those who turn out to have been right can wave a merry farewell to the crestfallen followers of Brigham Young as they trundle downwards to their eternal comeuppance.

What’s the problem?

Kiddo Video

We haven't posted kiddo videos in a while.

Wifey says this one is so sweet you'll have to brush your teeth afterwards:




In our next installment of "smartest baby ever" our daughter takes on shapes:



WoooHooo!!!

Dixie Speedway

"Come to the demolition derby!" he said. "I think they're going to race some cars beforehand, it'll be fun!"

We got there just after 7, they didn't start smashing anything on purpose until around 11. What a culture shock it was! Jared took me to Dixie Speedway with some of his coworkers (yes, "dixie") and we got hip-deep in local culture.

The racing was NUTS! The track was dirt, and short, so it seemed like most of the racing was turning., and the trick with turning was to not go spinning out of control what with the ground being nothing but red clay.

Thank heavens Jared remembered ear plugs! Although some noseplugs would have helped too - the smell of gas and dirt was intense... WHEWEE!

I actually got really into it. The loud and the shaking when a race started was pretty exhilarating, although a co-worker and I agreed that the whole driving-slow-because-they-need-to-clear-an-accident-but-the-guys-in-the-back-now-have-a-chance-to catch-up-to-the-guy-in-front-who-WAS-half-a-track-ahead-and-now-they're-right-behind-him-trying-to-over-take-him-all-sneaky-like seemed pretty unfair. But what do we know?

Oh, and the guy waving the flag was fabulous. Really splendid technique.

I do have to say my favorite moment of the night was when Jared got up and announced "I'm going to buy something fried."

Predictablly, he came back wanting to change careers because the idea of charging $3 for $.15 of batter and powdered sugar sounded awesome. And it was numnummy!

Oh - and no pics of this - but did you know there's cars that race that have 2 drivers - one with the wheel and one in charge of the gas and brakes?!? And the nuttiest thing was - those cars had NO accidents in their race, unlike all the others with one driver! We should get that done to our van. Solei could steer!

Then at the end came the demolition derby. It was too dark to get decent pictures or video, but it was not at all what I expected. The junkers drove up, the flag came down and they just started ramming into each other. I thought there'd be some kind of pagentry or something, but nope, just smashing. And yes, there was fire. Very gratifying. And very awesome.

I learned back when I lived in Texas to just set aside my comfort zone and enjoy what the world around me had to offer, even if it did seem pretty nutty. I wish I'd learned it sooner, but I am having a ball experiencing this southern thing! This is right up there with the monster truck rally we went to on our first anniversary:)

Can't take any more...

Everytime I open our page I see that silly grin and it's driving me nuts.

Life has been crazy the last few weeks. Our home was host to a music camp for a week. It drove wife to the edge. She apparently doesn't like screaming 6 year old girls all day long. She's also working on a new album with her band "The Border Collies" as well as one with her treo "Tres de Solei." In preparation for a huge month of September where they are playing 7 different show in just one month.

Work has been insane for me. It's "crunch time" in the toy business and my brain is at full capacity. I created this massive spreadsheet to track all of the forecasts we have from our customers and all the orders I've placed to my factories. If you don't count sleep, I spend more time with this spreadsheet than I do with my wife and child.

Our ward (Church) has begun a focus on "Missionary Work" and being the Assistant Ward Mission Leader (assistant mission leader for my congregation) I'm kind of in the middle of everything. It's an interesting place to be.

We had visits from my sister and brother and thier spouses and families. Nana was in grandma heaven with so many kids. They had SO much fun spending time together. Our Daughter LOVES her cousins and every day would ask for "PAPA-NANA house" to go play with them. We can't wait for them to come back!

From the cute child file:

Daughter is learning how to pray. She is really really good at it and prays basically on her own. On Thursday evening she was praying over dinner and she asked to "Bless Spongebob". I think we need to cut down her TV time.

huh??

Dude, I just saw Kirby - the LDS actor from the Singles Ward, The RM and that embarassing BOM movie - in a Miller Light commercial. Seriously!

Announcement:

Hear ye, hear ye. Let it be known that on the seventeenth of July, our fair daughter went POO in the POTTY.

Let the celebrations begin.

Face?

Look what our little girl taught daddy!

Concept of Heaven

An Anglican leader talks about his new book that exposes the correct view of heaven on The Colbert Report (Someone should tell him he's ripping off Mormon theology...)

Can you blame me?

How can I not love these two cutest of girls??

Long Week

This week has made me realize how lucky I really am. I have an amazing wife who loves me and does so much for me. Sometimes it's not until someone is absent that you realize how important they are to you. I need to do better at recognizing that and letting her know that.

Based on the reports I have heard, my wife is having a great time with her siblings. Our daughter is having the grandest of times with her grandmother and other relatives. They are both having the time of their lives. Reva bought two extra SD cards to capture all the memories, so I'm sure she will post loads of photos. I, on the other hand, can't wait for their return.

Nothing more to report.

Alone

I have been banned from the family reunion. Who gets banned from a family reunion??

BANNED by none other than my wife. My own wife banned me. Apparently I don't travel well and would spoil her fun. No beach, no Grilling out, no put-put golf, no aquarium, no daughter, no wife for one whole week.

Instead I have to stay home and try to keep myself occupied. Alone in a cold (actually hot) and lonely house.

Sad pictures to come.

bleckety blah

Sorry, today is one of those we-need-to-update-but-there-isn't-anything-interesing-to-say blogs. So instead, you get whatever is on our memory card.

You're welcome!

So for Jared's birthday, he wanted to go garage sale-ing, since it's something he loves and I ... not so much. We ended up with this:


How much would you pay for a Pow-pow-power Wheels? 20 smackers. It's hilarious - she can press the "gas" and go, but she can't use the steering wheel. You gotta come over and see it!



Nothing earth-shattering here, she just likes walking around the house with her hat over her face. Yes, she does bump into stuff.

My trio band (Tres de Solei - nope, still don't have a new name) played a pretty awesome gig this weekend at a Highland Games in north Georgia. It was a BLAST!! We kind of stole the show once or twice, and layed in a downpour for one set. Soggy, but still happy!


And as fun as it was to play, I also got some awesome girl time and we had a ball. Mostly messing around twith the timer button on Michael's camera.





And last but not least - here's a shot of Jared, our favorite daddy on this Father's Day.

This morning when he went to get Solei out of bed, she stood up and said "I love you!" Coolest gift ever! (except for all the stuff he's been buying for the last few months and saying they were birthday and Father's day gifts - the scooter, the meat grinder and sausage maker, the projector that turned our basement into a movie theater, and a 6 pack of IBC root beer) Solei adores her dad because he's patient when I'm not, loving when I'm moody, and crazy when she is too. He's the one with the guts to do her hair every Sunday morning, to teach her how to fetch stuff for us, and the person she reaches for when she's happy or sad. Yay, daddy!!!

It almost makes me want to have more... just because he told me we had to. But the thought of having another one still makes me want to throw myself in front of Solei's Power Wheels. I'm currently negotiating pushing back the baby thing a few years - although who here has ever known me to be able to resist Jared's mind games? I think he needs to spend some time with a really horrible baby. Anyone have one you could lend us for a few hours??

And speaking of fathers - dad was giving his ukelele a test drive, and ended up giving Solei some hula lessons today. Thank heaven for fathers!

Happy Father's Day!

ALLDONEALLDONEALLDONE!

Oh BOY have I been excited for today!! It was Solei's first day of swimming lessons!!!! And she's been freakishly pumped - every now and then, she'd look up and ask hopefully "Class? Swimming?" And due to some massive preparation, we squeezed into one of the few parent and tot classes at the local aquatic center - 3 weeks, two days a week - all for $20! There are so few spaces, you have to register within the first few minutes or you won't get in. But I DID!! WOOHOO!!! (I tried to get a good shot of her in her suit - this at gives a good idea of the adorability)

With all that build-up, you'd have thought it would have gone a tad better today, but we are talking about a 19 month old here.

1. We were a few minutes early, and she wanted in the water NOW. I told her nicely not yet, and she was the only child to throw a MASSIVE tantrum. Whee!

2. When we finally got in, she went bonkers and wanted out of my arms, while all the other chilren lovingly grabbed onto their mommies. I asked the teacher if I could let her drown just a little bit to let her know what would happen if I wasn't holding on for dear life, but she advised against it. She was right. At the very end, I dunked her under once, and she got hysterical. I forgot how much she hates water in her eyes - she'd have hated the rest of the class (even more;)

3. Once she realized I wasn't letting go, she proceeded to spend the next 20 minutes (of a 30 minute class) smiling broadly and proclaiming over and over - "Alldonealldonealldonealldonealldonealldonealldonealdonealldone!!! (etc.)" So I had to use all my trickery to keep her in the water and amused. Phew!

When we got in the car, I asked if she'd had fun, and she smiled and shouted "FUN! Swim class!!" So I think she's willing to go back... I might go back too. Well, for $20, I'll do just about anything;)

So with all that insanity, you'd think I would be completely opposed to having any more - and you'd be right. Apparently, I really dislike babies. But I committed to this family thing and siblings are a part of it. Dagnabit. And with Jared turning 32 this weekend, he's afraid he won't be able to chase any more kids much longer. Old man and all that.

Since the last one was a shock and a half, we're trying to plan out the next one - and that's where y'all come in. We figure the best time to give birth next time is in the spring - not too pregnant at the Christmas rush but not big and preggo during the summer either. So it looks like we are trying for getting pregnant July or August, and wouldn't it be fun if we were ALL PREGNANT at the SAME TIME?!? We're trying to recruit some other baby-ing couples, but so far, no luck. Come on, people!! It's the Summer of Love ! Do it for your country - er.. blog friends?

Seriously! Think about it!

Random Parenting Moment

The Setup: Our daughter has a set of leapfrog letters that stick to the fridge and they have a base unit that sings songs when you put the letters in the base unit. She loves to play with it.

Imagine this: Daddy (me) is washing dishes and daughter is playing at the fridge. She'd moved to the other side of the fridge where I couldn't see her. After a few minutes of strange noises I turned and asked:

"Solei dear, what are you doing?"

A little head peeks around the corner of the fridge and this is the response I get:

"Pooping."

"Pooping?"

"Pooping"

She was right. She's a quick learner.

We should be used to it, but it still stings when it happens. The LDS church has been inexistance for about 178 years now, and yet the intolerance and hatred always seems to surprise and hurt. The Washington Post did an article about how the community in Washington D.C. was trying to block the building of one of our churches on 16th Street (with about 45 other churches in the vicinity) for various reasons. The nastiest part of the article was this little tidbit:

And the Mormons are finding little support from the neighborhood's clergy,
including one pastor who said his objection is rooted not in architecture, but
theology.
"They don't accept Jesus as the Messiah; they accept him as the
prophet," said Edward Wilson, pastor at Church of Christ, a block from the
Mormon site. "It's wrong, I disagree with it, and I wouldn't want them in the
neighborhood."

To get a job as a pastor, those people have to at least have a graduate degree in religion - yet, I lowly religiously uneducated gal that I am know that the doctrinal issue he has with us is something he should bring up with the ISLAMIC church. That's their view, not ours. We're the flippin' Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day Saints! And you don't want someone in your neigborhood you disagree with? Blegh. So Jared found their church e.mail and sent a note to the offended/offending pastor:


Dear Mr Wilson,

This afternoon I read the story on the proposed new Church on 16th Street in the Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/23/AR2008052302750.html?hpid=moreheadlines). Hopefully the Washington Post mis-quoted you in reference to the beliefs of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The quote reads: "They don't accept Jesus as the Messiah; they accept him as the prophet."

Your quote could not be more untrue. My guess is that you were mis-quoted. I'd suggest contacting the Washington Post and asking them to correct the error so that you can set the record straight. Individuals so misquoted, who have failed to do so, have often lost credibility on matters of religion, and my assumption is that you are not interested in that happening.

If you were quoted correctly, I would direct you to the following website (created and maintained by the same church) which repeated attests and testifies of the divinity and saving mission of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: http://jesuschrist.lds.org. They do not hold Him to be a mere prophet: "Mormons" do, indeed, accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Messiah, the Alpha and Omega and their personal Savior. They are grateful for his mission and sacrifice and strive to live lives, showing their devotion to the Lord by blessing his children around the world.

With Love and Respect,
etc.

I hope this pastor reads this with a little more compassion than he usually does with those "untouchables" he disagrees with. This is my issue with religions where people are paid to teach others -it's a business, not a faith.

Rant over. Enjoy the holiday - go hug someone you don't agree with!

Dancing Queen

If you aren't family, don't watch this. It's short, but it's not for the adults - it's a kiddo distracter. Solei wanted to watch it over and over and over again. Well, mostly because it's all her, but it's cute nonetheless. You've been warned.

What's in a (band) name?

I needs help, people. My celtic trio is in need of a new name... like, today, and I can't for the life of me think of one. I like band names like The Charms, Solas, Oisre, The Cardigans, Bad Haggis, Flogging Molly, but finding one that fits our sound is though .

It's the three of us, two chicks and the world's most awesome guitarist. I thought maybe I coul find some cool Gaelic word with the Gaelic dictionary, and that's a start, but I need a word that describes us and is also not completely confusing. (You can check out our Myspace here for audio)

Ideas? Puleeeze? Thanks!

Newest member of the family

Jared informed me that our blog is boring, to anyone who is not as completely enamoured with our daughter as we are. Well, is THIS boring??

Don't ask me how he talked me into it, because I don't think he did. I really don't remember him actually asking if he could have one.

Go ahead, ask him why it's so practical. And a total buy. Realy, he'll tell you. He's already had one person he extoled its virtues to go out and buy the exact same bike. Same color. Creepy. One reason he desperately needed it was his old scooter could only go about 35mph, and even though he just commutes 3 miles to work, 35 just ain't gonna cut it with Atlanta drivers. Even if it is the back streets.

That's the old one. Italian. Actually used as a mail scooter. In Italy. They apparently don't care about getting their mail very quickly.

Okay, I know that my mom reads this so that is at least ONE person who is enamoured with our kid. So that picture was for her.

And that one.


Nana and Papa came by and tried it out. Nana refused to get on if Papa was driving. Heehee. I'll post the video of that later. Unfortunately I didn''t get a shot of Papa wobbling down the driveway.

I'll leave you with this disturbing shot of suburban, WASPy housewife stangeness.

Boring?? I wish.

For mom

I'm finally getting around to posting these pictures of Easter. I've been super busy not cleaning my house. My mom got Solei this uber cute dress and I desperately tried to get a decent picture for her. The results:

1. She wouldn't stop moving!

2. Girl has to sit sometime.

3. Okay, I could NOT get a good shot of the whole dress what with al the moving and such, so we gotta take whats we get. Look how faboo the dress looks on her, mom!

4. Dress. Plus a crazy look, but check out that dress!

5. Believe it or not, this is the best family shot we got. The next one was with Solei running away from us.

6. We're so dang hott.

Back Yard

Our back yard was just as bad a the rest of the house when we purchased it. Solei LOVES being outside so we really wanted to make the backyard somewhere she could play. A few weeks ago we borrowed a tiller, bought some grass seed and fertilizer and went to work.

Here are the results! A patch of GRASS!!!


Here is Solei with Daddy (and his new specs).

Mommy joined in the fun and we got this great little picture of our family.

Here's Solei and Daddy closing up the vent so that she couldn't put anything down it...

And finally! Here is the smartest 18 month-old baby ever. While we are a little biased, she is amazing!