Tracy Hall http://www.jta.org/user/profile/3690 en-us zsilberman@washingtonjewishweek.com Copyright 2012 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 There is much more to this story than can be reported in the space allocated. Moses and Elijah were great prophets. Did all Israel obey them? Can we expect more of the Mormon prophet? But the Church has clearly stated its policies to its members and has gone to great efforts to take corrective action when it discovers violations thereof. And it is spending millions to develop a new online system, the "new FamilySearch," which will finally make make member submissions more traceable and accountable. The system is about three years behind schedule. At his advanced age, it is understandable that Michel is impatient, but the Church really is making a good-faith effort to respect Jewish sensibilities. Interestingly, the Church officially discriminates against its members who have Jewish ancestry. Mormons of "gentile" extraction are permitted to submit ordinances for any deceased relative who was born more than 95 years ago. However, Mormons of Jewish ancestry are supposed to submit ordinances only for direct-line ancestors and are also supposed to submit these to Church headquarters for prior approval. Can we really blame our members of Jewish extraction for feeling a little rebellious, like Israel of old? I do commend the United Jewish Federation of Utah for its patience in the matter. http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705262336,00.html Please, everyone, please understand that Mormons do not "posthumously baptize" anyone. Freedom of choice - the moral agency of man -- is a fundamental principle of Mormonism, and we believe that the spirits of men retain their moral agency after death. One cannot choose between apple pie and pumpkin pie unless both can be had. Accordingly, we work diligently to "bake the pie" for everyone who has ever lived, although we understandably work hardest for our own ancestors. But nobody, nobody, forces anybody, living or dead, to eat the pie. http://hthalljr.googlepages.com/choice.html Tracy Hall Jr hthalljr'gmail'com 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00