Baptism is a very important part of the Mormon Church. Baptism is a personal covenant between God and the person who is baptized. It is a public sentiment that proclaims a person’s love for God and an understanding of His teachings.
In the Mormon Church, those who reach the age of accountability are expected to be baptized. The “age of accountability” means the person knows the difference between right and wrong, and therefore is open to sin. Children under the age of eight are not considered to be accountable, and therefore do not have to be baptized. Those who are mentally disabled and do not have a deeper understanding of right and wrong are also considered below the age of accountability.
Children who pass away before the age of accountability will be accepted by God as pure, and will be saved. Therefore, baptism of small children and babies is not necessary–they are already pure and without sin in the eyes of God.
Only those who have the authority to baptize can perform the ritual. The Mormon Church believes in baptism by immersion, meaning the person to be baptized must be immersed fully in water and then risen out of it, to display their belief that Christ did rise again.
Those who have been baptized are then open to the Gift of the Holy Ghost. This is given by the church authority, and is done by the laying on of the hands. It usually occurs the following Sunday after baptism, and involves laying the hands of church clergy on the head of the person who was baptized, then saying a blessing over them.
The Mormon Church has a unique baptism ritual for the dead. Members of the Church are allowed to be baptized by proxy, or to stand in for family members who were not baptized during their lifetime. This method of baptism is meant to open the spiritual doors for the person who has passed away, and allow them to make the choice to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
There have been many protests concerning baptism by proxy, especially when those who were baptized did not have clear connections with the Mormon Church. However, the practice continues despite the occasional protest.
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