The prominence of cemeteries and mausoleums and the prevalence of photographs of forebears testify to our respect and affection for those who lived and died before us. When did proper and biblical affection grow into the improper and unbiblical activities you mention? Good question!

Obscure sources

Ultimately we do not know where the practices originated. They do not flow from Scripture. But 2 Maccabees 15:11-16 has been used to support the idea of the living doing things to benefit the dead and may indicate that the notion was known during the Intertestamental Period. But the Jewish community, from which the Apocrypha sprang, denies this and has no such custom. Second Timothy 1:18 has been cited as evidence that Paul prayed for deceased Onesiphorus, but no evidence exists that this coworker had died. First Corinthians 15:29, with its mention of baptisms "for the dead," offers no explanatory detail, gives no endorsement, issues no command, enjoys no historical verification of such a practice at that time, finds no clarifying reference in the Bible, and remains an insufficient basis for the ritual. The passage remains cryptic, but several other ways of understanding it have been proposed.

The customs of praying or being baptized for the dead (currently prevalent among Roman Catholics and Mormons) come from sources outside the Bible. But where these practices began we cannot say. The habit of proxy baptisms never did prevail in the history of Christendom, but Joseph Smith endorsed it in his writings, and Mormons have practiced it since about 1840.

Unacceptable rituals

Although unable to identify historical sources, we can nevertheless give an appraisal of the rituals. Even if we assume that the motives of people who do these things are good, we must reject their actions as contrary to biblical truth. It is one thing to desire to see prior generations in glory and even express willingness to help them attain heaven. But the Bible tells us we can do nothing that will benefit the dead.

"Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him" (Hebrews 9:27,28). There are no second chances for salvation after one’s death any more than there are second or alternate remedies for sin besides Christ’s perfect self-sacrifice. These Bible truths are denied or obscured by proxy baptisms and intercessions for the deceased.