One of the sparks that ignited the Protestant Reformation was the sale of indulgences. These indulgences promised that the living could, by making a financial contribution, contribute to their ancestors escape from purgatory. Martin Luther responded with indignation to Johann Tetzel’s declaration that “As soon as the gold in the casket rings the rescued soul to heaven springs.” Luther was right to be outraged. Tetzel and the Catholic Church exploited the most natural of human feelings – worry over the well-being and status of deceased loved ones to enhance the Church’s power and raise money for its coffers.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints likewise teaches that individuals can perform ordinances on behalf of their deceased loved ones that offer them an escape from the purgatory of spiritual prison and an opportunity towards eternal progression.And while these ordinances aren’t for “sale” in as crude and direct a fashion as Tetzel’s indulgences, they still come with a cost. The cost of participating in these ordinances is paying tithing, making temple covenants to consecrate everything to the LDS Church, and remaining loyal to the earthly institution so that you can remain temple “worthy.”
People really want to believe that they can contribute in some small way to the salvation of those that they love. They want to be “saviors on Mount Zion” as Joseph Smith put it. And they are willing to sacrifice many things to get assurances for their loved ones. This was one of the biggest things that drew me to the LDS Church. I desperately wanted to ensure that I could be with my mother again forever, and so I was willing to sacrifice many things to join the LDS Church and stay loyal to it for many years.
But ultimately, these are man made efforts to secure what only God can do. Institutions like the Catholic and LDS Churches exploit our sympathy and affection for loved ones. They offer a power over the fate of the dead that God has given to no man
The Bible does not teach that the prayer or actions of the living influence the dead. God alone is described as the judge of the quick and the dead. “[I]t is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” And in Luke, Jesus puts forward the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, where the rich man is depicted separated from Abraham’s bosom (the place of the righteous dead) by a wide chasm that cannot be bridged, and his requests to send a message to warn his brothers to repent are rejected. There is no indication in these passages that the dead are waiting for us to provide them way saving ordinances to free them from bondage or captivity.
As much as we wish we could, we cannot alter anyone’s eternal fate. We must instead put our total trust in the goodness of God and his justice and mercy. We should recognize that we are not “saviors on Mount Zion” but sinners in need of a glorious savior, and praise God that we are not the ones who will judge at the last day.