I'm not linking to any posts on my post here, but you've probably heard about it in the media if you haven't read one of hundreds of posts on the Internet about the Mormon (Latter Day Saints) belief in "Baptism of The Dead" into their religion, a ritual of inclusion which is said to have been performed for Princess Diana, Eva Braun Hitler and Adolph Hitler, the Nazi, and other characters. I first heard about this years ago when there was an outcry by Jewish people who learned their ancestors had been baptised without their knowledge or permission.
I believe that the Latter Day Saints Church's policy on this practice is that a church member should only baptise those who are a direct familial link - parents and grandparents and great grandparents. This is a church that is gaining in converts and converts wish to spend eternity with their families in eternal life after death. From an anthropological view point (anthropology of religion being one of my favorite subjects) in many religions and cultures such rituals have the effect of lessening the natural human anxiety about death. Some would say Last Rites in Catholicism has the same effect on the person about to die and the family.
Also during the uproar I recalled that the Church also stated that this ritual does not take the person's free will from them. Since our dead ancestors are believed to be conscious and alive in eternal life, it is up to them to accept or reject the invitation to join the church through this baptism.
Since my own beliefs include reincarnation as well as free will, I'm a bit of a fence sitter on this one. I do believe a live family's wishes should be respected. For instance I believe that you should never post information about your siblings, parents, or grandparents on any Internet or club site without permission from each and every one of them, which is why obtaining the private services of a genealogist may be in order. You may be subjecting people who have no wish to have their personal private information - including who they are related to - accessed by others - including identity thieves.
Many people I've communicated with are suspicious of all the databases and information collection going on by LDS. One archivist I spoke with in New Jersey said "Why do they need all that information?" We can only hope that the information will be used with respect.
