Mormons believe that they are required to "proxy baptize" the dead so they can "go to heaven." This belief is mistaken, but the practice harms absolutely no one, does not yank Jewish souls out of Gan `Eden and make "mormons" of them, and at the same time eases the consciences of mormons who sincerely believe they must do this.
When the nations of the world are told to discard their false religions, beliefs, and practices in the name of Objective Religious Truth I will be all for it. However, mormons are not being asked to cease this practice in the name of Objective Religious Truth but rather in the name of "tolerance," pluralism, and multiculturalism. This is utter and absolute nonsense. Not only mormon proxy baptism, but chrstian proselytization aimed at Jews, is attacked not in the name of G-d but in the name of Adolf Hitler (mach shemo!). Mormons and chrstians are told to stop practices they sincerely (if mistakenly) believe are required of them not because it is wrong but because it contradicts the "lessons we learned at Auschwitz." What exactly did we learn at Auschwitz that we did not already know at Mt. Sinai anyway???
This particular demand was made, not by a genuine Orthodox rabbinic authority, but by Elie Wiesel, a celebrity-Holocaust survivor whose reason for being Jewish is apparently reduced to Churban 'Europa' and who may not even believe HaShem even exists.
Now before you mormon-bashers jump all over me for "defending mormonism," I am not defending mormonism at all per se; I take the same position with regard to all those demands made of you to stop "witnessing." Too many Jews are Jewish today because of Adolf Hitler (mach shemo!) and not because of HaShem and Torah. It's time this postmodern purely ethno-political Judaism (based on nineteenth century ethnic nationalism) be buried for good and all and replaced with Torah and Mitzvot.
Just my two cents' worth.
The Mormon leadership has promised now for 16 years to stop doing this.
I posted another thread yesterday...see Mormons apologize for posthumous baptism of parents of Jewish rights advocate Wiesenthal
Very early in that thread I said the following: Well, this all gives lie to this Mormon belief. If the Mormons truly thought that baptizing Jews by proxy was the ONLY way to "save" them, then they'd continue to do it hell or high water. Yet they cave on doing "the work of the Mormon lord." Why? Because it's "controversial" and "offensive." Wow! If that was the watershed criteria for whether to continue something, where would Christianity be? No, this shows Mormonism to be the wishy-washy cult it's always been!
IOW, I was actually encouraging the Mormon church – if it had the actual absolute gumption to keep claiming that it was of the “Mormon lord” … to stick to its convictions and tell multi-culturalism where it could go. But alas, the Mormon church has shown even they don't believe that baptizing the dead is a salvific absolute! They backed down 16 years ago...and once they made this vow to honor multi-culturalism, it cannot go back.
So now it's a matter about a promise made...and honoring that promise...which Mormons aren't doing, either!
So, first they cave on their doctrine & convictions...showing the lie of their faith...and then they cave on their promise, showing the lie of their integrity!