1 Corinthians 15:29 Baptism for the dead!

                   Mormon Temple's baptismal font for baptisms for the dead

Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead? -1 Corinthians 15:29 Bible, King James Version

Different Christian churches choose different Biblical rituals to follow in this day and age. The only Christian church I know of which practices baptism for the dead is the Mormon church. Because they believe baptism by water is essential to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven they research their genealogy partly for the purpose of performing baptisms for their dead ancestors in the temple. Just as baptism by water is a ritual so too is baptisms for the dead, or proxy baptisms, a ritual. John the Baptist introduced the symbolic rite, or ritual, of baptism which pointed the way to the real cleansing Baptism of Fire which the Master Jesus would bring. Mankind may be baptized in water a thousand times but this will not cleanse them of their sins because it is only symbolic. The Ascended Masters teach that the use of the Violet Consuming Flame is the way to cleanse ourselves of all our past mistakes.

                   Violet Flame: God's Gift to Man

Heaven and its Wonders and Hell From Things Heard and Seen by Emanuel Swedenborg. (First published, in Latin, 1758)

329. XXXVII. LITTLE CHILDREN IN HEAVEN.

...No one receives heaven... through baptism; for baptism is merely for a sign and memorial that man should be regenerated...

The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ by Levi H. Dowling

CHAPTER 35.

Jesus and Vidyapati consider the needs of the incoming age of the world.
¹The Indian sage and Jesus often met and talked about the needs of nations and of men; about the sacred doctrines, forms and rites best suited to the coming age.

²One day they sat together in a mountain pass, and Jesus said, The coming age will surely not re­quire priests, and shrines, and sac­rifice of life.

³There is no power in sacrifice of beast, or bird, to help a man to holy life.

⁴And Vidyapati said, All forms and rites are symbols of the things that men must do within the temple of the soul.

⁵The Holy One requires man to give his life in willing sacrifice for men, and all the so-called offerings on altars and on shrines that have been made since time began, were made to teach man how to give him­self to save his brother man; for man can never save himself except he lose his life in saving other men.

⁶The perfect age will not re­quire forms and rites and carnal sacrifice. The coming age is not the perfect age, and men will call for object lessons and symbolic rites.

⁷And in the great religion you shall introduce to men, some simple rites of washings and remembrances will be required; but cruel sacrifice of animals, and birds the gods re­quire not.

⁸And Jesus said, Our God must loathe the tinseled show of priests and priestly things.

⁹When men array themselves in showy garbs to indicate that they are servants of the gods, and strut about like gaudy birds to be ad­mired by men, because of piety or any other thing, the Holy One must surely turn away in sheer disgust.

¹⁰All people are alike the serv­ants of our Father-God, are kings and priests.

¹¹Will not the coming age de­mand complete destruction of the priestly caste, as well as every other caste and inequality among the sons of men?

¹²And Vidyapati said, The coming age is not the age of spirit life and men will pride themselves in wearing priestly robes, and chant­ing pious chants to advertise them­selves as saints.

¹³The simple rites that you will introduce will be extolled by those who follow you, until the sacred service of the age will far outshine in gorgeousness the priestly service of the Brahmic age.

¹⁴This is a problem men must solve.

¹⁵The perfect age will come when every man will be a priest and men will not array themselves in special garb to advertise their piety.

CHAPTER 78.

¹And Jesus went to Jericho, and at the inn of Asher he abode.

⁵But Jesus did not tarry long in Jericho; he went down to the Jor­dan ford where John was wont to teach.

⁶The multitudes were there and Jesus said to them, Behold, the time has come; the kingdom is at hand.

⁷None but the pure in heart can come into the kingdom of the Holy One; but every son and daugh­ter of the human race is called upon to turn from evil and become the pure in heart.

⁸The resolution to attain and enter through the Christine gate into the kingdom of the Holy One will constitute discipleship, and ev­ery one must make a public pledge of his discipleship.

⁹John washed your bodies in the stream, symbolic of the cleans­ing of the soul, in preparation for the coming of the king, the opening of the Christine gate into the king­dom of the Holy One.

¹⁰John did a mighty work; but now the Christine gate is opened up, and washing is established as the pledge of your discipleship.

¹¹Until this age [the Piscean Age] shall close this pledge shall be a rite, and shall be called, Baptism rite; and it shall be a sign to men, and seal to God of men’s discipleship.

In the book 'Beyond the Himalayas' by Murdo MacDonald-Bayne, Geshe Rimpoche talks about rituals: "Ritual is mental, not spiritual; the ways of performing it may be different, but it is all of the mind and this is what you have to understand, otherwise you can never be free. If you refuse to understand it, you are still bound by it, whether you believe it or disbelieve it. Spirituality is the silent expression of Love, Wisdom and Power, not the repeating of ritual. (p40) The Christian religion has form and ritual too. It may be slightly different but they are all similar." (p39)