The reason that temple work for the dead resonates with Mormons, I think, is that we ARE our ancestors. Temple work is just a different form of Buddhist ancestor worship.

For those of you who felt special doing the work, there’s the reason. It had nothing to do with the doctrine of salvation.

I totally agree with your 'belief' in reincarnation, based on my experiences.

However, I have seen a number of past lives. Everyone can by past life regressions (hypnosis or self hypnosis/meditations). Based on that ----- I am not one of my past ancestors in most of my past life cases, however, others definitely could have been!

Based on my experiences, spirits,like ourselves have some pride, and like others 'thinking of them' and definitely will help 'anyone' doing any work that encourages those type of efforts. Having 'spirit experiences' when doing geneology, I believe has a very high probability even though the actual work is meaningless to 'salvation' the 'pride' thing is what is meaningful to spirits.

Brother Chicken N. Backpacks ...I baptize you for and in behalf of Great Grandma Tizzy, who was dead but came back as you after she first came back as your crazy cousin Bill who ran his pickup truck into an irrigation ditch in 1952...oh, and she was Napoleon way way back, too.......Amen.

That would save a hell of a lot of time, but I don't think the Church™ would go for it.

Family Genealogy and Temple Work, “introduced” to me at the same time I was reading about Greeks and Romans, is forever associated in my mind with how the Roman ‘genius’ was entrapped in the bust, sculpted as a likeness of the dead, unlike the idealizing Greeks, to be honoured and literally ‘talked to’ by the living members of the family.

I remember thinking (god help my poor, Mormon-believing soul) that the Romans were of the devil because they entrapped their ancestors’ souls in busts while we Mormons allowed our ancestors to go to the spirit world. I also wondered if those Roman geniuses were trapped forever, losing out on the awaited resurrection.

Whew! The head-trips of LDSinc, all this and more for 10% of every dime you will ever make!