Posthumous Mormon Baptism of Barack Obama's Mother?

[commence rant]

Ben Smith comments on a report from Americablog that the Mormon Church posthumously baptized Barack Obama's mother this past June:

""The offering of baptism to our deceased ancestors is a sacred practice to us and it is counter to Church policy for a Church member to submit names for baptism for persons to whom they are not related," said spokeswoman Kim Farah in an emailed statement. "The Church is looking into the circumstances of how this happened and does not yet have all the facts. However, this is a serious matter and we are treating it as such."

Mormons believe that souls cannot enter heaven without undergoing baptism and other sacraments, and that those sacraments can be given by proxy after death. The practice of posthumous baptism by proxy has caused controversy in the past, as when Jewish groups raised objections to the baptism of victims of the Holocaust."

Did you notice the qualifier, "...to whom they are not related"? I have little doubt that if kinship could be proven between Obama's mother and a real Mormon, everything about this would be just fine and dandy with them.

Seriously, these people scrounge through genealogical records to find the flimsiest of relationships to haul these hapless victims into their slimy membership ranks. Do they demand a tithe from the family's estate for the privilege?

It's in my will that these fruit bats shall not baptize me posthumously. I was baptized a Catholic without my consent, and that's enough for one lifetime.

I find it amusing the lengths to which some faiths will go to look legitimate. Look, Mormons, your faith was founded less than 200 years ago by a guy who claimed he found ancient Egyptian gold tablets buried next to his farm near Palmyra, New York, which said Jesus came to America for a little R&R after the Resurrection and in doing so told some schmuck that the Native Americans were the embodiment of evil (later translated to blacks and now gays), and that they should have as many wives and children as possible. And you think swelling your roster with people after they die is going to make you look less batshitcrazy? At best, it makes you look craven.

Oh, and BTW, your conduct regarding Prop 8 in California should merit your removal from tax-exempt status for a religion or church. You want to overtly meddle in politics? You should be made to pay for it.

[conclude rant]

Via Sullivan.
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Later: PZ Myers unloads.
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Update 2: My response to the comment of Anonymous below.