British Prime Minister: Global New Deal possible in months

In a March 3 Yahoo! News story, British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, told reporters in the Oval Office,

"Look, there is the possibility in the next few months of a global new deal that will involve all the countries of the world in sorting out and cleaning up the banking system. There is the possibility of all the different countries of the world coming together to agree the expansion in the economy that is necessary to restore confidence and to give people jobs and growth and prosperity for the future. There is the possibility of the international institutions for the first time being reformed in such a way that they can do the job that people want them to do, and deal with some of the problems that exist in the poorest countries of the world."

Perhaps as was discussed on this blog a few weeks ago, a global government is not just plausible, but is now very near!

Ray Comfort offers famous atheist $10k to debate him

In a recent WorldNet Daily piece, Christian apologist Ray Comfort challenged famous atheist, Richard Dawkins to a debate stating,

“I will donate $10,000 to him, or give it to any children’s charity he names. All I ask is that he goes into a studio and gives me 20 minutes on why there is no God and why evolution is scientific. Then I will give 20 minutes on how we can know God exists and why evolution is nothing more than an unsubstantiated and unscientific fairy tale for grownups. Then we both will have 10 minutes to respond. Sadly, I have found that even evolution’s most staunch believers are afraid to debate, because they know that their case for atheism and evolution is less than extremely weak. I would be delighted (and honored) if Mr. Dawkins has the courage to debate me, but I'm not holding my breath.”

Dawkins of course is not only famous for his books, but he also made a guest appearance in Ben Stein’s movie, “EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed” and is notorious for rejecting Intelligent Design while also suggesting that aliens may have originated life on earth and that he is 99% sure no god exists.

Israel’s natural gas discovery much larger than original estimate

In a February 10, 2009 press release, Noble Energy announced that the huge natural gas discovery just off the coast of Haifa, Israel is much larger than the original projections.

Noble Energy made this statement in its press release,

“The pre-drill gross mean resource potential for Tamar was originally estimated at 3.1 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of natural gas. Immediately following discovery, we estimated the gross resource potential to be at least equal to the pre-drill mean estimate. After analysis of all the post-drill and production test data, the estimated gross mean resource potential of Tamar has now been increased to 5 Tcf.”

Houston based Noble Energy owns 36% of the Tamar-1 well.

UN: Iran has enough Uranium for a nuclear bomb

The Financial Times of London reports today that the United Nations is now saying that Iran has enough Uranium for a nuclear bomb.

Peter Zimmerman, former chief scientist of the US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency said this,

“It appears that Iran has walked right up to the threshold of having enough low enriched uranium to provide enough raw material for a single bomb. It’s sure as hell certain that if they didn’t have it [enough] when the IAEA took these measurements, they will have it in a matter of weeks.”

If Benjamin Netanyahu does in fact become the next Prime Minister of Israel, as many expect, it will likely lead to a major conflict between Iran and Israel. As was noted a few days ago on this blog, perhaps that conflict has already begun.

Epsicopal Bishop nominee claims to be Christian and Buddhist

The headline sounds unreal doesn’t it? Well, it is accurate. As unbelievable as it sounds, Episcopal Bishop nominee, Kevin Thew Forrester, actually claims simultaneous adherence to both Christianity and Buddhism. Forrester is currently the interim Ministry Developer and Rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church of Marquette, Michigan.

According to Christian News Wire, Forrester is not the first Episcopal clergyman to claim adherence to Christianity and a non-Christian religion simultaneously.

“Forrester is not the first Episcopal clergyman to hold dual faiths. In 2004, Pennsylvania priest Bill Melnyk was revealed to be a druid; while in 2007 Seattle priest Ann Holmes Redding declared that she was simultaneously an Episcopalian and a Muslim. Both Melnyk and Redding were eventually inhibited from priestly duties. Forrester's background was recently brought to light by the Anglican web site Stand Firm in Faith.”

As Religious Tolerance.org points out in its final section of its comparison of Buddhism to Christianity, Buddhism was originally a non-theistic religion and is now a polytheistic religion to many Buddhists . Hence, Buddhism and Christianity are fundamentally theologically incompatible. So one cannot correctly claim adherence to both Christianity and Buddhism any more than one can correctly claim to be both theist and atheist.

Mormons proxy-baptize serial killer Ted Bundy

The Mormon Church has once again gotten itself into a controversy surrounding its peculiar doctrine of baptism for the dead. The last controversy was when Mormons proxy-baptized Jews who were murdered by Hitler and his Nazi henchmen after the LDS Church’s 1995 agreement not to perform their rites for Jews killed in Nazi concentration camps.

The latest controversy involves notorious serial killer, Ted Bundy, who was the recent recipient of proxy-baptism (baptism for the dead) performed on his behalf in the Jordan River Utah Temple owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Interestingly, Bundy was baptized as a Mormon in 1975 and was later excommunicated by the LDS Church. In Mormonism baptism for the dead is performed by living Mormons for deceased non-Mormons who rejected the Mormon Gospel (a.k.a. the Restored Gospel) in mortality. Bundy, however, given the severity of his actions could be labeled a "Son of Perdition" in Mormonsim and could therefore end up in "Outer Darkness" for eternity.

On the doctrine of baptism for the dead, Mormon Prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley stated,

“But there are uncounted millions who have walked the earth and who have never had the opportunity to hear the gospel. Shall they be denied such blessings as are offered in the temples of the Lord? Through living proxies who stand in behalf of the dead, the same ordinances are available to those who have passed from mortality. In the spirit world these same individuals are then free to accept or reject those earthly ordinances performed for them, including baptism, marriage, and the sealing of family relationships. There's no compulsion in the work of the Lord, but there must be opportunity. This vicarious work constitutes an unprecedented labor of love on the part of the living in behalf of the dead.”

Clearly, the LDS Church has some explaining to do because undoubtedly the church’s actions have reopened some very painful wounds for many families traumatized by Bundy.

Iran's first spy satellite launch could signify nuclear-capable rocket in hand

DEBKAfile reports that Iran launched its first ever spy satellite on February 3, 2009. The implication of the satellite is that Iran now has the capability of launching an ICBM. Given the fact that Iran now has nuclear capabilities it is reasonable to believe that they are now capable or very near capable of launching an ICBM with a nuclear warhead.

The DEBKAfile piece makes this alarming statement,

DEBKAfile's Iranian sources report the new satellite is designed for tracking, research, telecommunications and carries digital measuring instruments. They stress that it is a feather in the hat for Iran's "Military Group" – the team of scientists and technicians working on its clandestine nuclear bomb program. They are clearly moving ahead undisturbed by UN sanctions or technical difficulties toward rapidly finishing work on nuclear warheads for their ballistic rockets.

Clearly, the Iranians are planning to use their new nuclear military power. And with Russia apparently in their corner together they present a very dangerous alliance and threat to Israel and the United States.

Most in the elite media pay little attention to the conflict between Israel and a Russian backed Iran. But in reality that conflict is under way. When Russia invaded Georgia last year they raided an Israeli air base, which they overtook and in so doing captured some Israeli military equipment. Apparently, the Israeli Air Force planned to use the air base to launch an attack on the Iranian nuclear facilities if necessary. Too, Israel assisted Georgia in fighting off the Russians to capture the breakaway capitol of South Ossedia, which greatly angered the Kremlin and will likely bring a Russian reprisal upon Israel. The conflict has commenced and the next strike will undoubtedly be much more decisive.

Austrian insurance company employs workers based on their astrological sign

According to the UK’s Daily Mail, a Salzburg, Austria insurance company placed an ad in a European newspaper in hopes of finding the best possible employees available. The ad, however, limits applicants to those who have specific astrological signs. The Daily Mail piece lists these signs as the ones the company desires of potential employees:

“We are looking for people over 20 for part-time jobs in sales and management with the following star signs: Capricorn, Taurus, Aquarius, Aries and Leo.”

The company’s rationale for the astrological limitation on applicants is,

“A statistical study indicated that almost all of our best employees across Austria have one of the five star signs. We only decided to continue with that system and hire the best workers.”

Philosophically astrology holds the view that man and the universe are connected by a spiritual force whereby man is a microcosm of the patterns of his planets at birth, and the planets reflect one’s inner self.

Tom Hanks Apologizes for Calling Mormon Supporters of Proposition 8 "Un-American"

FoxNews reports that actor, Tom Hanks, has apologized for his insulting remark about members of the Mormon church in relation to the Proposition 8 issue. The report states,

"Last week, I labeled members of the Mormon church who supported California's Proposition 8 as 'un-American,'" the actor said in a statement through his publicist. "I believe Proposition 8 is counter to the promise of our Constitution; it is codified discrimination."

"But everyone has a right to vote their conscience; nothing could be more American," the statement continues. "To say members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who contributed to Proposition 8 are 'un-American' creates more division when the time calls for respectful disagreement. No one should use 'un- American' lightly or in haste. I did. I should not have."

Amazingly, actors assume that the public cares about their political views. Perhaps these spiteful public outbursts from Hollywood are more for attention and dramatics than for making meaningful statements.

And often times members of the audience do not readily separate the actor’s public comments and worldview from his performance on the big screen. The bottom line is that the public expects to be entertained by actors not lectured to, condescended to and insulted.

Israel finds massive natural gas reservoir

WorldNet Daily reports that Israel recently discovered a natural gas reservoir that could be historic and will dramatically change the Israeli economy.

According to the piece,

"We are witnessing an historic moment in Israel's energy market," Israel's National Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer told Reuters. "If it turns out in a few weeks that the indicators received in recent days are true, then we are talking about the biggest find in Israel's history."

Israel's Petroleum Commissioner Yaakov Mimran told Reuters that if early finds are validated the site would meet Israel's demand for 15 years.

"If the Tamar site opposite the Haifa coast succeeds in producing the significant quantities of natural gas predicted, we are talking about a revolution which will have an impact on the Israeli economy for the coming generations," Dan Halman, CEO of Halman-Aldubi Group told the Jerusalem Post.

"The vast reservoir is poised to bring down electricity prices, reduce the country's dependence on gas from foreign countries, in particular from Egypt, and thereby turn Israel from a gas importer into a gas exporter," Halman said.

Analysts told Reuters the natural gas find at Tamar No. 1 was worth an estimated $26 billion and would be available for market starting in 2013.

If the reported reservoir pans out it could dramatically alter the dynamic in the Middle East.

Barna: 1 in 3 Christians believe Jesus sinned

A January 12, 2009 Barna survey revealed some disturbing things about the beliefs of American Christians. According to the survey,

“Among individuals who describe themselves as Christian, for instance, close to half believe that Satan does not exist, one-third contend that Jesus sinned while He was on earth, two-fifths say they do not have a responsibility to share the Christian faith with others, and one-quarter dismiss the idea that the Bible is accurate in all of the principles it teaches.”

The sinlessness of Jesus Christ, Satan’s existence and the trustworthiness of the Bible are essential aspects of biblical Christianity. Deviation from these central doctrines is a deviation from biblical Christianity. Specifically, if Jesus sinned, He cannot be God in the flesh, the Trinity cannot be true, nor can He be the perfect sacrifice for sin all of which the Bible teaches. Doctrine is like a puzzle: if one piece is taken out it affects the whole picture. It is stunning that people think they can be Christian while dismissing many of the central doctrines of Christianity.

Financial Times: One world government is plausible

The Financial Times of London had a very interesting piece on December 8, 2008 titled, “And now for a world government.” One might expect this kind of conclusion from Evangelical Christians and one might expect this kind of thing in a satirist type article, but this is a serious article coming from a respected secular newspaper in London.

According to the author of the piece, Gideon Rachman,

I have never believed that there is a secret United Nations plot to take over the US. I have never seen black helicopters hovering in the sky above Montana. But, for the first time in my life, I think the formation of some sort of world government is plausible.

A “world government” would involve much more than co-operation between nations. It would be an entity with state-like characteristics, backed by a body of laws. The European Union has already set up a continental government for 27 countries, which could be a model. The EU has a supreme court, a currency, thousands of pages of law, a large civil service and the ability to deploy military force.

Rachman goes on to list and explain three reasons why he believes the EU is a model for a world government, but says the problem for world government proponents is that most people are stubbornly local when it comes to their political identity.

Pew Forum poll: Most Christians believe other religions can lead to eternal life

Undoubtedly one of the most controversial doctrines of Christianity is its belief –based on John 14:6 among other biblical passages– that salvation is found exclusively by faith in Jesus Christ. With this in mind, the Pew Forum did a survey recently to see who believed this teaching.

According to this December 18, 2008 Pew Forum survey 52% of Christians in the U.S. believe that some non-Christian faiths can lead to eternal life. Astoundingly, 37% of Evanglicals said they believed that other religions can lead to eternal life. Interestingly, however, those holding to an exclusivist view of salvation increased from 24% in 2007 to 29% in 2008.

Atheist admits Africa needs God

In this London Times article, Matthew Parris, a committed atheist, reluctantly acknowledges that 21^st century Africa must have Christian evangelism to survive because it “liberates” in a way that government programs, education, and aid money never can.

Emerging Church leader Brian McLaren: The Atonement is only a “facet” of the Gospel

In an interview posted on his website following his sharp criticism of “postmodern” churches, Emerging Church movement leader, Brian McLaren, made some rather unorthodox statements about the biblical Gospel. Below is an excerpt from the interview:

(Q): Hold on. That bothered me too. You [McLaren] wrote, “Which reminds us that none of us has a complete grasp of the gospel…. It's very dangerous to assume you've perfectly contained the gospel in your little formula.” I think with all the other change going on, one thing we’ve got to hold firm on is the gospel.

(A): What do you mean when you say “the gospel?"

(Q): You know, justification by grace through faith in the finished atoning work of Christ on the cross.

(A): Are you sure that’s the gospel?

(Q): Of course. Aren’t you?

(A): I’m sure that’s a facet of the gospel, and it’s the facet that modern evangelical protestants have assumed is the whole gospel, the heart of the gospel. But what’s the point of that gospel?

(Q): What do you mean? I guess it’s so that people can spend eternity with God in heaven in an intimate personal relationship as opposed to … the alternative. You don’t seem to agree.

(A): Well, for Jesus, the gospel seemed to have something to do with the kingdom of God.

(Q): Which is the kingdom of heaven, which is going to heaven after you die.

(A): Are you sure about that?

(Q): Aren’t you?

(A): This is exactly the point I was trying to make in the article. Many of us are sure we’re “postmodern” now with our candles and hipness and so on, but we haven’t asked some important and hard questions – not about postmodernity, but about modernity and the degree to which our theology and understanding of the gospel have been distorted or narrowed or made “gospel lite” by modernity.

(Q): If you were intending to make me feel better, you’re not succeeding.

(A): Well, I hope you’ll at least think about this. And search the Scriptures, you know, to see if there’s any validity to the question I’m raising.

McLaren whether intentionally or not minimizes the atonement by referring to it as a mere “facet” of an uncertain gospel, a gospel that according to him, “none of us has a complete grasp of.” Yet he is content to criticize others for being “gospel lite.” Seems rather absurd to criticize others for being “gospel lite” while advancing an uncertain gospel. I Corinthians 15:1-4 clearly defines the biblical Gospel. If, however, one employs McLaren’s logic then one must conclude that Paul was “gospel lite,” right?

Focus on the Family website yanks Glenn Beck interview

WorldNet Daily reports that Focus on the Family’s interview with conservative talk radio and TV host, Glenn Beck, was recently yanked from the ministry’s CitizenLink website because they received many complaints that the ministry made it appear that Beck was Christian when he is actually an active Mormon.

The WorldNet Daily piece stated,

Karla Dial, the freelance reporter who did the interview for Focus, even says in the prologue, "These days, Beck is hoping to spread a more eternal sort of gospel through his new book, The Christmas Sweater." Those comments, among others, drew the criticism of several Christian apologists, who argue that Beck's gospel and the evangelical gospel are not the same.

Focus on the Family, however, did make this statement after yanking the Beck interview from their website,

"You are correct to note that Mr. Beck is a member of the Mormon church, and that we did not make mention of this fact in our interview with him," the receptionist said. "We do recognize the deep theological difference between evangelical theology and Mormon theology, and it would have been prudent for us at least to have pointed out these differences. Because of the confusion, we have removed the interview from CitizenLink."

Beck made this statement on his website:

The Christmas Sweater is a story about the idea of Christmas as a time for redemption and atonement. Whatever your beliefs about my religion, the concept of religious tolerance is too important to be sacrificed in response to pressure from special interest groups, especially when it means bowing to censorship. I'm humbled and grateful that hundreds of thousands of people from different faiths have read the book and have appreciated its uplifting message for themselves. At a time when the world is so full of fear, despair, and divisions, it is my hope that all of those who believe in a loving and peaceful God would stand together on the universal message of hope and forgiveness. -glenn

It’s disappointing that Focus on the Family had to be pressured before giving a prepared statement –that Mormonism is not compatible with biblical Christianity– to a receptionist to read to those who called with complaints, but at least they did do the right thing.

Emergent Church leader says homosexuality can be biblical lifestyle

In a recent WorldNet Daily story, Tony Jones, national coordinator for Emergent Village has decided that homosexual relationships are biblically valid. On his New Christians blog discussing the same-sex issue, Jones said, "I now believe that GLBTQ can live lives in accord with biblical Christianity (as least as much as any of us can!), and that their monogamy can and should be sanctioned and blessed by church and state." As shocking as this story may be it should not be that surprising since Brian McLaren, another leader in the Emerging/Emergent church movement said a few years ago in a Christianity Today blog that Christian leaders should take a five year moratorium to decide whether or not homosexuality is immoral.

Watchman Fellowship Places part of its Research Library at a Kansas City, MO Seminary

Baptist Press recently published an interesting story about Watchman Fellowship placing part of its collection of original source material from various cults at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City for use in theological education. James Walker, President of Watchman Fellowship, said in the piece, “Our goal is to equip the body of Christ for discernment and evangelism, to educate the community to the dangers of religious cults and to evangelize those lost in cultic deception."

Presbyterian Church in Wisconsin doubles as Islamic prayer center

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the Faith Presbyterian Church in Franklin, Wisconsin has agreed to allow area Muslims to use the church’s building to conduct 2 of the 5 daily Islamic prayers. Faith Presbyterian Church pastor, Rev. Deb. Bergeson-Graham said of her church’s decision, "I think we're doing this, not because of what they believe, but because of what we believe. It's what Christ would have us do." Obviously, Rev. Bergeson-Graham views her church’s action as virtuous, but it would be interesting to see if Rev. Bergeson-Graham and her church view Christians who evangelize Muslims as "intolerant." Shockingly it appears that a Protestant church is validating Islam.

Archaeologists find oldest Hebrew text

In another fascinating story involving biblical archaeology, Reuters reports that Hebrew University archaeologists have uncovered the oldest Hebrew text ever found.

The HU archaeologists said the ancient Hebrew document found at a site known as the Elah Fortress or Khirbet Qeiyafa near the location where David slew Goliath “was written some 3,000 years ago, predating the Dead Sea Scrolls by 1,000 years.”

Archaeologists may have found King Solomon’s mines

Critics of the Bible often attack its historical credibility because little archaeological evidence has been obtained to substantiate the famous Old Testament kings, David and Solomon. Now, however, archaeological research funded in part by the National Geographic Society's Committee for Research and Exploration has found what they believe are the mines from which King Solomon produced the copper used to build the First Temple in Jerusalem. The mines are located in a region south of the Dead Sea in Jordan’s Faynan district, which is the geographic area in the Old Testament known as the Kingdom of Edom.

According to CNN, “carbon dating placed copper production at Khirbat en-Nahas (Arabic for 'Ruins of copper") in the 10th century -- in line with the biblical narrative of Solomon's rule.” The leader of the study, Thomas Levy, of the University of California San Diego noted that

“…this research represents a confluence between the archaeological and scientific data and the Bible…. Now ... we have evidence that complex societies were indeed active in 10th and 9th centuries BCE and that brings us back to the debate about the historicity of the Hebrew Bible narratives related to this period”

Newsweek has a story on this fascinating news as does National Geographic News.

In another interesting story, in 2007 Muslim workers at the Jerusalem Temple Mount found artifacts dating back to the first Temple period – 8^th to 6^th centuries BCE. These two fascinating findings alone present a great deal of archaeological evidence linked to Solomon.

Famous atheist says aliens originated life on earth?

In Ben Stein’s movie, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, famous atheist Richard Dawkins stated that he believes life on earth may have originated from Extra Terrestrials:

One might think that Dawkins’ argument would come from someone holding to a unique version of Intelligent Design. Dawkins, however, actually opposes Intelligent Design in favor of naturalistic Evolution. Dawkins’ ID argument, which we’ll call ETID (Extra Terrestrial Intelligent Design) is an attempt to explain the origin of life apart from God, but of course it does not account for the origin of Dawkins’ ET’s. It seems absurd for a guy to suggest ETID and simultaneously say theists are irrational.

Famous atheist Richard Dawkins supports ad for Agnosticism?

Famous atheist, Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, is supporting a London advertising campaign promoting atheism. One would think an atheist would not see much value in evangelizing others to atheism, but evidently Dawkins and the British Humanist Association (BHA) think otherwise.

According to MSNBC, the BHA has raised $113,000 for the ad campaign with Dawkins donating $9,000. The ad appearing on the side of London buses says the following:

“There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”

Atheism, however, does not use the word “probably” in reference to the existence of God. Interestingly, Dawkins in Ben Stein’s recent movie, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, said that he is 99% sure God does not exist:

Evidently Dawkins, the BHA and author of the ad, Ariane Sherine, are not actually atheists, but are agnostics. Or perhaps they are hedging their bets as evidently 21% of atheists did who expressed a belief in God in a recent Pew poll. Interestingly, Dawkins admitted that he “wasn’t wild” about using the word “probably,” but apparently he wasn’t too bothered by it because he supports an agnostic message to promote atheism. Apparently in Dawkins’ world this slogan “will make people think - and thinking is anathema to religion.”

Sherine said, "Atheists believe this is the only life we have, and we should enjoy it." Evidently enjoying life entails accepting that God “probably” does not exist. Oh happy day! …..probably……for agnostics…ur uh, atheists that is….oh you probably know what I mean!

Appeals court rules that Mormon Church is outside of the Protestant Christian faith . . . . .

In a remarkable decision an appellate court ruled that the Mormon Church is outside of the Protestant faith. The decision came in a divorce decree contempt case by the Arkansas Court of Appeals on October 8. According to an October 9 Arkansas Democrat Gazette piece,

“Joel Mark Rownak and Lisa Monette Rownak agreed in their 2005 divorce to raise their children ‘in the Protestant faith.’ The decree bars them from promoting another religion without the other’s consent. In May 2007, Benton County Circuit Judge John R. Scott found Joel Rownak in contempt of that decree based on evidence that Rownak had ‘candidly acknowledged’ promoting the Mormon faith to his sons.”

Interestingly, Mr. Rownak, who is a Mormon testified that the Mormon faith is outside of the Protestant faith. The court, based on Mr. Rownak’s testimony and “evidence to that effect from the [Mormon] church’s Web site” ruled that the Mormon faith was indeed outside of the Protestant faith and therefore found Mr. Rownak in contempt of the divorce decree.

The significance of this ruling of course is that both an active Mormon (Mr. Rownak) and an appellate court both agree that Mormonism is not a Protestant church. The other significant aspect of this ruling is that the court has made a ruling on a theological matter. While the ruling was technically on a divorce decree contempt case, the grounds for the decision were theological.

Mormon Church to build Temples in Kansas City, Philadelphia and 3 other cities

The International Herald Tribune reports that the LDS Church plans to build Temples in 5 cities including Kansas City and Philadelphia. The article points out the historic significance of a LDS Temple in the Kansas City-area:

“A Kansas City-area temple should hold great significance for Mormons. In the 1830s church founder Joseph Smith led an early Mormon migration to Independence, Missouri, and declared the area would be the center of Zion and the New Jerusalem. Now a Kansas City suburb, many Mormons also believe the area was the original site of the Garden of Eden.”

The significance of the Temple in Mormonism, however, is much deeper than just the historic significance of a Kansas City-area Temple. Temples are important in Mormonism because of the belief and practice of proxy ordinances for the dead that happen in the Temple ceremony. Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, said, “The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead” (History of the Church, 6:313). One important proxy rite that takes place in the Mormon Temple is Baptism for the Dead whereby Mormons believe that via proxy baptism they can grant the deceased a second chance to believe the Mormon Gospel also known as the Restored Gospel or the Law of Eternal Progression.