Moroni 8

Soon after I was called to the ministry my father, Mormon, wrote me a letter. In it he said:

“My beloved son Moroni, I want you to know how joyful I am that your Lord Jesus Christ has called you to his ministry to do his holy work. I know that you will always be praying to God the Father in the name of his Holy Son, Jesus Christ. Through his infinite goodness and grace, Jesus Christ will help you maintain the endurance of faith in his name for the rest of your life.

“But now I want to speak to you about something that saddens me deeply. I have learned that there are disputes among you about the baptism of little children. I hope that you will work hard to correct this error among yourselves, because this is the real reason that I have written.

“When I heard about these disagreements I asked God about the matter, and this is what he told me through the power of the Holy Ghost. ‘Listen to my words. This is Jesus Christ, your Lord and your God, speaking. I came into the world not to call on the righteous, but to bring sinners to repentance. People who are well do not need a physician, whereas those who are sick, do. Little children are well because they are not capable of committing sins. For this reason, the curse of Adam does not fall upon them, and has no power over them. Even the law of circumcision is removed through me.’

“Because of these words, Moroni, I know that it is a mockery to baptize little children. Baptism and repentance are only applicable to those who are accountable and capable of committing sins. I want you to teach parents that it is they who should repent, be baptized, and humble themselves as if they were the little children. If they do this, they will be saved along with the little children.

“Little children don’t need repentance or baptism. If they haven’t yet sinned, they don’t need remission. Little children have been saved by Jesus Christ since the beginning of the world. Think of how many little children have died without baptism. If baptism were required, they would have all gone to an endless hell.

“Anyone who imagines that little children need baptism is caught up in bitter sinfulness. He has no faith, no hope, and no charity. This kind of thinking has to end, or else those who hold these ideas will go to hell. It is the worst form of sinfulness to imagine that God would save one child because of baptism while all the others who weren’t baptized would perish.

“Unless they repent, misery will come to those who pervert the ways of God in this matter. I speak strongly about this because I have authority from God to do so.

“I have no fear of what men can do to me because I possess the perfect love of charity. I know that all little children are also filled with charity, and will receive salvation. God is not a discriminatory God who saves some little children and condemns others. Because little children cannot repent, they are all alive in Jesus Christ’s mercy. Whoever says that little children need baptism disputes the mercy of Jesus Christ, and misunderstands the power of his redemption and atonement.

“Anyone who persists in this practice of baptizing little children is in grave danger of eternal death, hell, and endless suffering. This is what God has told me to say. If you don’t abide by God’s word in this matter, you will be condemned on judgment day. It is a mockery of God to deny the mercy of Jesus Christ to little children who cannot repent on their own. Repentance and baptism are only for those who have broken God’s laws.

“Baptism is the fruit of repentance. It comes with the faith of fulfilling God’s commandments. And the fulfilling of God’s commandments brings remission of sins. The remission of sins brings meekness, lowliness of heart, and the visitation of the Holy Ghost who fills men up with the hope of perfect love. This love endures through diligence and prayer until the time when all saints are reunited with God.

“I will write to you again soon unless I am killed by the Lamanites.

“It is the pride of the Nephite nation, and their failure to repent, that has caused this destruction. Pray for them, my son. Pray that they will yet repent. I am afraid though, that the Spirit of God has already abandoned them. In this part of the land they try to extinguish all power and authority that comes from God. They are even denying the Holy Ghost. After having rejected such great knowledge they will surely perish soon. This will fulfill the prophecies spoken by the prophets and by the words of Jesus Christ himself.

“Goodbye my son, until I write to you or see you again.”