The Real COJCOLDS

Agency

Back in college, I had a roommate who told me "I hate the Church[of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints] for baptizing the dead against their will." She was angry but she was in error. There is one very important thing she forgot; Agency.

This is the principle that some call free will, some erroneously refer to it as Free Agency. It is not free. Our Heavenly Father, before our spirits even came to earth, gave us an option. We could follow his plan and have freedom to choose and be tested here on earth or we could follow Lucifer. Those of us with physical bodies chose to follow the first plan and received the gift of Agency meaning we could continue to choose for ourselves.

Before a certain point in our spiritual development however, Agency is limited. Before a person reaches the physical and mental age of eight, they are not considered morally responsible for their actions. If they die or never attain the physical and mental age of eight, they are considered "alive in Christ" and automatically are eligible for the Celestial kingdom.

Once Agency kicks in, it is up to the individual what choices they make. This gift is eternal and doesn't end once a person dies. Even if a person's descendants stand in proxy for an individual to receive their ordinances, it is still up to that original person receiving those ordinances to accept them and receive the covenants made on their behalf.

So it seems to me nothing in our religion is "against a person's" will. If your grandfather or whomever wants to stay Catholic, Muslim, Buddhist or <insert belief system here> until the resurrection, they can. It is up to the individual what they choose.