Family history research simplified
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"Have you prayed about your own ancestors' work?" Elder Richard G. Scott of the Council of the Twelve asked Saturday morning.
Mentioning the 150th anniversary of the revelation for baptism for the dead, Elder Scott explained that "this glorious doctrine is another witness of the all-encompassing nature of the atonement of Jesus Christ. . . . He permits the worthy deceased to receive all ordinances of salvation vicariously."Elder Scott said every prophet since Joseph Smith has emphasized the "imperative need" to:
- Turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to their fathers. (D&C 2:2.)
- Ensure that ordinances are performed "for ourselves and our deceased ancestors."
- Seal individuals into eternal family relations.
"Many members of the Church," Elder Scott continued, "recognize the vital importance of heeding these commandments but feel over-whelmed with identifying their own ancestors."
To overcome this feeling, the Church has simplified searching for ancestors and clearing their names for temple work, he added.
Elder Scott said the Church has gathered information on 2 billion people of the estimated 7 billion individuals for whom records are thought to exist. "That resource increases by many millions of names each year.
"Modern technology has greatly simplified the prior complex rules and regulations for this work," said Elder Scott.
"Many brilliant minds and sensitive hearts have harnessed advanced technology to provide personal computer helps to simplify family history work."
He said under FamilySearch, "these powerful computer-aided resources" are now available in family history centers in the United States and Canada, and in due course, will be available eleswhere in the world.
FamilySearch provides members easy access to the Church's central genealogy computer files. "It greatly simplifies research and enables members to more efficiently find information in the Church's vast storehouse of microfilmed records," said Elder Scott.
He also announced that beginning next fall, clearance of names for temple ordinances can be obtained in local meetinghouses without approval from headquarters.
"You may find it difficult for the present to go to the temple personally, but you can submit ancestor's names for temple work," he admonished.
"Set aside those things . . . that don't really matter," he concluded, "and do something that will have eternal consequences."
