What do journalist Daniel Pearl, Holocaust victim Anne Frank and now members of the House of Orange – the Dutch Royal family – have in common? They are all posthumous members of the Church of Mormon. According to Mormon Church records recently uncovered by the Trouw newspaper of the Netherlands, a number of now-dead members of the Dutch Royal family, formerly members of the Dutch Orthodox Church, have been baptized by ‘overly enthusiastic’ church members.
The Trouw news report says in part:
Several members of the Dutch royal family have been made members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – after their deaths. In order to do this, members of the church (better known as Mormons) have performed substitute baptisms for Prince Claus, Prince Bernhard and Princess Juliana, among others.
This is evident from non-public information gleaned from the genealogical database of the global church, which Trouw has come into possession of.
The Mormons have a controversial custom, whereby in place of an ancestor who did not undergo the procedure while alive, church members can immerse themselves [in holy water]. This way, the ancestor, who has been identified by genealogical research, can still enter heaven.
In the United States, the church can count a good deal of media interest. The Republican candidate for president, Mitt Romney, has long been an active member of the church. According to its own records, the Dutch branch has 8,900.
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