Un-resigning

[Brent]

OK. From another thread there was talk of resigned members needing to be re-baptized. That has never been my understanding.

"Once a person joins The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, circumstances requiring rebaptism are unusual. In current policy and practice, a person would be rebaptized only in two cases: (1) if membership records were irretrievably lost and no other proof of membership could be established; or (2) if an excommunicated person qualified for reentry into the Church. As members partake of the Sacrament weekly, repenting of sin, their baptismal covenants are renewed and rebaptism is unnecessary." http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Rebaptism

I seem to remember my "Yer Out!" letter to have mentioned only the need to be interviewed to have membership restored. Any light and knowledge from the General Handbook or other primary source? Just curious. Still out.

[FiveFingerMnemonic]

#3) If during the reformation period of the 1850's it is determined that the members be slackin' they need to be redunked, or for healing in the temple as often as is needed.

Anecdotally, I recall when Don Bradley came back after resignation, he was rebaptized. It seems that they treat it like excommunication in most instances whether that is true policy or not is in question.

[Corsair]

OK. From another thread there was talk of resigned members needing to be re-baptized. That has never been my understanding.

"Once a person joins The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, circumstances requiring rebaptism are unusual. In current policy and practice, a person would be rebaptized only in two cases: (1) if membership records were irretrievably lost and no other proof of membership could be established; or (2) if an excommunicated person qualified for reentry into the Church. As members partake of the Sacrament weekly, repenting of sin, their baptismal covenants are renewed and rebaptism is unnecessary." http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Rebaptism

I seem to remember my "Yer Out!" letter to have mentioned only the need to be interviewed to have membership restored. Any light and knowledge from the General Handbook or other primary source? Just curious. Still out.

As a ward clerk I assisted my bishop with the records of an excommunicated woman who was rejoining the church. She had been ex'ed for adultery and my job was to figure out if we could just modify her existing church record since she had a copy with the original member record number. Church HQ turned down that request quite firmly. Instead, she was rebaptized as if she was a new convert. She moved before going to the temple but she probably just went through a living ordinance for her endowment. In any case, the rebaptism process in Brent's link was certainly the path that the institutional church desired.

[Silver Girl]

Everything I read before resigning mentioned that all ordinances and blessings (which I assume included baptism) were 'cancelled.' This makes no sense, though, because it implies the church has authority over things like salvation or redemption, rather than God. I met with my SP before resigning, and to preempt that topic, I mentioned I was aware the church treated things that way, but that only God could take away one of His blessings. Also, I'd been baptized before joining. It's just another absurd way the church tries to control everything and strike fear in people's hearts.

That policy (if it is true) is one of many reasons I doubt I would ever consider joining the church again. I did nothing wrong, but I'd have to be baptized again if I wanted to rejoin? I don't think so...

[Newme]

My understanding is that when you resign - and ask for your name to be removed from records and to cancel your membership,

"You are aware that according to church doctrine this cancels all blessings, baptisms, ordinations, promises, covenants, and your hope of exaltation."

So, yes, you'd need to get re-baptized, it seems. But who knows - they do keep tabs on everyone and they may still have your records just maybe under a different filing system?

Although I can understand the desire to be part of the group again, I also believe that all of us were already "born of water" when we were born of amniotic fluid (water) - and being born of the spirit is a personal thing between self and God. Still, I do see the beautiful symbolism of baptism, and I appreciate how it can make a person feel special in a way that birthdays and other holidays don't.

[Lithium Sunset]

My parents had their names taken off the records when I was around 13 yrs old. I became very active after I hit 15 and my Mom joined the church again and was rebaptized when I was around 20 yrs old. So there is your evidence for rebaptism. That was around the year 2000 so things might have changed since then

[wtfluff]

I seem to remember my "Yer Out!" letter to have mentioned only the need to be interviewed to have membership restored. Any light and knowledge from the General Handbook or other primary source? Just curious. Still out.

Resignation is essentially self-excommunication. Baptism is required for re-admittance as a member.

According to a version of Handbook 1:

Restoration of Temple Blessings (after Excommunication or Name Removal)

Endowed persons who were excommunicated (or who had their names removed from Church membership records) and were later readmitted by baptism can receive their temple blessings only through the ordinance of restoration of blessings. Such persons are not endowed again, since these blessings are restored through the ordinance.

As mentioned in the quote "Restoration of Blessings" is an actual ordinance / blessing. For males, after re-baptism, "Restoration of Blessings" restores all of their priesthood, and their temple ordinances. For females, "Restoration of Blessings" restores their temple ordinances.

This may be what you're thinking of...