Learning about history has always been one of my hobbies.
I remember learning about the Catholic Church's indulgences. Catholic members must contribute money to their church and that would assist a deceased family in getting out of purgatory.
In other words, the family could buy a ticket into the Catholic Heaven. Martin Luther was so disturbed by it, he started the Protestant Reformation. That changed the world
Well, what's the difference between the indulgences and having to pay tithing in order to get a TR so a Mormon can get into heaven? If you don't pay, no heaven. Tithing and temple work are equal to Catholic indulgences.
Mother Theresa spent her life aiding the poor in India. But she didn't pay Mormon tithing and so no Celestial Heaven for her.
Is that money is required for me personally to go do the temple work for my ancestors. If I want to do my great-grandma's baptism or take out her endowment, I must hold a temple recommend which I have purchased for 10 percent of my income. However, I personally, today, currently an inactive, non-temple recommend holding member can submit my great-grandma's name for "salvation" and some stranger can do it in the LA temple for me. So I don't have to pay for someone else to save my relations. I just do the genealogy and turn in the names and someone else does the ordinances. It doesn't require a recommend.
That's how my TBM, genealogy obsessed mom would spin it. I personally agree with you. Who is going to turn names in for temple work except tithe-paying members?
The abuse of indulgences has been stopped. Mormonism is a parody of Catholicism. God makes the judgment about prayers for the dead, and sacrificial offerings, not the church. The LDS church proclaims itself to be god, again, a distortion and mockery of Catholicism.
It was a disgusting, amoral practice to squeeze money out of the grieving faithful, just as Temple Recommends are a disgusting, amoral practice to squeeze money out of the gullible faithful.
"It was a disgusting, amoral practice to squeeze money out of the grieving faithful," agreed. ML had justice in many of his complaints. He just went too far.