Fascinated by the fact that men have been commanded to keep records for their families, capture proceedings of the Church, and chronicle words of the prophets and the Savior for centuries—back when it was really difficult to molten ore, engrave the messages into metal, and lug around plates of brass or gold—today members of the Church are asked to do the same thing by writing histories for our own families. Yet, rather than engravings on precious metals, we press keys and slide our fingers across screens we hold in the palms of our hands. Libraries of data are literally now at our fingertips.

Technological Advances Help Further the Work of Family History

Thirty years ago I was involved in discussions about helping Brigham Young University (BYU) disseminate the resources of its library to other campuses all across the world. This was well before the Internet and seemingly an immense challenge. At that time, mountains of technological problems had to be overcome to achieve this goal. This task has now been realized, not only for BYU, but the entire Church – General Conference talks, performances, songs, and messages are nearly all available online – and technology provides access to scriptures, devotionals, and a myriad of lessons, videos, family history records, and other resources today that back then were beyond our wildest imaginations.

President James E. Faust, at the October 1999 General Priesthood Session, noted the following:

The miracles of modern technology have brought efficiency into our lives in ways not dreamed of a generation ago, yet with this new technology has come a deluge of new challenges …

I hasten to add that scientific knowledge, the marvels of communication, and the wonders of modern medicine have come from the Lord to enhance His work throughout the world. As an example, the Church’s FamilySearch® Web site has more than seven million hits a day.

Today, we are the beneficiaries of those who kept their promises and chronicled the experiences of life by recording their stories, testimonies, and incidents to lift and edify. In this way, the work of God moves forward to bless his children all across the world. Ennobling influences of prayer, scripture study, frequent church and temple attendance, and obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel can literally move mountains. We must simply look to witness the fulfillment of these promises and endure in faith to see God’s work realize its destiny. “The keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands” (Doctrine and Covenants 65:2).

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In 2008, the Church launched its online indexing program, in which volunteers spend a half hour or more each week as they’re able indexing various genealogical records, including census records and vital records. Volunteers work from their own computer following a brief online, self-paced training. Then, whenever they have some time, they log in to the site and select a project to complete. Most projects require about a half hour to complete. Some involve transcribing a handwritten record and others simply require the indexer to place typed data into a form from a copy of the document. The volunteer may work on the project whenever they have time, saving it to the server if they are interrupted. If the project is not completed in one week, it is given to another person to finish. Each project is done by two people, and differences in their results are analyzed by a trained person. This minimizes error and gives inexperienced volunteers confidence.

Older genealogists who have memories of spending hours in genealogy libraries scrolling through endless roles of microfilm are in awe of the ease this program has created. Many records are already online and available to researchers, who can track down a birth record or census film right in their own home without the time or cost previously required.

Current projects include the 1920 census, New Zealand passenger lists, Australian cemetery inscriptions and Canadian marriages. Some researchers enjoy working on projects that might include their own ancestors and others simply select projects that look interesting. Some have favorite types of projects. For instance, many enjoy the census records because of the glimpse they give into long ago families.

Mormon beliefs include the knowledge that God never intended for us to divorce our loved ones at death. Mormons believe that marriage and parenthood continue into the eternities and that families can be joined together for eternity. For this reason, genealogy takes on a special meaning as church members become acquainted with those who will be part of their eternal families, and many develop a strong sense of connection to people who died before they were born as they learn of their life stories. Eternal families are one reason for Mormon genealogy

Mormons perform the work necessary to make this eternal family come into being in their temples. Mormon temples are special buildings not used for regular worship. They are a place to learn about the Savior, Jesus Christ, to make covenants (promises) with Him, and to carry out eternal ordinances which allow those who died without the gospel to be offered a chance at the ordinances required for eternal life. Having these ordinances performed does not make them Mormons. After an ordinance is performed by a living proxy, the deceased person is given the opportunity to accept or reject the gift that was given. If he rejects it, it is as if it never happened. If he accepts, it stands as if he’d done so himself in his own lifetime. However, we always have our agency, and this continues after death, so each individual has the right to choose. The names of those for whom work is done is not entered into church membership records, since there is no way to know whether or not the person accepted.

The records being placed online are available to both Mormons and non-Mormons to assist them in their genealogical research. This new record, like others before it, will be a searchable database, eliminating the need to spend hours scrolling through lists.

A meeting with church leaders was originally scheduled earlier in the year. However, when President Hinckley, who was then president of the Church, died, the funeral was scheduled for the same day as President Obama’s trip to Utah. President Obama respectfully bowed out of the meeting, although his wife came for a visit with church leaders later on.

When President Obama was inaugurated, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency, and Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve represented the church. President Uchtdorf said afterwards, “”It was a great experience we had — to see a unity there that I hope will last on and continue throughout the years of this administration.” Elder Ballard said, “”I left with a feeling that the people of America are going to unite behind this new president and his administration and that we need to pray for him. We need to exercise our prayers and help him accomplish the great objectives that he has set.” (See Mormon Times, “LDS leaders feel ‘deep emotion’ at inauguration” by Scott Taylor for the entire story.)

Mormons teach that family life can continue on after death, and so they do family history work as part of their religion. These are their own family members, people with whom they will spend eternity, and they consider it important to get to know them.

In addition, Mormons teach that a loving God would not punish a person simply because he did not have an opportunity to learn the gospel and decide whether or not he wanted to live it. Since the Bible teaches that baptism is required for salvation, as is accepting Jesus into a person’s life, many people would be unfairly denied an opportunity for salvation if their lives didn’t happen to lead them to someone who could teach them the truth. Mormons do not believe God is unfair.

Mormons believe each person will, to satisfy justice and mercy, must be given the opportunity to learn truth and choose whether or not to accept it. Those who die are taught the truth and, after they’ve been dead at least one year, a living person who is directly related to the deceased person can submit that person’s genealogical information. Then a living person, acting as proxy, can be baptized and confirmed for that person. However, this does not automatically make that person a Mormon. If he had learned the gospel during his lifetime, he would have been able to agree to or reject the truth. Even some who come to know what they are being taught is true choose not to accept church membership and the responsibilities of discipleship to the Savior that come with that membership.

The same is true of those who die and learn of the gospel after death. Although at that point in time, they will clearly know what is true and what isn’t, some will prefer not to accept it. Therefore, simply having a proxy ordinance done does not make that person a Mormon. This is a choice he must make for himself, because agency, the right to choose, is central to the Creator’s plan for us. If the deceased person rejects the ordinance, it is as if it was never performed.

While President Obama may not choose to use his genealogy for this purpose, it is certain he will find it interesting to explore his ancestors, some of whom were among the earliest settlers of this country. He is, in fact, descended through the same Hinckley line as Gordon B. Hinckley, former president of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

(See his genealogy—not the one the church is presenting–on Wargs.com.)