Salt Lake City News - Letters: The Baptism of Ted Bundy

Many tyrants, mass murderers, pirates, gangsters and other notorious criminals have been subjected to proxy rites by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The names of these infamous ones have ended up in the in the LDS Church’s database of posthumous ordinances, the International Genealogical Index (IGI): Adolf Hitler, Martin Bormann, Benito Mussolini, Josef Stalin, Mao Tse-Tung, Vlad the Impaler, Blackbeard the Pirate, Jean and Pierre Lafitte, Al Capone, Bonnie and Clyde, and Bugsy Siegel.

And not to overlook Ted Bundy, one of the most prolific serial killers in U.S. history. Ted Bundy was born as Theodore Robert Cowell, on Nov. 24, 1946, in Burlington, Vt. Bundy killed an untold number of women across the country between 1974 and 1978. He bludgeoned his victims, then strangled them to death. Bundy also engaged in rape and necrophilia. Authorities believe his victims numbered over 100. Some of Bundy’s victims were from Utah. On Jan. 24, 1989, Ted Bundy was executed in the electric chair at Florida State Prison in Starke, Fla. In the fall of 1974, during the time he was murdering innocent women, Bundy moved to Salt Lake City and began attending law school at the University of Utah. The following year, he joined the LDS Church.

Was Ted Bundy’s name removed from Mormon rolls because of his brutal crimes? Even if Bundy was excommunicated from the LDS Church, he was listed as Theodore Robert Cowell in the online IGI of the posthumously baptized, until Feb. 11, 2009. After leaving a blood-soaked trail of bodies and wounded families, can Ted Bundy, the poster boy of serial killers, now accept or reject the offer of celestial glory? Is this Mormon justice?

Helen Radkey
Salt Lake City

REPLY TO THIS COMMENT

krushjudgement

Uhm, according to Mormon theology it isn't up to the Church to judge whether or not someone is worthy after death. They just perform the ceremony and leave it in the hands of God. "Mormon justice" has nothing to do with it. This article borders on sensationalism.

HelenRadkey

Like it makes sense to perform a ceremony for the likes of Ted Bundy and then leave it in the hands of God? Like this could ever be construed as just action? Mormons baptize and “endow” rabid rapist and serial killer, Ted Bundy, under a misleading name on May 28, 2008 in the Jordan River Utah Temple. The record of Bundy’s LDS posthumous ordinances is then immediately removed from FamilySearch online, when the story goes public on February 10, 2009. This article in Salt Lake City Weekly borders on sensationalism? I don’t think so. This newsworthy story deserves to come out in the open.

RogerJameson

Helen, You seem to have lots of time on your hands. How long does it take to run through all those names and come up with your list of "tyrants, mass murderers, pirates, gangsters and other notorious criminals"? How do you do find time to do anything else? Sincerely, Roger

Roger, it takes a great deal more time to process the names of tyrants, mass murderers, pirates, gangsters and other criminals through Mormon temples than to quickly look up these easily-found names in the Mormon database. I am not the one who is wasting time with futile exercises.

But, Helen, isn't it "wasting time with futile exercises" when a woman like you, who was once a member of the LDS Church, spends her time getting back at the church by looking up the names of "tyrants, mass murderers, pirates, gangsters and other notorious criminals" on the church's website? And how about the time you spend in calling the names to the attention of, as you see it, the world? Are you going to change the practices of mormons? If not, why isn't your letter to this paper a futile exercise?

Roger, the typical cult tactics you are using to attack me, as the bearer of information, rather than address the specific content of the information, does not impress. You would “kill the messenger,” rather than deal with the evidence that the LDS Church committed the ultimate faux pas, when it posthumously baptized and "endowed” Ted Bundy in an LDS temple in Utah last year. My letter and comments in this paper are not futile. They reveal the fact that the LDS Church has performed posthumous temple ordinances for Ted Bundy, the most infamous serial killer in the history of this country. And, when this was happening, Bundy's true identity was deliberately concealed. He was baptized and "endowed" under a misleading name. Also, when this story went public this month, the Church immediately hid Bundy’s record. It is more than noticeable in your comments that you avoid mentioning Ted Bundy's name. My letter is about TED BUNDY and the LDS Church!!

No, Helen, I don't think your letter is really about Ted Bundy or the LDS Church. Rather, as you know, it's all about Helen Radkey. And what's this about "cult tactics"? If you use such phrases, please do us the favor of providing a definition.

Roger, the cult tactics you are using is the DEMONIZATION of a perceived cult critic. Cult defenders, like yourself, invariably argue that the opinions of former members, or perceived "apostates," should not be considered reliable because such people may be unfairly prejudiced against the group. You don't care about the facts that have been presented in this Bundy report, which is not about me. You continue to attack me, personally, like it is an uncontrollable urge with you. All you are doing is demonstrating your own religious bigotry and partisan opinions.

Helen, clearly this thing is very personal for you. I'm simply wondering why and how it became so personal for you. But while you're considering that answer, answer this question: if someone submitted the name "Theodore Robert Cowell" to the LDS Church for temple work, how do you know that person knew that Theodore Robert Cowell was Bundy's real name? Who, besides you, would know that, or even care? And further, why should it make any difference to you? One more thing: How did you find "Vlad the Impaler" and "Blackbeard the Pirate" in the temple index? Were they christened with those names? It's obvious you've spent a lot more time on the LDS Church's index than you want to admit.

Was "Theodore Robert Cowell" his real name? If it is his real name it's not misleading to baptize him with it. Everyone is baptized with their full name. And again, the Mormon Doctrine is to do the temple work for EVERY PERSON THAT EVER LIVED. That will include a lot of bad people. So this isn't really surprising, just interesting. For my vote, Bundy is an ass-hat and is probably deep and dark right now.

Theodore Robert Cowell was Ted Bundy’s real birth name. His mother, Louise, married a fellow named John Culpepper Bundy who adopted Theodore as a child. Theodore’s last name was then changed to Bundy. It appears the Mormon submitter deliberately submitted a misleading name because Theodore Robert Bundy was Bundy's legal name for most of his life. Ted Bundy had already been baptized a Mormon in 1975 and should not need proxy baptism. In Mormonism, baptism for the dead is usually done for deceased non-Mormons who rejected or did not hear about the Mormon gospel in mortality.

Hmm? Why was this baptism done then?

12 3 Next »

The Baptism of Ted Bundy

Related content

Also in Letters:

Also from City Weekly Readers: