So last fast meeting, a woman got up and told the story of how she just did the work for her new husband's dead wife.  She spoke of how wonderful this woman was and what a good mother she was.  She then said the following. "Without doing this work, this wonderful woman would be stuck in Spirit Prison."

That got me irratated and thinking about the premise.  Does our Church truly think that anyone who hasn't had their work done, (no matter their heart, mind or service while they were on this Earth) is languishing in Spirit Prison?  One of the beautiful things about our religion is that we do not believe people are punished for other's actions.  Whether it's Adam's trangressions or some future descendent forgetting about me.  If a person is righteous, and a follower of Christ's Gospel (whether they realize it or not - I'm thinking some great buddhists here) does that mean they are stuck in Spirit Prison until we find out their names and do their work?  Are they being kept from God because of our ignorance?  It just doesn't feel right to me, especially with the premise that we are not punished due to others ignorance. 

That said, on LDS.org is says the following:

Spirit prison is a temporary state in which spirits will be taught the gospel and have the opportunity to repent and accept ordinances of salvation that are performed for them in temples (see D&C 138:30–35). Those who choose not to repent but who are not sons of perdition will remain in spirit prison until the end of the Millennium, when they will be freed from hell and punishment and be resurrected to a telestial glory (see D&C 76:81–85).

What of people who were true to the principles of the Lord and their whole lives were devoted to Love and Service the kind of people like Mother Teresa.  I'm sure throughout the ages there have been many "mother Teresas".  We don't their names, we can't do their work, does that mean they are stuck in Spirit Prison with all the unrepentant and sorrowful souls?  It just bugs me to think that my Heavenly Father would sentence a righteous soul to anything other than Spirit Heaven from no fault of their own.  Yes, I understand some will say we will find out their names in the millenium and do their work, but um... that's thousands of years and frankly - even the premise that these souls are 'innocently stuck in hell' feels wrong to me.

What are others thoughts?