We don't baptize children, do we?

by Kent 12 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Kent

  Jehovah's Witnesses convene in Biloxi

  
  By CHRISTINE HARVEY
  THE SUN HERALD

  BILOXI - Eleven-year-old Gabrielle Welch is one of the newest ministers of God's word.

  The Lafayette, La., girl was baptized, along with 43 other people, Saturday at the district convention of the Jehovah's Witnesses, which continues today and repeats next weekend at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. The theme of the conventions is "Teachers of God's Word."

  Since her immersion in water, Gabrielle may teach others what she has learned about God and the Bible.

  "It's her desire to do her Father's will," said Arthur Malpie, a spokesman for the denomination from Metairie, La.

  Gabrielle is one of the more than 6 million Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide who go out and preach God's message.

  They heed the call of Matthew, who said in the Bible, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come" and "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."

  They preach by going door to door because when people are on their own turf, they feel more comfortable, said Herb Jarman, a Hattiesburg resident who is another of the faith's spokesmen. The door-to-door approach also mimics that of the Apostles in the first century, who went from house to house delivering their message, he said.

  The Jehovah's Witnesses denomination was founded in 1872 by Charles Taze Russell of Pittsburgh.

  More than 14,000 people from southern parts of Mississippi and Louisiana are expected on the Coast for the conventions, just two of 189 being held across the United States this summer. About 1.5 million people are expected this year at conventions across the country.

  http://web.sunherald.com/content/biloxi/2001/08/19/local_news/it_0819_jehovah.htm

  Yakki Da

  Kent

  "The only difference between a fool and the JW legal department is that a fool might be sympathetic ."

  Daily News On The Watchtower and the Jehovah's Witnesses:
  http://watchtower.observer.org
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  blondie

  Yes, and we disfellowship them too. Imagine a world where (US) a minor must be 16 to drive, 21 to drink alcohol, 16 to get married (varies, but no 11 year old can get married legally in the US). Why, because they aren't considered mature enough to make the decision on their own...but to serve Jehovah forever....that's different...in fact the WTS discourages teenage marriages because teenagers aren't old enough to handle such a serious responsibility...but to serve Jehovah which is more "serious" just dive right in.

  I've heard of younger...seven
• 

  Vitameatavegamin

  I knew a 10 year old who was baptized a couple of years ago. As I sat at the assembly and watched the baptismal candidates, the ten year old was not paying one bit of attention to the baptismal talk. He sat and looked around the entire auditorium to see who was watching him. And when it came time to stand to answer the questions, the person sitting next to him had to poke him to tell him to stand, he was'nt even listening!! I think this is an example to the mindset of a child, baptism is a very serious decision, and I think children should not be allowed to do it. I was baptized at 14 and even that was to young! Looking back , I realize the only reason I did it was to look more mature or grown up, and also because my friends were doing it. And I had nothing but problems afterwards.

  There are so many things in life you just aren't capable of figuring out until you are older and have experienced real life. What 7 year old or 10 year old could be mature enough to make a life decision like that? Good points you are making. Thanks!!
• 

  Room 215

  This is an interesting point, and a tacit admission by the WTBTS that the drop in baptismal figures is unsettling them.
  Back in the days of double-digit increases, the message was to hold off until one understood fully what he/she was doing. In fact, I recall material presented at assemblies that urged ``rebaptism'' for those who felt they were too young to know what they were doing the first time around... a far cry from today.
  By the way, how many attended this assembly? The number of just 43 baptised seems paltry for such a large venue.
• 

  JUSTAMOM

  Sad thing though

  Not the baptism part, but........

  What would it take for a pre-puberty 11 year old girl to "unrepentantly" committ a sin and be disfellowshippped.??

  You know it will happen. But how unmerciful could they possibly be.
  A baby being disfellowshipped and mom and dad, brother and sister, friends in the hall not talking to her. Or extremely limited.
  .....Only sick puppies would do that!

  But is it scriptural to baptize children? See for yourself at 1CORINTHIANS 10:1&2. WOW They even ALL "ate and drank".

  Notice at the bottom of the reference NTW the ONE VERSE they took out when Phillip was getting ready to baptize the ethiopian eunich.

  ACTS 8:34-36...37 is blank (read bottom) then 38-40!
  How many questions did the eunich have to answer? 80? 120?
  NO...ONE.....A child can answer that.

  The HYPOCRISY and control of the WTBS. Folks are wakin up and smellin the lies these days though. Their days are numbered.

  Just a thought
  JUST A MOM (Kim)
• 

  Daisymay

  I was raised a JW (out now for 10 + yr.s). Even though I never considered myself a JW, (even as a kid) - I could see the short-term benefits of getting baptised. The baptised kids actually had more freedom - I mean they didn't have to prove themselves anymore, people looked up to them as great examples (some were almost on pedestals), they weren't watched and spyed on. Some baptised kids acted and talked just like the rest of us trouble makers when in private. However, the short-term benefits couldn't out-weigh the downside as all of you have mentioned. Another JW friend and I made a promise to eachother long ago (I was 14, she 16) that we would never get baptised, no matter what the costs - we kept our promise to eachother and ourselves to this day!
  Later!
  daisy
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  Kent

  I have seen children down to the age of 6 years being baptized - bragging about it in the Watchtower!

  Yakki Da

  Kent

  "The only difference between a fool and the JW legal department is that a fool might be sympathetic ."

  Daily News On The Watchtower and the Jehovah's Witnesses:
  http://watchtower.observer.org
• 

  Kent

  What about this quote?

  There were many witnesses to the mass baptism, and among them many photographers and professional newsreel men. In less than two hours 50 baptizers immersed a grand total of 2,373, baptizing 1,545 women and 828 men, the oldest being 87 years of age and the youngest 8 years.

  It's from the 01.01.1952 Watchtower.

  Yakki Da

  Kent

  "The only difference between a fool and the JW legal department is that a fool might be sympathetic ."

  Daily News On The Watchtower and the Jehovah's Witnesses:
  http://watchtower.observer.org
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  Eyebrow

  I had a good friend that wanted to get baptised when she was 12 but the elders asked her to wait at least a year because they wanted to be sure she wasn't doing it just to please her parents.

  It doesn't necessarily bother me to see kids get baptised, around 11 or 12 and up, depending on the kid's maturity. The average age up her seemed to be between 14 and 18.

  6 though...ahhhhh...that is too young! How can they know what is truth when they cannot even do fractions yet?
• 

  battman

  The WTS follows some bible examples so very
  exactly such as Jesus procedure at the last dinner.

  Yet he wasn't baptised until he was 30yo!!!!!!

  Why not follow that precedent????

  A loyal dub told me that was because he didn't have the
  "organization" to speed up the process. ROTFLMAO.
  hahhahhhahahahahahhahahahhahahahahhahahahah

  battman