by prophecor 22 Replies latest jw friends
I wasnt really caught up in any emotion. It was just something I thought you had to do at a certain age, and I had left it as long as I could without looking like i was dragging my feet - I was 16.
I was more concerned about getting all the questions right before hand. The 2 baptism vows were just formalities to me. I doubt I even thought about them. I got lots of presents, that bit was cool!
Watchtower 1 July 1955 page 411
“A Christian cannot be baptized in the name of the one actually doing the immersing or in the name of any man, nor in the name of any organisation, but in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This shows, amongst other things, that Christianity is not a denominational affair”.
Watchtower 1 October 1966 page 603
“We do not dedicate ourselves to a religion, nor to a man, nor to an organisation. No, we dedicate ourselves to the Supreme Sovereign of the Universe, our Creator, Jehovah God Himself. This makes dedication a very personal relationship between us and Jehovah.
According to Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus Christ told his disciples to baptize persons “in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit” In the Apostolic days, Peter and others called on people to “repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus the Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
People were baptized into Christianity in similar ways to this for 1,900 years. For more than 100 years the Watchtower followed this Scriptural example as confirmed by the Watchtower CD:
Why, in June 1985, were the questions changed to remove “the Holy Spirit” against Christ’s clear command?
There was no explanation, just a comment in the 15 April 1987 Watchtower that the questions were “simplified” and reference to person being baptised “coming into intimate relationship with God and his earthly organisation.” Scriptures stress that baptism is into Christ only, and excludes earthly people, even the Apostles:
1 Corinthians 1:13
“Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?”
So why the reversal from the scriptural position stressed in the 1955 and 1966 Watchtowers?
Why is an earthly organisation led by fallible men now inserted into the “personal relationship with Jehovah”?
Should we really ignore Christ’s command and replace the Holy Spirit with a human organisation?
Is this another reason why millions of Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Watchtower leaders are now acting as idol gods?
Matthew 12:32
“And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”
The holy spirit, which Jehovah prophesied that he would pour out in the last days, has not ceased to operate, for the remnant are still baptizing disciples of Christ in the name of that spirit. (Holy Spirit, 1976; pp. 148)
[Not now they are not. The Holy Spirit is replaced by the Spirit Directed Organisation!]
Is it because of the "apostate" uprising in the eighties that they may have changed the questions? Seems like maybe they felt they needed to crack down and have a legitimate reason for kicking people out if they decided to have their own views on anything.
