shouldn't we wait till we're 30+ to be baptized?

annalice

I believe we were taught that Jesus was around thirty years old when he was Baptized. Now I was always told that the bible mentioned specific things like times and dates for a reason .as a guide for us to follow. So by telling us his age this would seem to be very important for us . It should be a guide line for us to follow as to when we should be baptized, should'nt it? Yet I have seen young kids 8 , 9 years old getting baptized. Now if Jesus who we are told was perfect waited till he was in his thirtys shouldn't we wait till then also? It was only when I reached my thirtys did I finally feel a complete sense of maturity. I was baptized when I was 15 . I feel that that baptism should be null and void. All these kids dedicating their lives to something at such a young age is crazy. This is supposed to be the most important dedication in your whole life and they let kids make that choice???? If your 9 year old says "mom I really feel that I want to get married" do you say "Oh ok honey you're old enough to make that decision"HECK NO! Yet we allow them to contract the rest of their life out to an organization that will shun them if they do wrong now that they are baptized. Why so young? Why can't witnesses just wait like Jesus did? What, hasn't the light gotten bright enough yet for the society to come to this understanding? According to them I am now blind ,yet I see it . Whats the youngest baptizm anyone here has ever seen or heard of?

Lapuce

Its a tactic, that way they will stay in due of peer pressure, they dont want to lose family and friends.... get them young!!!!!

Frog

I was baptized when I was 15 . I feel that that baptism should be null and void. All these kids dedicating their lives to something at such a young age is crazy.

i also feel very strongly about this Annalice, i was baptised at 16, as were my friends and sisters, actualy some of them baptised as young as 12.

i feel so strongly about it that i've looked into the legalities of taking the WT to task on it...but so far haven't come up with anything.

x

Scully

If I had waited until I was 30 to be baptized, I never would've! I was on my way out by then, never to return.

Besides, if young people don't get baptized, how are they going to pressure them to "marry only in the Lord"? or put Theocratic™ interests ahead of personal interests like education and career?

Frog

how else will they keep their numbers up...they exploit the innocence and naiivety of young kids in their care...but that's also very true on a number of levels, as we all here well know..

Billygoat

I feel that that baptism should be null and void. All these kids dedicating their lives to something at such a young age is crazy. This is supposed to be the most important dedication in your whole life and they let kids make that choice???? If your 9 year old says "mom I really feel that I want to get married" do you say "Oh ok honey you're old enough to make that decision "HECK NO!" Yet we allow them to contract the rest of their life out to an organization that will shun them if they do wrong now that they are baptized.

I completely agree with you! I was baptized at 16 and really when I look back, it was only to make my father happy with me. And it worked. After several years of rebellion, I had never seen my father's chest stick out so far or his eyes look at me so lovingly. But it was one of the biggest mistakes I have ever made in my life.

But then again, I think everything happens for a reason and my life today is truly better than I ever thought it would be.

Why so young?

Because it's easier to control them when they're young.

Why can't witnesses just wait like Jesus did?

Because ultimately, this organization isn't about Jesus. It's about control.

Undecided

I was dunked at 7 years old. I don't remember where the creek was located but I remember being under the water.

Ken P.

Woofer

I agree 100%

I was baptized at 16 to basically make my parents shut up. In my congregation if you were any older then 17 or 18 and wasn't baptized that meant that there was something wrong with you.

I remember kids as young as 9 getting baptized!

LivingInReality

Let's see.... You can't date until you're of the age of marraige.... you can't get married (in the organization or a KH) until you're baptized.... if we waited until we were 30 to get baptized and then subsequently could get married... what brother would wait for sex AND not masturbate until he was 30..and what sister would wait for sex AND not masturbate until she was 30....?? SEE !! It's all about sex. (kidding, well just a little)

I completely agree....they should allow the kids to go through those most crucial hormonal teenage years then enter young adult hood, before letting them get baptized.

Have any of you seen the documentary that they did on the Amish? When the Amish children reach a certain age (I think its 16 or 17) they allow them one year to go and get wild...sex, drugs, electricity....and then after they have gotten their fare share of sinful behavior, they have to make a decision, Am I going to come back to the life of the Amish or Do I like reality better? If they choose to go out into the world, they are shunned (disfellowshipped in our terminology) for the rest of their lives.

I think Witnesses should let everyone do that.... for one year, before they are planning to get baptized, let them go all out... get those f'n tatoos, oral sex (OOOO, how bad!!) cigarettes, booze, drugs....and the list goes on, get it out of their system, then they can make a choice. I forgot the biggest sin of all......education. Let them even think for themselves !!! Under those circumstances, they could weed out the ones who will eventually contaminate the flock and the real controlable ones will stay....

unclebruce

I was also baptised at 15 anelise and half jokingly raised this point a number of times while still a JW.

dunclebruce

Ps: Not only was Jesus baptised at 30 but he was declared to be a Rabbii (an office that required one to be married ~ a topic for another day).

===

I remember kids as young as 9 getting baptized!

Wow woofer .. come to think of it my wife was baptised at 12.

shouldn't we wait till we're 30+ to be baptized?

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