thirdwitness,
My father, who sat on his first Judicial Committee when he was 17 and has been and "elder" ever since, couldn't provide Scriptures to support some very basic teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses. Our current Circuit Overseer could not either. To another poster, you wrote:
thirdwitness: If you will contact JWs in your area you can find out the answers for what you bring up. Or consult the WT publications which will explain them by means of the Bible.
If you truly believe Jehovah's Witnesses can support their doctrine from the Bible, kindly put your posts where your pontification is. My belief is that you and your cohorts seek to discuss complicated matters of prophecy in order to avoid discussing the basic teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses. Hebrews 5:11-6:3 includes "the teaching on baptisms" as part of the "elementary things of the sacred pronouncements of God", the "milk", and the "foundation" of Bible truth.
I'll make a deal with you: If you can Scripturally support each JW pre-baptismal requirement as a must for Christian baptism, I will humbly return to the organization and repent, enduring whatever discipline my father and his body of elders believes I deserve. If, one the other hand, you cannot provide the Scriptural support and it turns out JWs are the true religion, you will accept my blood on your hands for failing to demonstrate Bible truth to one who asked you for it.
Sophistry Lessons—JW Baptismal Prerequisites
This should be easy for you, if the doctrine of pre-baptismal requirements is a Biblical teaching. If any doctrine is readily available in the Scriptures, the doctrine described as part of the "elementary things" will be. There is no sense telling me to ask local JWs, they already haven't been able to answer me. Neither have the many JWs I have asked in various forums online.
I'll be waiting, but I won't hold my breath.
AuldSoul