Christians - Does a JW baptism count as Christian?

AK - Jeff

I tend to accept that mine did - I was baptised prior to the changes that made one a 'Watchtower disciple'. My dedication was and is to God - prob the reason I am finally out.

Opinions?

Jeff

crazyblondeb

Personally, I think it would be however you view your baptism. I got baptised just to get my parents and elders off my back. So, to me, my baptism doesn't count. I was way to young.....

It would probably largely depend on your understanding at the time of baptism. I was baptized three times in my life. Once as a baby in the Methodist church, again as a teenager in the Baptist church and then as a young adult as a JW. I discount the baptism as a baby because I feel that it does involve a committment. I view the baptism in the Baptist church as valid because I did accept Christ as my personal savior And my baptism as a JW enlarged my understanding of the Father in the whole process of salvation.

Now, there is the issue of recent baptisms of JWs. Part of the vows involve loyalty to the Watchtower organization. This should never play a role in one's dedication since it was done in the early church "in the name of the father, the son and the holy spirit" ....not in the name of some human organization.

Hannah

Part of the vows involve loyalty to the Watchtower organization

This alone would void the validity as counting as a baptisim into christianity.

Honesty

Mine didn't.

Hortensia

"Part of the vows involve loyalty to the Watchtower organization."

I don't remember taking any vow - of course it was in the early 1960s so I don't remember a lot about it anyway. Is there a vow? What are the exact words? promising loyalty to the WTBTS sounds really really weird.

OUTLAW

If your too young to enter into a contract in the real world.Your too young to enter into a contract with a corrupt organization..Mine dosen`t count...OUTLAW

OnTheWayOut

My take is that your baptism is what YOU make of it.

A Haitian person will say "I am not black, I'm Haitian." An outsider will say, "He looks black."
A brother and sister who are ethnically half-minority and half-majority (mixed race) will often
go different paths of claiming heritage. The sister may see opportunities in the majority world,
and claim to be one of them. The brother may see pride in his minority status, and claim to
be one of them.

Turning back to a baptism. One ex-JW might see it as meaningless. Another might see it
as a means to please her parents. A third person might see it as his dedication to serve the
true God, no matter what the organization. It means different things to different people, so
(as in my examples) WHO ARE WE TO QUESTION SOMEBODY ELSE'S FEELINGS?

jschwehm

Hi Gang:

A couple of things.

In the Catholic Tradition, the JW baptism would not be recognized because the JWs reject the Trinity doctrine. The Catholic Church would also not recognize a Mormon baptism either. The Catholic Church will recognize any baptism from a Christian denomination that baptizes in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit if that denomination believes in the Trinity.

Secondly, most Christian traditions that do infant baptism have a very different view of baptism than the JWs. For the JWs, baptism is really something that one does for Jehovah as proof that they have dedicated their lives to him (and also to the Watchtower Organization).

In most of your mainline Protestant and Catholic traditions that practice infant baptism, baptism is something that God does for the child. It is viewed as having the child brought before Jesus and that Jesus marks that child as His own. The parents of the child do make a promise to raise the child with the help of the Godparents and the members of the Church in the Christian faith. In addition, the Catholic Church teaches that baptism is a Sacrament meaning that it is a means of receiving grace from God. In this case, the grace received by the child is the washing away of original sin and a clean conscience before God. It is also contains a promise from God that He has adopted that child as His own.

For more info, check out the following link:

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P3K.HTM#-1IM

Jeff S.

FlyingHighNow

Interesting question to ponder.

In the Catholic Church, you must be Catholic to take communion or serve in the church.

In the Episcopal Church, the Anglican branch of catholicism, you only need be baptized, but it should be in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It doesn't matter what church you were baptized in as long as it is done in those three names. You don't have to be Episcopalian. If they are baptized, even babies take part in the Episcopal eucharist nowadays. If you're not baptized, you can still receive a very beautiful and comforting blessing from the priest.

It's such a beautiful and spiritual experience, it's worth being baptized in the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit to be receive communion. They will never ask you how you were baptized or put you on the spot. Thankfully and gratefully, I was baptized in the Episcopal Church as a child of 9. The Episcopal Church views church as a spiritual hospital, where you go to heal. So communion is not just for perfect, pompous, haughty Pharisees.