If this were true, do you think a BOE or the WTS would stoop this low?

R.F.

A few of years ago at a circuit assembly the district overseer said that in another area that there was a 3 year old that wanted to be an unbaptized publisher. The BOE said that he needed to know how to read, so his parents helped him fine tune his reading skills and he qualified as a publisher at the age of 4. 4 years old!! I immediately thought this was a load of crap, but do you think a BOE would come to do something this low? We all know that once you become a pub that you are pretty much treated and expected to live up to everything a baptized person is. If the child chooses to quit publishing at 5 would he be shunned?

R.F.

valkyrie

Absolutely, R.F.!

I was a zealous, unbaptised 'publisher' at the age of 5 (before that time - from age 3-1/2, my field service time and literature placements were simply added to my parents' monthly reports; and, yes, I did read and comment profusively, and was used in congregation and circuit assembly demonstrations). Despite my persistent requests - starting at 5 years - I was made to wait until age 9 to get baptised. I think a conservative spirit prevailed in my congregation!

- V

quietlyleaving

A few of years ago at a circuit assembly the district overseer said that in another area that there was a 3 year old that wanted to be an unbaptized publisher. The BOE said that he needed to know how to read,

wonder what the district overseer hoped to achieve by sharing this experience

so his parents helped him fine tune his reading skills and he qualified as a publisher at the age of 4. 4 years old!!

I'm shocked at how low the parents stooped.

Having said that my son started putting in a report from the age of 4 but he wasn't counted as a publisher till a couple years later and got baptized at 14.

snowbird

I'm shocked at how low the parents stooped.
Having said that my son started putting in a report from the age of 4 but he wasn't counted as a publisher till a couple years later and got baptized at 14.

It's early morning and I haven't had my spot of tea yet, but isn't the above statement contradictory???

Snowbird

quietlyleaving

snowbird

so his parents helped him fine tune his reading skills and he qualified as a publisher at the age of 4. 4 years old!!

My point is is that its bad enough that a child of 4 wants to publish but parents helping him fine tune his reading skills to qualify?

As parents we were skeptical about publishing so early. However our son was an early reader and he used to follow the talks and follow along in the bible from the age of 3 -he took everything to heart and wanted to participate asap.

But yeah we were shocking parents too.

blondie

I'm thinking that this more likely is a child wanting to be in the Theocratic Ministry School (TMS) rather than be baptized. Reading is supposedly a requirement to be in the school but not to being an unbaptized publisher. The youngest I have heard of recently being baptized is six, a girl, at a Chicago assembly a few years ago.

*** w95 3/15 p. 30 Will You Praise Jehovah? ***One little girl in Argentina approached the congregation elders repeatedly for several months, asking for their help so that she could qualify as a Kingdom publisher. In time, her parents and the elders agreed to allow her to become an unbaptized publisher. She already presents the Kingdom message effectively at the doors. Even though this little girl is only five years old and does not know how to read, she has memorized the location of some Bible texts. After finding a scripture, she asks the householder to read it, and then she gives an explanation.

They could use the example of Samuel, who was about 5 years old when his parents dropped him off at the temple to be under the care of the high priest, then his parents went home without him. Five years old is about the time children were permanently weaned from mother's milk.

Blondie (a late bloomer, TMS at 10, baptized at 16)

snowbird

quietlyleaving, honey child, I was only pulling gently at your chain. You said:

But yeah we were shocking parents too.

No, you were not. We all did what we thought was best at the time. My now 18-year old daughter learned to read at age 2. By the age of 3 she knew all the books of the Bible. She would mesmerize people with her "knowledge." For instance, one of her middle names is Jael -- she could tell people exactly where in the Book of Judges the info about Deborah, Barak, Sisera and Jael could be found.

Now she's pioneering and on her way to the university. She is also semi-shunning me since I've become inactive. Life can be so ironic, eh? Have a supreme Sunday. Oh by the way, my nine-year old granddaughter thought of "supreme Sunday."

Snowbird

quietlyleaving

snowbird

What gets me is that, there we were attending our adult meetings and taking our children along cos these were their meetings too and of course like sponges they absorbed everything. Now I too can't reason with him and he will very likely start shunning me soon.

Good news that your daughter is on her way to uni

blondie

BTW, I do know of 3 jw children that amazed the rank and file when they were 3 and 4.

None are jws today....so there is hope.

bluebell

i know i gave my first tms talk at around 5 and i think i was a publisher at about that time too.

If this were true, do you think a BOE or the WTS would stoop this low?

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