Do You Recognize Your Baptism? (page 5)

iveseenthelight

I said I was thinking about the pressies I would get...didn't actually get anything worthwhile. A necklace and a ring and obviously the obligatory bible with my name embossed on it.

Narkissos

While there is no magic age when you become a complete person, because we all in fact learn until we die, change, grow, most psychologists would agree, a child is a far cry from being mentally and emotionally aware of all aspects of their decisions or in this case, of the decisions they are pushed towards.

And so is an adult. The difference is quantitative (how much). Hopefully awareness grows with age and experience, but it is never complete. Misinformation and social pressure will be there all along. You, too, will have been there all along.

The law draws helpful conventional lines (e.g. minority/majority) within a continuum (meaning that murder by a child of 8 will not have the same penal consequences as murder by an adult). Unfortunately, knives don't stop cutting when they happen to be in children's hands. The cost of individual integrity is owning to one's past. Extenuating circumstances are certainly to be taken into account but they do not make up an alibi (as in, I wasn't there).

Being without a story (an interpretation/rationalization of past events) is actually being free from it.

Being, or pretending to?

sweetstuff

The cost of individual integrity is owning to one's past. Extenuating circumstances are certainly to be taken into account but they do not make up an alibi (as in, I wasn't there).

The cost of individual integrity is just that, individual.

NewYork44M

I was baptized October 1971 when I was 15 years old. I was told that I would not graduate highschool and that we were within months of god's new order. I believed everything I was told

I am now 50, divorced, agnostic and don't believe anything anyone says. I am bitter for losing the prime years of my life to the wt cult. If I did recognize myself from 35 years ago I would slap myself silly to hopefully knock some sense into my blank slate of a head.

unique1

Well if I had actually baptised myself to God and Christ as I thought I had, I would count it. Since it turns out I baptised myself to an organization of men, I no longer consider it acceptable. How was I supposed to know that at 13??

annalice

NO ,I do not recognize my baptism, I was only 15! I was still living under my parents roof and should have still been under their protection. Would they have let me get married at 15? Hell No. How about move out on my own? Hell NO, Yet I was allowed to dedicate my life to god and open up the possability of being disfellowshiped if I stumbled in my faith and did something wrong. There is a pattern here and I have always found it very disturbing . Does ANYBODY get baptized later in life who was raised as a witness? All the ages are 10, 12, 14 ,15 ,etc. ,etc.It seems the society only baptizes children 95% of the time. Why don't we follow Jesus' example and get baptized in our 30's? If everything is written in the bible for a reason the fact that his age is mentioned seems significant to me. But then again I am blind now and stupid and don't have gods Holy Spirit telling me whats right, AND I'm a woman so strike two for me. I know , i know ,I'm just "twisting things" You know how us EX-witnesses like to do that .LOL.

Does the bible ever mention children getting baptized??? Can anyone find a scripture to back it up??

fullofdoubtnow

Do You Recognize Your Baptism?

Yes, I recognise it as the worst mistake I ever made in my entire life.

Frequent_Fader_Miles

No, I did not even 'dedicate myself in prayer', and when I was asked this, I made up a date

Ditto!! I NEVER dedicated myself in prayer prior to my baptism. As a matter of fact, the elders never even asked! I was absolutely clueless about this particular requirement of baptism until years later when it was explained in an Assembly baptism talk. Additionially, I was baptised as a baby and never wrote any letter of renouncement.

Those are the main reasons I chose not to recognize my baptism.

lesterd

Of course there not valid!!! if they were made to an organization and not to God.

Cindi_67

Before I decided to fade, everytime I went to a meeting where, especially the Watchtower study was dealing with baptism, they will teach that those thinking about baptism, need to do it out of love for Jehovah and His Org., and that they, first need to dedicate themselves to do God's will in prayer, in their most intimate time. That's when I started to think about my own baptism and what it meant. I never dedicated myself to Jehovah in prayer, didn't study for the questions ( I was smart ), but it's to show, that I didn't take it as seriously as it should be taken. Friends getting baptized and I had to follow, otherwise I would've been outcasted. Is it real to me? I don't think it's ever been. I see it as being falsified my signature on the "contract". Is it valid to God? Probably, I still got into the contract without reading the fine lines. And that's my fault. That is why I tell everybody that asks me, I rather don't follow, than to keep going, just because I took the vow and not do what is asked of me. Very complicated.

Do You Recognize Your Baptism?

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