Please read Crisis of Conscience by Ray Franz, for your own sake, before you delve any futher into the WTS. Many of us here were raised as JW's and have left, with good reason. Please, please, don't take your newborn child down this path without reading all the facts, this forum is a good place to start. Best of luck.
Need information concerning my infant child
by willz 20 Replies latest jw friends
-
-
momzcrazy
WELCOME!
I am a newbie too. May I tell you right off, please research this religion before you continue studying. I was raised a Witness but once I researched them I found I could no longer be subject to them, or teach my children to be either. I have 3 ages 12, 9 and 2.
From what I have learned about infant babtism is that it is more of ritual, or protection for the child. If the child dies young it will go to heaven if it is babtized. Ask your wife what it signifies to her and her church. And please don't refuse automatically because it is not what Witnesses would do.
Yes, you do have a responsibility to your child, according to Deut. But at 6 months those responibilities are very basic. The memories of this babtism will not stay with her and as she grows older you will be able to teach her about God.
If it really that important to your wife, please learn more about it before making a decision.
Again, welcome.
-
VoidEater
Willz: The big thing to understand here is that "dedication" (baptisim) in most religions is nothing like baptism for JWs. For JWs, you can only be baptized when you are old enough to choose to do so; there is no child baptism for JWs.
That's the theory; most of us know there is also the practice that any child who has the twinkle in his eye enough to say "yeth, I wanna be baptithed" will be baptized.
But for other religions it is a mystical or spiritual process that is done FOR the child. In some religions it imparts a protection to them, for others it ensures their obedience to the faith...it's not something an individual chooses for themselves. The Society quite clearly states that this kind of baptism is irrelevent in their views, no harm is attached to the child who gets baptized. When they come of age and can make a decision to dedicate themselves to Jehovah, then they can be "really" baptized.
However, if YOU are baptized, you cannot allow your daughter to be baptized. You would be associating with false religion to allow your daughter to be inducted into Chistendom, the great harlot. I take it you are not yet baptized, though, so you can be forgiven if you give in to your unbelieving mate, though things will change once you are baptized. You will be expected to take a firm stand in your daughter's upbringing, despite any resistance from your mate.
I would let her be dedicated. Nothing can yet be done to you.
-
Quandry
You will be expected to take a firm stand in your daughter's upbringing, despite any resistance from your mate.
Voideater makes a valuable contribution here. You are going down a dangerous pathway. You have an infant and you and your wife are already disagreeing as to her upbringing. He is right when he says that the Watchtower Society will expect you to be the "Spiritual head of the house" and strongly object to all but the WTS teachings as regards your child.
This will set you and your wife at odds and may even destroy your family. It has happened many, many times before, as many on this forum can attest. Please think long and hard before you join this organization and have this happen to you and your family.
There just is no middle ground or compromise with the Witnesses. And just when you have insisted that their doctrines be followed to the letter, they will come up with "new light" and change the doctrine.......
-
LaniB
Hi Willz,
Welcome to the site. I think you're getting a lot of good advice here but I'll add my bit in as well. My fiance and I are of different religions but my daughter is baptised Catholic. It was peacefully calmly done. No recriminations or arguments on either side and the joint view is when she is old enough she will make up her own mind. It will not harm your daughter to be baptised, after all many who become witnesses are first of all baptised into other religions, she will not remember it and chances are when she gets older she will have different beliefs.
But, as said before, be very careful of what you are doing. I've seen so many families broken up by these people.
Even if you don't fully agree with us, sit down and read the site a while and do some investigation.
-
momzcrazy
I need to add this. You will be told not to listen to "apostates", or basically anyone who doesn't agree with them . That is why we are encouraging you to research the Watchtower organization yourself, and not just listen to us. Yes, there are nice people still in this organization, and they will be extremelty nice to you if they feel you pulling away. But use the power of reason and wisdom God gave you.
Please pray and do your research before you continue with them further. It has been expressed before that marriages with Watchtower involved are at risk. I know this first hand as I was a Witness alone for 8 years out of 15 in my marriage. It very nearly ended several times. You, your wife, your child and God are all that matter.
Good luck to you.
momzcrazy
-
lovelylil
willz,
welcome to the board!
Before I became a JW, I had a dedication ceremony for my daughter. It is not a baptism. It is just a simple ceremony where the parents promise to raise their child to believe in God and his son Christ Jesus. No denominational label is put on it.
Of course the WT teaches all churches outside of thiers are Satanic but this is simply not true. The JW's are just one Christian religion and there are others too. No one has all the truth, but thats another story. I wish you luck, Lilly
-
JWdaughter
Hi, welcome!
Since intent matters, I would not sweat it if I were you. So far as your baby (congratulations, what a blessing!!) is concerned, it is only a particularly annoying cold bath. Raise your child to respect the beliefs of others and you will be doing well.
Shelly
-
Mrs Smith
I really don't see any difference in baptizing an infant as some religions do or baptizing children as young as 9 years old as the JWs do.
Neither child has any understanding what his life is being dedicated to. Jesus was not baptized until he was 30. Sounds about the right age to me.
We have heard of situations where JWs baptize young children then disfellowship and shun them when they are still young children. The Watchtower Society holds disfellowshipping over each member's head as a threat to obey them completely.
I attended my cousin's baby's christening the other day. The babtisim of a child is a promise by the parents and godparents to God that they will raise the child up in the doctrin of the church (this one was catholic). Confirmation is done when the child is older confirming that his/her parents have done what they promised to do and that the child accepts this religion as his/her way of life. Not really the same as JW babtism.
I'm not catholic so please don't ask me more questions. Just telling you what happened.
-
NotaNess
However, if YOU are baptized, you cannot allow your daughter to be baptized. You would be associating with false religion to allow your daughter to be inducted into Chistendom, the great harlot.
Yes, we know this is how the WT and it's followers view other faiths, but please everyone, let's not forget that the JW faith is False Religion & an Apostate to Christ, proven over and over again.
Show her that there is no evidence in scripture supporting infant baptism. But if she wants to dedicate your child under God's watch, I wouldn't sweat it. Like others have said, your child doesn't know anything about it. If it makes her at ease in the raising of your child, and you understand it really doesn't mean anything that's life changing, then just go with the flow. It's not gonna harm anything. If the WT makes you believe it will harm you in some way, then you need to get out of that understanding.
Baptism, wedding rings, honeymoons, are all linked to pagan origins. Have you any experience with these???? Does the WT tell you God has a problem with you over these said issues?
First thing to try and do is to get your mind out of the grips of the WTS, then you can think a little bit more clearly on the matters like you're facing here.