I think there is a page in the "Organized to do Jehovah's Will" book where the inidividual signs and puts the date and location they were baptized. I don't think there is any ritual or requirement to fill it out though.
Are there any contracts signed between the WTS and its members?
by RULES & REGULATIONS 18 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Mary
If no contracts are ever signed,how can the WTS enforce disfellowshipping of any of its members?
They view the act of getting baptized as a binding "contract" and that of course, is how they enforce disfellowshipping. The problem with that is: 95% of everyone who gets baptized is under the legal age of consent. Not too many Witness kids wait until they're 18----they're usually dunked by the age of 15 and some as young as 9.
If the baptisms were considered null and void for anyone under the age of 18, you'd have far fewer DFing. It always makes me wonder how the Society can justify letting a 10 year old get baptised, when they clearly have no concept of the potential ramifications down the line if they screw up. Plus, wasn't Jesus 30 years of age before he got baptized? Don't they sneer at the Catholic Church for baptizing infants???
Best example of the lengths they'll go to, to control an individual's life.
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Atlantis
Bethel family members must sign an "oath of poverty" form.
N.
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wha happened?
OK in the back of my mind, I remember signing something on the way to the pool. I was baptized in the Woodland Hills Circuit hall
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Jeremy C
I wonder if getting baptized itself is a "contract".
In a sense yes, however, it is a contractual agreement to subject oneself to the organization's "religious court" system (i.e. judicial committees).
Has anyone ever wondered why after so many years, the Society saw fit to change the baptismal questions to include the verbal acknowledgement of being baptized into the organization? The Society's reasons were not purely theological. There were legal ramifications involved.
Ray Franz revealed that shortly before the Society changed the baptismal questions (in 1985), there were U.S. Supreme Court decisions which concluded that a member of a religious organization can be made subject to its internal courts without due process afforded under the U.S. Constitution.
Some Jehovah's Witnesses it the past had responded to judicial committee summons by hiring an attorney to send the body of elders a letter instructing them to discontinue correspondence with the member and to deal exclusively with legal council. This created legal hassles for not only the local bodies of elders, but for the branches, and headquarters.
Under the new U.S. Supreme Court decisions however, a member could be subjected to religious tribunals without legal representation. Such decisions protected religious organizations that practice ex-communication from costly litigation.
So, the Society changed the wording of the baptismal questions in order to shield themselves (and the local congregations) from lawsuits by those who were disfellowshipped. Ray Franz in his book "In Search of Christian Freedom", revealed that the Society's legal department has crafted a lengthy legal package that is mailed to attorneys who might be hired by an indivdual Witness who challenges a judicial committee. The legal package makes references to the U.S. Supreme Court decisions, as well as the legally binding "contractual" relationship that the individual JW member entered into upon their baptism.
This is one case in which the Jehovah's Witnesses are now officially (and legally) a religion with a clergy and laity. It's interesting that this kind of arrangement was denounced by C.T. Russell and Judge Rutherford as one of the characteristics of Christendome. However, as has been the case with so many other issues in the Watchtower organization, cynical pragmaticism has won out over strict Biblical adherence.
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Free
Buyer beware.
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Mary
Under the new U.S. Supreme Court decisions however, a member could be subjected to religious tribunals without legal representation. Such decisions protected religious organizations that practice ex-communication from costly litigation.
In other words: Freedom of Religion is being applied to the religion itself----not the individual.
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Ancientofdays
I think it's different in any country.
In Italy WTS is a giuridical entity or a corporation and have a Social Statute and based on this they obtain an agreenment with govern authotity in 1989 to operate a s a non profit corporation.
The reason for that agreenment is to obtain sovvention from the govern (so far not yet)
The Social Stature has a full list of code for the members(JWs) and their relationship with the Organization.
Not to mention that Social Statute is not delivered to the JWs to allow their acknoledgment, it's stored in the secret Congregation file.
Based on the Social Statute JW becomes member of the Organization at baptism, when he/she shout "YES" on the 2 question (especially the second one).
Still , on the Social Statute there's a chapter (Art.5) stating that a JW may dismiss itself from the Organization as corporation.
Two years ago an exJW (a lawyer) started a lawsuit against WTS Italy, as he would like to dismissis from the corporation but not from the JW religion , and he claim the court that the announcement in the congregation "XY in no nlonger a JW" is a social discrimination and a retention of indiviual religion freedom.
After that many JW in Italy sent a "dismission from the corporation (Art. 5)" letter asking not to be discriminated treathening going to the court.
We'll see in some months how this will go. In Italy timing for civil action are incredible long.
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tfjw
Well, years ago if you wrote articles and submitted them to the Society for review and possible publishing in the mags or books - I'm specifically referring to the "F&DS" that send articles from abroad or from within the U.S. You had to sign a letter stating that you agreed that the article or whatever you were submitting would remain the property of the WTB&TS and you would never claim ownership or authorship of the submitted article/book.
I also know that if you're translating the Bible into any language and you wish to use the NWT in your reference notes, you must sign a letter stating you agree not to base your translation on the NWT or to mention that the WTB&TS endorses your personal translation.
At least that's how it was when I was in the org pre-1984.