by Bonnie_Clyde 20 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
The mother went to the elders when the dad objected to the girl getting baptized. This prompted a visit from the elders who counselled him for wanting to hold his child back from baptism. This girl is immature even for an 11-year old. She was too afraid to sit by herself with the baptism candidates and had to have her parents sit in the row behind her.
My son later commented that if the elders tried to pull a stunt on him like that, he would have seen them to the door--or more!
I was 16 and my inactive father saved me.
good for him -- too many witnesses get baptized too early.
Oh yeah. An 11 year old, regardless of the maturity level, has the cognitive development to understand a lifelong commitment. </sarcasm>
Sad.
Wonder if the Mother will still interfere if the child is disfellowshipped at age 12?
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/8/122459/1.ashx
Jw's offering their kids to the wt org, are similar to the pagans in the story about molech.
S
Wonder if the Mother will still interfere if the child is disfellowshipped at age 12?
I asked the mother's sister that same question. She replied that the mother would definitely shun her daughter. Thankfully, the sister did not approve of the baptism and she voiced her opinion.
That late? The Filthful and Disgraceful Slavebugger likes to push baptism at age 6. They showcase children in yearbooks and at Grand Boasting Sessions that got baptized at that age, and that pretend to not regret that.
Here is what can happen between age 11 and 18: The dating scene at school. They might be resolute to avoid fornication when they are 11 or 12, only to regret it at 14 or 15. Much of the activities in school clash with boasting sessions or take time from field circus. And, most children would rather not pioneer every single time there is a school vacation like summer, Christmas, or the ones in February and April.
I would set the age limit at least 18 to get baptized. Personally, I think children who want to get baptized before then should have read and understood the book Crisis of Conscience and Combatting Mind Control, and have read at least three independent web sites on the religion, before they can get baptized. At least that way, they are going to know what they are in for if they still want to go for it.
The part that bothers me the most is how the elders thought it was their right to interfere. They had no respect for the father and now that little girl knows who to run to when she wants her way--her mother. The father felt he had no choice but to capitulate as he certainly wanted to keep his MS position.
I was a very mature 11 year old, and unfortunately no one intervened. I was baptized, not because I ever dedicated my life to the borg or their god, but because my friends were doing it - I had no concept of what I was signing on for, I mean seriously would you let an 11 year old contemplate marriage, no matter how "mature" they might be, I think not. Most people are not really concerned with their kids spirituality in JW's its a status symbol to have your kids baptized early or at all, you are looked down on if your kids "hold back" Anyway, going along with the crowd and trying to be a people pleaser led me through the next 33 years of misery in that organization and I subjected my own children and husband who converted for me, to the same insanity. Fortunately we emerged intact all four of us and we all exited the borg last year, sent a letter of disassociation due to not agreeing with their teachings and not wanting our names associated with them in any way, and for that we were all df'd, oh happy days. We are now 4 very happy apostates!
I wish someone had intervened on my behalf,. At 16 I was caught having a worldly boyfriend (my now husband of 27 years) and was taken to the elders and accused of all sorts of things. My mother even made me go to the doctor and get a letter from him that I was still a virgin, to present to the elders, so that my hypocritical child molester father didn't lose his posiiton as an elder. AT that point I told them to df me, but they called my sister in whom I worshiped and she convinced me not to go through with my request, we laugh about that now, because she was already on her way out and 4 years later she left the family, organization et al and I didn't see her or speak to her for the next 23 years, we laugh because I tell her it is her fault I stayed, fortunately we are working to repair the damage that organization did to our relationship.
But then I am surprised the elders are intervening at all because in this information age, you better get them young before they have a chance to research and find out what they REALLY are signing on for! Maybe they better think about going back to infant baptism..........
