Stealing a line from Bill Mahr, if a JW boy can become a baptized servant of God and qualify to be a "minister" ...
... "What do you think it says about religion and how serious it is if you can be a minister when you're 10?"
What does a 10-year-old "minister" say about a religion?
by OnTheWayOut 24 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Think About It
Isn't the WTS so ridiculous. Either quit baptizing kids or quit claiming they are "ministers".
Think About It
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snowbird
In the case of the JW's, all the child will need to do is memorize the dozen or more "proof" texts about living forever on a paradise earth, and, voila! he or she is qualified to be a minister.
Syl
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Dagney
Ugh. Talked to my PO/COBE brother yesterday, they just got back from their DC. Another grandchild baptized, 13 yrs...they are bragging/teary about how wonderful it was and how nice he looked all dressed up and helping at the DC passing out the new releases. The kid, I'm not so sure about...highly intelligent, a thinker, much smarter than his parents. I wonder, was it their pressure that made him do it or does he really think this is the way?
I brought up this subject when I was with my brother a few months ago...and he looks at me like he never thought of the implications before. It's like the child is now "safe," now that he is officially a member of the "club." No thoughts to the example Jesus left as regards to baptism. Nope, no thinking at all...
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blondie
jws will just point to Jesus as 12 questioning the religious leaders or Samuel at 5 in the temple.........(just reporting not supporting)
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undercover
Jesus was perfect, the Son of God, the future Messiah, the future Savior, etc etc etc. You can't compare a normal 12 year old who is still playing Xbox Mario Bros with the Son of God...
But leaving that aside...
When it comes to marriage, the WTS has always said that this is the 2nd biggest decision of one's life...baptism being number one. Then they go on to counsel that people in the 'bloom of youth' should not rush into marriage, blah, blah, blah...
but OTOH...
They say baptism is the biggest decision of your life and then proceed to push you into getting baptized before you're a legal adult.
The logic does not follow between decision number one and decision number two
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OnTheWayOut
Blondie, I feel that a 12 year old (or even a 5 year old) should be questioning the religious leaders. That's what kids do. They learn that way.
That doesn't mean they are qualified to be ministers. "Jesus" (if the stories were true) would have been qualified as he was either God or the son of God, but even he didn't set out on a tour of ministry at that ripe young age.How many of us married our first crush and stayed happily married to them? How many of us decided upon a career (without parental steering) pre-teen and managed to be successful in that career? How many of us believed for ourselves what was truth at a pre-teen age and stuck with their beliefs?
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OnTheWayOut
UC is right. If a boy or girl of pre-teen years can decide to dedicate their lives to [Jehovah's Organization] and get baptized because they are spiritually mature, then there should be nothing wrong with those same kids deciding to marry at the earliest age allowable by law in order to avoid the sin of fornication. Afterall, they are spiritually mature.
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nancy drew
ten is just too young to make any important decisions and its a shame that the wtbs scares parents into pushing their children into baptism.
they always write "we don't know at what point your mark won't be good enough to protect your children" you just might be forcing god to kill them at the big A if you don't get them in asap.
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blondie
OTWO, you must have missed where I just said "reporting not supporting." I was just saying what a jw would say...no need to convince me.