Baptismal questions- Verbal Legal Contract w/ WTS

by Cappuccino OC 13 Replies latest jw friends

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  Cappuccino OC

  Baptismal questions are a legal verbal contract with the WTS. Please let me know what you know.

  Thanks,

  Baptismal questions from the August 1, 1966 Watchtower, p. 465:

  (1) Have you recognized yourself before Jehovah God as a sinner who needs salvation, and have you acknowledged to him that this salvation proceeds from him, the Father, through his Son Jesus Christ?

  (2) On the basis of this faith in God and in his provision for salvation, have you dedicated yourself unreservedly to God to do his will henceforth as he reveals it to you through Jesus Christ and through the Bible under the enlightening power of the holy spirit?

  Baptismal questions from the May 15, 1970 Watchtower, p. 309:

  (1) Have you recognized yourself as a sinner and needing salvation from Jehovah God? And have you acknowledged that this salvation proceeds from him and through his ransomer, Christ Jesus?

  (2) On the basis of this faith in God and in his provision for redemption have you dedicated yourself unreservedly to Jehovah God, to do his will henceforth as that will is revealed to you through Christ Jesus and through God's Word as his holy spirit makes it plain?

  Baptismal questions from the May 1, 1973 Watchtower, p. 280:

  (1) Have you repented of your sins and turned around, recognizing yourself before Jehovah God as a condemned sinner who needs salvation, and have you acknowledged to him that this salvation proceeds from him, the Father, through his Son Jesus Christ?

  (2) On the basis of this faith in God and in his provision for salvation, have you dedicated yourself unreservedly to God to do his will henceforth as he reveals it to you through Jesus Christ and through the Bible under the enlightening power of the holy spirit?

  The newest baptismal questions, from the June 1, 1985 Watchtower:

  On the basis of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, have you repented of your sins and dedicated yourself to Jehovah to do his will?

  Do you understand that your dedication and baptism identify you as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in association with God's spirit-directed organization?
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  noidea

  Glad I dunked before 1985.
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  Cappuccino OC

  Dutchie,

  Please let us know what you think on this.

  Cappuccino OC
• 

  LizardSnot

  Glad they wouldn't dunk me :)

  LizardSnot
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  Farkel

  Cappucino,

  This issue has been discussed at length, so don't get discouraged for lack of response to your comments. It' just "old hat" to many informed ex-JWs! I'm glad you posted it though, because there are always new JW lurkers who don't know that WT legal was responsible for the new baptism vows. Those vows protect the WTS from lawsuits, since when someone vows to be "in association" with the religion, that means they have to go along with everything the religion says. The old vows made no mention of the WTS and made the WTS vulnerable to lawsuits stemming from trying to enforce radical doctrinal changes on members and DFing those who wouldn't go along with those changes.

  Farkel
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  AlanF

  Hi Noidea,

  Cappuccino posted the baptismal questions, but you can find my discussion of them in the link in the 1st post on this thread: http://www.geocities.com/osarsif/legal.htm .

  AlanF

  Edited by - AlanF on 9 June 2002 15:34:40
• 

  Nanoprobe

  AlanF

  I read your article, "An Aspect of the Legalism of Jehovah's Witnesses". But I was unclear on the answer to this question>>>>If a person was baptized before 1975 can they be DFd for choosing to no longer associate?
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  dungbeetle

  baptism is not verbal, it is written. You get a card with your name on it, all this crap goes on it, there is only ONE, a copy is kept in New York or Brooklyn or whereever, and it is kept forever. Watchtower says all this about the card, and it says 'forever' in a Watchtower.

  There's nothing 'merely verbal' about this.
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  ballistic

  Those baptismal talks always contain a sentance like "this date you will never forget". Did anyone apart from me immediately forget the date?

  And did anyone NOT really understand the questions and still get baptised?
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  Nanoprobe

  But if it is a written contract, shouldn't we have signed something? I don't remember signing anything but that was a long time ago.