Today's Watchtowe Study, Child Baptism

by BluesBrother 28 Replies latest watchtower bible

  • BluesBrother
    BluesBrother

    Suffice to say that I fundamentally disagree with the point of this article, a cynical attempt to boost numbers. It goes against Bible precedent and their own long standing practice.

    They Timothy As an example of a youthfull Christian, a young man.. sure but he was not baptized young . The Insight book says :

    "While very young, Timothy was taught “the holy writings” by his mother and probably also by his grandmother Lois. (Ac 16:1; 2Ti 1:5; 3:15) It is not known precisely when Timothy embraced Christianity. However, perhaps late in 49 or early in 50 C.E., "

    He was raised as a Jew.

    They speak of adequate knowledge but it takes more than knowledge to make a lifetime commitment, it takes emotional maturity. They appear to have no idea of child development. The things you want at 9 years old are not what you normally want even a year later.

    "one Christian mother stated, “I am ashamed to say that the major reason was the disfellowshipping arrangement.”

    They rubbish that but it is a very valid point.

    They conclude with a threat .

    "After all, it is each individual’s dedication, baptism, and faithful service to God that will bring him in line for being marked for salvation"

    What happened to the idea that children may saved by the faith of their parents?

    Bah.. humbug !


  • Isambard Crater
    Isambard Crater

    I hated todays W.T study too. Actually I sat through it yesterday at the Britain branch annual meeting and the Bethelite who did the study said that someone in the U.K. Bethel commented how 10 years is the age when kids here become legally culpable, so how more so are they responsible for there actions in front of Jehovah.

    I seem to recall Tony Morris said in a recent talk that young J.Dubs should wait untill they turn 23 before thinking about marriage, so how come they're prettymuch recommending to get Baptized 13 years earlier than that, the most importance decision of one's life?

  • All or nothing
    All or nothing

    So now the GB is focusing on boosting their numbers by guilting these young ones into joining the cult, the same cult that they encouraged their parents not to even have them...? How ironic 🙄🤔

  • AverageJoe1
    AverageJoe1

    I mentioned this on my previous post “Get baptised or die!”

    The paragraph that mentions the woman’s statement about why she didn’t want her daughter to get disfellowshipped says she was mistaken. The next paragraph then says because children are accountable to God whether baptised or not.

    That has nothing to do with her statement. The child would still be accountable if they “sinned” whilst not baptised but at least her parents, family and friends would still be able to talk to her. So the mother was right whereas the WT states she was wrong and tries to deflect the attention away from her reasoning by talking about a completely different matter!

  • tiki
    tiki

    Poor kids being pressured into something they really have no clue what is really all about...

  • ThinkerBelle
    ThinkerBelle

    All or nothing - ....and guilting the parents too!!

    I swear if I have to hear the blanket statement, "it's a protection" one more time in a comment, I'm going to puke. That's total BS! This is a topic I despise because I felt pressured into baptism as a teen and will never do this to my kids. Jesus was 30 for goodness sake!! They forget to cover that fact during these studies!! Ugh!!

  • stillin
    stillin

    Stuff that kid into a three piece suit and you have a psychopath on your hands!

  • JustHuman14
    JustHuman14

    Very disturbing article. I was shocked to hear the comments from the Bethelite, that a 10 year old is liable for a criminal act. WT are Masters for mind control. So in the subconscious mind of those JW's listening to this example, is dictating what they should with their 10 year old children. Disgusting cult like mentality

  • hoser
    hoser

    More education bashing in this article.

    Don’t send your kids to college. Get them baptized!

  • steve2
    steve2

    Age of culpability for committing a crime and age of readiness for JW baptism are two entirely different propositions. If a child commits a crime they need to learn as early as legally permissible that it has consequences that stretch way beyond home and community. And, if we look closer at the law, it is talking about serious crime - not stealing lollies from the corner shop.

    That a Bethelite felt okay using the UK law of culpability shows how desperate JWs are to give the baptism of children a justifiable gloss.

    If age of culpability for committing a crime were the new benchmark for determining children's readiness for making adult decisions, it could just as persuasively be argued that 10-year-olds can be assessed for readiness to enter the military, drive motor vehicles, vote in general elections, make their own medical treatment decisions and marry.

    Of course they can make their own decisions on absolutely none of those things.

    Oh, and the JW mother who confessed she was "embarrassed" that the main thing holding her back from encouraging her child from getting baptized was "the disfellowshipping arrangement" (mentioned in the Watchtower article) has nothing to feel embarrassed about. She sounds like a pretty normal and loving parent who does not want to see her child make an early decision to be baptized only to be kicked out later for "wrongdoing". In a way she encapsulates every JW parents worst nightmare: Their child being disfellowshipped.

    What a disgusting, entrapping religious organization.

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