What Must One Do To Get Baptized?

Cold Steel

The scriptures teach one must be baptized I the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. How do the JWs baptize and what must one do to receive it? Also, if all baptized members become ordained ministers, does that mean they can baptize their own converts? When one sees all those photos of people being baptized at the conferences or conventions, who is it who is doing the baptizing? Regular members? Elders? Can women baptize? And do you absolutely need baptism to be received into God's Kingdom or is it only the anointed class who need it?

Also, if one is disfellowshiped, does that require re-baptism? Can they do anything to you that would require re-baptism?

What if you wanted to baptize your son or daughter, so you teach them and then baptize them in the Jordan River when you take a family vacation to the Holy Land? Would that baptism be recognized by God according to JW belief?

Finally, does each baptism have to be fully witnessed by two duly appointed witnesses (small "w")? Where are the forms filled and can you volunteer to be a Baptist...er...Baptizer?

smiddy

Cold Steel ,your a bit of a character ,I just re-read your bio.LOL

However you raise a few interesting points , a couple I will try to answer , and if I make a boo boo , I`m sure someone will correct me.

Where do I start , OK,

1. I dont think JW`s now baptise in the name of the Father,Son ,and Holy Spirit.,that should raise a red flag shouldnt it ?

2.Every body who is baptised is considered a Minister of God ,even a 10 or 12 year old child .Ludicrous isnt it ?

3.And no , not anybody can baptise another person , only appointed Elders can do so mainly at conventions or Assemblys ,unless special circumstances arise for individuals.

And no way can a parent baptise their own children.

Baptism usually occurs after at least 6 months study of JW publications with another JW who decides whether you are a suitable candidate for total immersion. ( in other words you have been brainwashed enough)

4.Women allowed to baptise ? Give me a break ,women are not even recognised in their illustrations of the 144000 heavenly class ,even though a great number of women profess to be of the anointed class here on earth. And dont forget women make up the majority of JW`s living today.

5.As far as I know DF , DA, faders , do not have to undergo baptism again & again as far as I know that does not happen.

6.Baptism among JW`s is a public spectacle of your dedication to Jehovah God ,to be witnessed too.

I hope this answers your questions

take care Cold Steel

Slidin Fast

Smiddy. I would agree with all you have said but just to clarify your point 3. It's not so much that the baptism is done by elders but that it is only done at events officially arranged and sponsored by the WT.

A speaker is appointed, there is a ritual public affirmation of 2 questions and then the candidates are led to the pool, where men appointed officially, officially baptise them. Another man officially watches so that every part of the the candidates' person is officially immersed. If that does not officially happen, the baptism is not officially valid and the referee asks that the official immersion is officially redone so that the baptism is officially, official.

The ritual having been officially completed, the candidate is officially informed that he is an official JW and asked to remember this day as officially the most important day day of his life...... officially.

blondie

Personally, I have no opinion about baptism being necessary or not but the WTS does:

Also, if one is disfellowshiped, does that require re-baptism? Can they do anything to you that would require re-baptism?

Answer: The WTS has vacillated on this but currently says no pointing to Corinthians where the "disfellowshipped" man was "reinstated" but no mention of being baptized again. Side point: the WTS does not teach that a df'd anointed jw who is "reinstated" is not demoted to the earthly class but is considered anointed still.

What if you wanted to baptize your son or daughter, so you teach them and then baptize them in the Jordan River when you take a family vacation to the Holy Land? Would that baptism be recognized by God according to JW belief?

Answer: The WTS does not allow just any member to baptize someone into the WTS organization; certainly not even baptized jw women. As to baptized male jws (and Bible students prior to 1931), baptism was a little less controlled but records were kept at congregation levels and submitted to headquarters. What happens if there are no baptized male WTS members to perform this (areas where all the members are women or unbaptized men, they wait until someone can perform the baptism). Actually I thought baptism was a ritual for other humans since God supposedly knows what is in our hearts and minds.

Finally, does each baptism have to be fully witnessed by two duly appointed witnesses (small "w")? Where are the forms filled and can you volunteer to be a Baptist...er...Baptizer?

Answer: This does bring up an account that was related on JWN some time ago. A jw was trying to avoid being df'd and realized that no one he knew or knew him had seen him get baptized, there were no pictures, and it had never been recorded on his publisher card. So technically no proof he had been baptized...so he dodged the df bullet.

Those who do the baptism at assemblies/conventions are selected by WT convention personnel (selected by WT representatives). Are forms filled out, maybe, records are kept I'm sure. Maybe some elder or ex-elder can fill in the specifics. I do know that they are all elders in my area.

I have seen someone take down names/congregations of those baptized at the baptism.

In my grandparents day, no questions, just show up with your swimsuit/swimwear and be baptized. Less ceremony.

As to the litany at Matthew 28:19:

The questions asked and answered at the baptism talk supposedly covers that.

http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/baptism.php

Cold Steel

Thank you all for your informative answers. Blondie, you are a gold mine of information. You must have an enviable database. Too bad you're going to be destroyed with the rest of us at Armageddon. Jehovah should keep you around to help keep Him straight. (Don't get your hopes up...He won't.)

And Smiddy, thank you for your detailed info. Is one required to do service before being dunked? If I were young man and headed to a university to become an archeologist, do you think I would be counseled not to go? (Do they still do that?) And if I planned to take some theology courses in school, would I have the freedom to do that or would that be viewed negatively? Certainly they must have some trained theologians in their ranks, right? Where are they trained?

Thanks again, all. If anyone has any good baptism stories, feel free to post them. Or if you want to relate your own baptism, I'd love to hear it.

blondie

I'm just trying to keep the WTS honest or at least what have jws and non-jws know what they are dealing with....if they really care.

Cold Steel

But do they? Every day Armageddon is one day closer, and this has been going on for a very long time. If it was close in 1974, imagine how close it is now!

Can you feel the excitement growing within you?

Well, probably not. And that's the problem with the WTS. A spinning top will spin only so long. But new tops are being spun each day and some tops stopped spinning some time ago! That means tops stop spinning each day as well. And there are many wobbling tops that are nearly worn out. The people near death who thought they would never die must think about it. The youthful smugness is gone and eternity opens wide to receive them. My grandmother was no JW, but she was influenced by their doctrines and had looked forward to seeing my departed grandfather in the spirit realm. But after reading some Watchtowers, she feared she would go to the grave, cease to exist and she grew to fear it. Yet my JW relatives thought her knowing "the truth" would comfort her when, in fact, it terrified her.

For some reason the old frequently fear death more than the young. And when one is told that millions now living will never die, and they heard it when they were young, it would certainly cause me to rethink things. I'm sure, though, that there are many new members who are feeling the same excitement that the end is near. Makes me wonder at what point they do care?

Chook

Believe fairy tales ,and subject themselves to a publishing company who will not hesitate to lynch you for insubordination to a fairy tale prophecy.

Cold Steel

That's just it. The great Yahweh of the universe establishing His church and Kingdom through a New York publishing company! And He did it without uttering a word. He simply put in an invisible appearance in 1918 (even the JWs couldn't see it). So how did they know? Did Yahweh tell them? Nope. Was it in prophecy? Not exactly. Perhaps they heard Him declare it in the Heavens. Huh-uh.

You know how they know? Seriously?

They compared their doctrines and understanding of the Bible with those of other Christian sects and they discovered, after considerable study, that...drumroll...oh, would you look at that? They were the only church that had the best, most reliable doctrines and beliefs. I mean, what are the chances of that?

Of course, that was before the Branch Davidians so who knows?

What Must One Do To Get Baptized?

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