Inactive and Immune

by new light 24 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  RunningMan

  Franklin, the baptismal questions were changed a while back:

  Baptismal vows as of 1966 - WT 8/1/66 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 vows as of 1985 - WT 6/1/85 p. 30:

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

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

  ?... when we dedicate our lives to Jehovah. We do not dedicate ourselves to a religion, nor to a man, nor to an organization. No, we dedicated ourselves to the Supreme Sovereign of the Universe, our Creator, Jehovah God himself.? - WT 10/1/66 p. 603-4]
• 

  Nathan Natas

  Look, New Light, we both know what a bunch of legalistic whack-jobs the WTS is.

  The fact that you participateon a notoriously "apostate" discussion board such as this could easily be construed to constitute an effort by you to influence "faithful" JWs and to turn them from the path of salvation.

  Like I said, it's whack, but it's real.
• 

  dannyboy

  Two factors to keep in mind here: (Commenting on those desiring to "fade away"....others may choose an "in your face" type departure, but there are valid reasons to fade: Allowing for some contact with family members still "in", for example....

  1. As others have said: Bodies of Elders vary in their agressiveness on this issue, but keep in mind point 2:

  2. The less contact/influence somebody a "walk-away" has on the congregation, the more the elders will be inclinded to busy themselves with other things. Yes, of course, some bodies of elders will be way out of range with their effort to give you trouble, so this doesn't apply with equal force everywhere. But in my own case, and in others I know about, if you keep a low profile. When you see Witnesses in a casual setting, like at the store and you make insulting remarks or say things like "Oh, are you still with that damn cult?" you can count on it being viewed as a threat, and from getting pursued (Obvious to most of us, but I think it needs to be mentioned). A strategy that has worked for me is just being too busy to talk to them, with courtesy and politeness. Yes, we may have strong feelings about our former life, but for most of us, it's the system, not ALL witnesses/elders in general....

  There are posters on this board who are have followed point #2 above, and who openly are leading lives at variance with what they did as Witnesses (celebrating Birthdays and Christmas for example), and yet are (so far) un-bothered by "witch-hunt" type activities by the elders.

  My two cents.

  ----Dan
• 

  Charms

  I figured as much. That explains why I've never been hounded by any elders after 'fading' out. My mother gets the occasional inquiry (they don't know where I live), but that's about it.
• 

  cyber-sista

  So far doing the fade has been OK for me, though I live in a small town where everybody knows your business even before you know it. If you continue to be just be normal and polite to the average JW most of them will be cordial.. If I DA myself the average JW can take that as a personal insult of my lack of love for them and will then consider it my fault. If the elders DA me for anything then it is their fault that I am DAd and then I can tell people who know me well that it was the elders that DAd me and it might get them to thinking.

  Yes, and i was baptized before they changed the questions. I was not baptized into the Org as JWs ar today. So if the vows have changed then I am no longer accountable or that is what I will tell them if it gets that far...