When You Went Thru The Baptism Questions Did You Understand It All? (page 3)

Iforget

Min I just love your questions. They provoke thought and memories. Sometimes memories best left in the dark cobweb corners of my mind!

I can remember sitting with 2 hayseed elders. Answering the questions with my best friend. 40 questions? 60? I remember it being a big deal about how many there were.

I really couldn't figure out the difference between the body/soul/spirit and where it went when you died. The struggle to separate those at 15 was too much. I just bs my way thru it.

That is why now with my son I explain to him that baptisim is his choice when he is ready. He was baptized in the Catholic Church because he goes to a Catholic church and I didn't want him to feel different when they went thru 1st Communion. I felt different all my childhood so I am making sure he doesn't but I temper that with discussion about what baptisim means and why he should think carefully about it when he gets older and makes a choice of religion.

Jim_TX

When I got baptized... well, I was about 17 or 18... somewhere around that age... the year was around 1972 or 1973... before the much hyped 1975 year.

I remember going through those questions in that 'Lamp' book (although I didn't remember that was its' name until someone in this thread mentioned it.)

"I've never heard of anyone failing the JW test."

Well... I must've come pretty close. The congregation elder-dude-in-charge... figured that I needed to do the book/questions twice - and so I went over to his house for weeks - AFTER - I had already done them once with the 'group'... and went through them again - for his personal 'approval'. *rolls eyes*

Did I understand it? *shrug* Probably not. I've always been good at taking 'tests'... and this was just another 'test'.

The reason I got baptized? I think it was because there was a gal that was going to get baptized - and she seemed to be gettin a lot of 'attention' from everyone... and I think I wanted to get some attention, too.

Plus... it just seemed like the thing to do - at the time.

Regards,

Jim TX

confusedjw

Yes I did and thought that like the SAT test that I couldn't use any lit to answer the questions. The elder thought that was funny. He's a pretty cool guy. (you know for a cultist)

Simon

I seem to remember they paid particular emphasis to a section about donating to Jehoobedoobobs Organisation. It must have seemed very important to them ...

minimus

I remember part of the OM book discussed "giving". But, I never spent too much time on that as I didn't think it should be the focus of a person's baptism.

cypher50

I definitely didn't have an understanding of the baptismal questions and my studying last year drove that fact home. I just couldn't believe how I never picked up on how different the tone & manner of baptism with the WTBS is from the example Jesus set forth for his followers in the bible. I also went through the 55 or 60 questions from the OM book with the elder that I studied with...seems like a blur now and it was a blur then.

I do remember telling the elder that I felt uncomfortable with my knowledge of the scriptures & doctrines. In fact, the reason I didn't get baptized before I was 16 was because I felt I didn't have a grasp on all the knowledge involved in becoming a witness...but the elder just assured me that being a witness was a "lifelong learning experience". Boy, if I had just went with my instincts and held off...

mkr32208

I understood the questions and the scriptures that supported them when I did the questions the first time I wasnt' allowed to use the book... wasn't allowed to get babtised either but that was because of something that came up after I had finished the questions but before the assembly... (another story for another day)

What I didn't understand then was the long term situation. You can never change your mind, ever for any reason. (funny that the society can change their mind anytime they want)

When You Went Thru The Baptism Questions Did You Understand It All?