a little confused....

by gerbils 15 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  bebu

  WELCOME, gerbils!

  (btw, I had 8 (successively) gerbils growing up... I was a terrible, terrible gerbil owner! )

  My siblings and I were raised Catholic, and only one of my sisters waited for being baptised. Interestingly, she is the only one who is still Catholic (she did get baptized many years later). And she is one of the best examples of a Christian you could find. (The rest of us went protestant, but we all get along extremely well!) So, I say, it should be a general principle that our convictions should bring us to a point of such a deep commitment. And even so, you may find that there are reasons that you discover, as time goes by, for redefining your commitment.

  I think you would like to peruse this site before you get baptised. It is ONLY quotations from the Watchtower, no commentary, on a variety of subjects. It is quite interesting; food for thought.

  http://quotes.watchtower.ca/index.htm

  bebu

  Edited to add: for some reason that link sometimes has horrible formatting when I click on it. I hope it works for you. If not, I hope this one works: http://quotes.watchtower.ca/admin-site-map.htm. Or type in Watchtower quotes into Google, and select the second entry. Hope it works!
• 

  Midget-Sasquatch

  Welcome to the board Gerbils.

  I got baptized soon after highschool, and I still regret it. Others may have sincerely believed all or at least some of the JW teachings, but I never found myself really believing any of their unique teachings. But I allowed my need for acceptance from my father and all the other people I grew up with (all JWs) get the better of me. I even thought that there has to be something lacking in me.To make myself feel better I tried to make the step have some kind of personal meaning. I hoped that it could be a start on to a "spirituality" I never felt before, if only I really tried this time. But answering "yes" to the clause about "god's spirit directed organization" only made me feel like a hypocrite. What I've been all along. What I still feel like today. Getting baptized doesn't make anything easier in the long run. You're legally and socially bound to the control of the Org.

  You're not a coward to me. I admire your resolve and those of others who have never allowed themselves to be coerced into something they don't believe in. The inner strength to make a principled stand. That says volumes about character. You owe yourself freedom. The world also needs as many principled people as it can get. Stick around on this board and you'll find plenty of others here just like you.
• 

  mustang

  Welcome!!!

  I wish that I had done what you are alluding to: STALL, STALL, STALL.

  But I was baptized BEFORE I was a teenager, pIONEERED and was a sERVANT. All this was done mostly to please others. And it kept the fussing around me down to a dull roar.

  If I had it to do over, I would do it about the way you are doing it.

  Mustang
• 

  Country_Woman

  Welcome........

  I have this horrible feeling that I could be like this forever, never being able to progress any further, always going along to meetings so as not to upset my family, and never being able to bring myself to baptism like everybody expects. I refuse to get baptised just to satisfy other peoples expections...

  Don't despite this feeling: it may be the best thing that can happen to you, now you will be able to keep talking to your family. Once babtised and OUT of the religion, they will (most problably) shun you.
• 

  bull01lay

  I think you're doing well to stall things Gerbils - you're obviously very strong willed, and smart to boot!

  I can't offer any better advice than that you've been given so far, so just wanted to add a "Welcome to the board", and offer encouragement to stay firm in your (in)descision!

  Cheers,

  Bull!
• 

  Black Sheep

  Hi gerbils, welcome to the board.

  I was very much like you at your age and I never did get baptised.

  The BIG mistake I made was that I didn't check out the literature to see if it was actually telling the truth.

  I didn't do that for another thirty years and during that time I made some very bad decisions based on beliefs that I hadn't verified.

  I really do suggest that you do your homework now, not in thirty years time.

  I wish you well.

  Chris

  Edited to add: My family were disapointed, but they never shunned me.