Did you get baptized without being dedicated?
No. I was totally dedicated. As with any relationship, it became clear to me over time that the premises upon which I was led to make that dedication were false premises. So I reevaluated them, and made a decision that I could not in good conscience continue to dedicate myself to the God that the Watchtower promotes.
Why did you allow men to come between you and Jehovah?
It wasn't up to me. Those men were already there in the first place, insisting that I had no choice but to accept them as coming between me and Jehovah, or else I could have no relationship with him at all. Note what the July 15, 2012 Watchtower, page 20, paragraph 2 says: "It is vital that we recognize the faithful slave. Our spiritual health and our relationship with God depend on this channel.--Matt. 4:4; John 17:3." The God of the Bible would regard this statement as blasphemy. It is faith in Jesus Christ that enables a person to have a relationship with God, according to the Bible, not the recognition of a faithful slave. This is clear, documented proof--easily substantiated by further, similar quotes--that these men provided the above false premises upon which I based my dedication. Jehovah saw everything they and their predecessors have done for more than a century, and not only did he not correct them, he allowed them to fall into even greater errors as time went on. It is obvious that if such a God exists, he would not allow his true teachers to print statements like the above. And on the other hand, true teachers of God would never allow themselves to print statements like the above.
Why were you serving Jehovah at all? Out of love, or for other reasons?
Out of love. Certainly not for a date, as none was given to me. Of course I wanted to please my mother, but I sincerely believed such service was the right thing to do. I believed we were bringing hope and morality to the world, and that if everyone shared our beliefs, we could end the suffering of mankind and finally build a better world. For me personally, I believed it would protect me from the dangers of sin and guide me into a close relationship with God.
"Whenever you vow a vow to God, do not hesitate to pay it...What you vow, pay. Better it is that you vow not than that you vow and do not pay." (Ecc 5:4,5)
How does one make a vow to someone who does not in turn communicate in acceptance of that vow? It was clearly a one-sided relationship. Me doing the talking, the reading, the working, the struggling, and the hoping, and him doing something unknown and unknowable. And being mighty quiet in the process. If he wants to have a relationship, like any good parent, he should communicate through something a little clearer than a 2,000+-year-old book consisting of history and letters written to people who are not me. Someone with that much power and allegedly with that much love, can surely do better than that.
--sd-7