contrary to popular belief you can have your baptism annulled as i did by my local elders after my judicial hearing.. the watchtower of 1964 page 126 first paragraph clearly states that anyone that was committing a gross sin before, during and after their baptism is void.
in order to get right with the lord you would need to be re-baptised.
err no thanks, i'm not a believer!!!!.
Watchtower February 15th 1964
Article entitled
Did you make an acceptable dedication to God?
Page 126 First paragraph.
Voiding baptisms can be done it's just very rare because most don't know it can even be done. It not like it's ever going to be broadcasted as an option. But might be of use to someone trying to leave that's all.
the numbers don't lie... definitely slowing down!!.
in the 40´s the average growth per year was 20%in the 50´s it was about 10%they had four decades of solid 5% per yearnow the average for the past 16 years has been 2%.
maybe in the future it will be 1% or 0 or even negative????.
Haha the fastest growing religion that never was! People are voting with their feet. The Internet is choking watchtower.
contrary to popular belief you can have your baptism annulled as i did by my local elders after my judicial hearing.. the watchtower of 1964 page 126 first paragraph clearly states that anyone that was committing a gross sin before, during and after their baptism is void.
in order to get right with the lord you would need to be re-baptised.
err no thanks, i'm not a believer!!!!.
contrary to popular belief you can have your baptism annulled as i did by my local elders after my judicial hearing.. the watchtower of 1964 page 126 first paragraph clearly states that anyone that was committing a gross sin before, during and after their baptism is void.
in order to get right with the lord you would need to be re-baptised.
err no thanks, i'm not a believer!!!!.
Contrary to popular belief you can have your baptism annulled as I did by my local elders after my judicial hearing.
The Watchtower of 1964 page 126 first paragraph clearly states that anyone that was committing a gross sin before, during and after their baptism is void. In order to get right with the lord you would need to be re-baptised. Err no thanks, I'm not a believer!!!!
My elders told me that my smoking from 12 years of age right up til my baptism at age 16 and afterwards ment my dedication was invalid.
It was announced at the next weeks meeting from the platform that my baptism and dedication was annulled. The elders told me it was unusual as most are df'd for smoking or committing what they regard as gross sin. Since then I have been treated the same as a worldly person or non witness and never shunned by anyone.
I'm just hoping this might be of some use to anyone that might have a judicial hearing coming up and wants a get out of watchtower free card.
The elders have to go with what is in print (watchtower) and it's right there in print, it even says that getting re-baptised it is a personal decision, in order to do that your first baptism would have to be made void and announced as was mine.
i am now a jedi, so trust me on this.. .
why dis-associate, you are just playing by the wts rules?
how can you dis-associate anyway, you never thought you were baptised as a watchtower society member, you thought your dedication was to god, so why formally disassociate from something you did not formally join?
Yes you can have your baptism annulled / cancelled without disfellowshipping or disassociation.
I had my baptism annulled in England UK in 1996 and was announced at the Kingdom Hall as such.
The reason that allowed for my baptism to be be annulled was the fact that I smoke cigarettes. I started smoking at the age of 11. I was baptised at age 16. I left home and stopped going to meetings at age 18. Whilst visiting my family some years later at age 22, even though I was considered inactive and bad association by some, I was asked to lend a hand with the quick build of the new Kingdom Hall. I took 2 weeks off work, and I worked there everyday for 2 weeks. and completed the new Kingdom Hall. It was during this time a member of the congregation that was not helping build their new Kingdom Hall, saw me smoking a cigarette during a lunch break down the street away from the Kingdom Hall site and from away from those working there. They quickly brought my smoking to the attention of the elders, and wanted action taken.
The very next day after we had completed the new Kingdom Hall I was asked if I would be willing to meet with three elders that week as someone had made an accusation against me, and the elders needed me to answer that accusation. They also thanked me for all the days of hard work and labour I had spent helping to build their new Kingdom Hall.
At first I refused to attend as the accuser was a fit and able bodied brother of the congregation but had refused to get their hands dirty building their own Kingdom Hall, but wanted to complain about those building it. It was this self righteous attitude that appeared so prevalent within the organization growing up that made me not want to be a JW.
After a long talk with my parents I told them both I was tired of constantly having to lead a double life and lie about everything I had done as a child and teenager out of fear of beatings. Me and my brothers got beaten regularly for often minor things like laughing at a meeting. My parents were strict hardcore JWs. "Do not spare the rod and spoil child." But they had mellowed slightly with age. I finally agreed to go to the judicial hearing but I would not apologize or ask for forgiveness from them as they were just imperfect men like me. I enjoyed smoking i ain't gonna lie. I had no reason to be scared of the elders anymore and would speak openly and honestly about anything the wanted to know. I told them that I did not fear them or the outcome of the meeting.
I thought there would only be one outcome Disfellowshipped. But NO.
The elders said I was committing what Jehovah's Witnesses consider a serious sin before and after my baptism, and had not disclosed this to the elders taking me through the 40 questions you had to answer at that time to qualify. Therefore I would not have qualified for baptism had I answered truthfully at the time of my dedication. The elders at my judicial hearing felt that I had not been truthful with them or jehovah at the time of my dedication thus making a mockery of my baptism and dedication. I also pointed out that any child raised by JW parents can answer all 40 questions without blinking because it's been burnt into their from birth, whether the child believes it to be true or not, they have no choice in the matter and the pressure from the organisation to conform to get baptised for young ones just devalues and undermines the importance of it as jesus was baptized at age 30, not 13 years old.
So it was announced later that week at the Kingdom Hall that my baptism was annulled.
This raised a lot of eyebrows and questions at the Kingdom Hall, most if not all had never heard of this before, and did not know why this was done as many had family members disfellowshipped that might have been in the same position as myself. Once disfellowshipped you can appeal, twice I believe but is rarely if ever undone.
The elders asked some questions at my judicial hearing which may be of note, I honestly dont know if this helps.
Do I call myself or consider myself to be one of jehovah's witness? Answer No.
Did I confess any serious sin or wrongdoing that would prevent me from getting baptised? Answer No I did not confess anything I was smoking and living a double life at the time.
Do you consider yourself a christian or any other faith? Answer No.
Do you believe in Jehovah God? Answer No.
Do you have any desire to be part of the christian congregation? Answer No.
Do you or would you actively discourage someone interested in becoming one of Jehovah's Witnesses? Answer No.
The elders thanked me for attending and being honest and frank with them. I guess they are more used to people lying and crying and begging not to be disfellowshipped for all the wrong reasons.
My older brother is disfellowshipped when the same should have applied to him as with me. He was baptized aged 16 only 1 year before me. We did everything together including smoking, drinking, swearing even stealing. The usual teenage things we just started a bit earlier. Those days are gone, sadly we all gotta grow up and get old we are both happy honest family guys now.
The real sad thing is my parents have missed out on knowing their son because they shun him but not me, for something he did over twenty years ago. This has caused many heated arguments between me and my parents because i would not copy them in shunning him.
The watchtower years ago said to its readers, that persons should not choose their religion over family members even if they are of another faith. What happened? Did they forget they wrote that. If memory serves me correctly Jesus never shunned anyone not even Judas whom he knew was to betray him. He ate with him until the he died.
How can you say you love your brother and then treat him like his dead by shunning him.
I may not believe in God but I do know love, I see it in my own children everyday and shunning is not love.
