HELLO
It is interesting to note the change that has taken place in the vows taken just prior to to baptism. The two questions that I was expected to give an affirmative to are shown here:
(1) "Have you repented of your sins and turned around, recognising yourself before Jehovah God as a condemned 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 his provision for salvation, have you dedicated yourself unreservedly to do his will henceforth as he reveals it to you through Jesus Christ and through the Bible under the enlightening holy spirit?"
These questions, or vows, were changed in 1985 to the following:
(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? Having answered yes to these questions, candidates are in the right heart condition to undergo Christian baptism."
The above changes are rather significant. The lines that I have highlighted change the basis of the dedication. The new vows bind the candidate to the Watchtower Society. Also there is no longer any mention of the revealing of God's will through Jesus Christ or the Bible by means of Holy Spirit.
There is a legal significance to this. Should a member who has been excommunicated for apostasy try to sue the Society on the basis that their vows were to serve God through Jesus Christ and claim that they are still doing this, the Society could respond by saying that their vows specified that they remain a Witness, under the direction of the Society.
This further illustrates the way that the Watchtower Society has slowly moved itself into the position that many other Christians have reserved for Jesus.
trevor