As promised, I went with my wife to the assembly in Richmond, VA to watch my wife get baptized in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Spirit directed organization.
The talks leading up to it were basically all propaganda and how the witnesses are the only true Christians and the rest of the world is a tool used by Satan to mislead Christians from serving Jehovah. I could only stomach the first half of the assembly on Saturday morning and my daughter and I played around outside the assembly hall the rest of the time.
Anyway, starting with the baptismal talk itself. That talk was a goldmine full of propaganda and fallacy designed to strengthen the resolve of the witnesses being baptized. Aside from my wife, I think only four other people were being baptized. Here are the highlights of the talk and my comments.
- Satan is mad today because you are being baptized.
I love how they use Satan to make it appear that Jehovah's Witnesses who are studying are being somehow persecuted. A TRUE marking of a cult as according to Steve Hassan's book, this is practiced by the moonies as well.
Playing the Satan card like this makes it appear that individuals who care and are concerned about the path he or she is taking are simply tools of Satan the Devil. No doubt, the elder's wife has probably been feeding my wife this BS during her 'progression' in the 'truth.' - Warning against the influence of false teachings.
To which false teachings are they referring to? What about the Watchtower teachings? How do you know if they are true or not? - Paradise Earth and their hopes for living forever in it.
What about revelations teachings of a great crowd that will be in heaven? - Watching out for false religious influence and false teachings about the truth.
This is where they apparently thing that anyone who hears the truth might not respond favorably to it. However, how come Jehovah's Witnesses get so flippant and respond so unfavorably when you're trying to present facts about their religion to them? Is this Satan snatching aways the seeds that are being sown in their minds? Is this the individual witnesses hardening their hearts? If their religion is free from paganism, why the occultic connections with 1914 and pyramidology? What about their false 607 BCE teaching as related to the seven Gentile times? - We must quit touching the unclean thing.
An obvious Rutherford battle cry, a throw back to his era. So what is the unclean thing? According to them, all religious channels, religious material from Christendom, as well as attending any church and associating with any church sponsored event. (All of this was in the talk.) But what about pyramidology and how it was used to determine 1914? Why is the 607 BCE date not supported by anyone outside of the Watchtower? - Finally the baptismal questions were asked.
Baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the spirit directed organization! Is this sound doctrine?
Her parents were there, and they were estatic. Her father asked how I felt about it. I replied, "Her decision, her life. If it makes her happy, it makes me happy."
Now I am about to check out of this hotel room and get my daughter during their lunch intermission. She did not want to go today at all but her mom insisted that life is not all about fun and games and that she needs some spiritual things in her life as well. Daughter still did not want to go, I am going to rescue my child now.