Baptism Questions

by Honesty 11 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • Honesty
    Honesty

    Just how scriptural is the Watchtower when it comes to asking questions for baptism?

    As you read the following account ask yourself why does the Society ask the questions instead of the candidates?

    Could it all be about control and enslavement?

    Acts 8:26-40 An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip: “Get up and go south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to desert Gaza.” So he got up and went. There was an Ethiopian man, a eunuch and high official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to worship in Jerusalem and was sitting in his chariot on his way home, reading the prophet Isaiah aloud. The Spirit told Philip, “Go and join that chariot.” When Philip ran up to it, he heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” “How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the Scripture passage he was reading was this:

    He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,

    and as a lamb is silent before its shearer,

    so He does not open His mouth.

    In His humiliation justice was denied Him.

    Who will describe His generation?

    For His life is taken from the earth.

    The eunuch replied to Philip, “I ask you, who is the prophet saying this about—himself or another person?” So Philip proceeded to tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning from that Scripture. As they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. The eunuch said, “Look, there’s water! What would keep me from being baptized?” [ And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart you may.” And he replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”] Then he ordered the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him any longer. But he went on his way rejoicing. Philip appeared in Azotus, and passing through, he was evangelizing all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

  • RR
    RR

    Just about every group I know of ask such questions of their baptismal candidates, 1. have you repented of you sins? 2. Have you acespt Jesus. I don't see anything wrong with it. There are a lot of things done that are not scriptural.

    The first century Christians met in private homes or in the fields, yet just about every groups has a Church building or hall.

    Consider too the contradiction in getting baptised. Jesus stated before he ascended unto the Father, Go and baptised in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. yet a careful search in scriptures will show that NONE of the Apostles or disciples did that. They all baptized "in the name of Jesus". Leaving oy the ather and the Holy Spirit.

    Personally I believe the Jesus quote is spurious and added or altered by trinitarians.

    RR

  • Honesty
    Honesty
    Just about every group I know of ask such questions of their baptismal candidates, 1. have you repented of you sins? 2. Have you acespt Jesus. I don't see anything wrong with it. There are a lot of things done that are not scriptural.

    You are absolutely correct. They ask two or three questions of a person when the person makes a public announcement that they have accepted Christ as their Savior, usually by going to the front of the sanctuary near the end of a typical worship service.

    100+ questions is a bit out of the ordinary for any group.

    Jesus stated before he ascended unto the Father, Go and baptised in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

    Have you examined whose name the JW's get baptised into since 1985?

  • AnnOMaly
    AnnOMaly

    In the name of the Father, the Son and the Spirit-directed Organization.

  • greendawn
    greendawn

    And when the eunuch went back to Ethiopia was he receiving there any spiritual food from a faithful and discreet servant AKA God's only channel of communication with mankind?

  • RR
    RR

    Honesty:

    100+ questions is a bit out of the ordinary for any group.

    I agree, however I was under the impression we were talking about the initial questions at the time of baptism, NOT the 100 + questions that lead to baptism.

    Have you examined whose name the JW's get baptised into since 1985?

    Of course, they get baptized into the name of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. I was baptized before 1985. RR

  • hamsterbait
    hamsterbait


    Even the WTBTS admitted in an article that God's spirit guides his followers as individuals.

    I think they realized their mistake, because after that was printed in the early 80's they began to hammer the idea that you could only understand the bible by reading what the WT said the bible says.

    It is less and less to do with your relationship with Jesus and more to do with obeying the Borganization.

    How many genuinely good people have had their life ruined by this cult? More to the point Jesus said "NO ONE has everlasting life unless he eats my flesh and drinks my blood." So why are the WTBTS promising everlasting life to the Great Crowd, who are forbidden to partake of the emblems??

    HB

  • Honesty
    Honesty
    More to the point Jesus said "NO ONE has everlasting life unless he eats my flesh and drinks my blood." So why are the WTBTS promising everlasting life to the Great Crowd, who are forbidden to partake of the emblems?? HB

    I just pulled this thread up while looking for another about our KH parking lot another poster asked me about and lo and behold the very same passages I just sent you about 5 minutes ago jump out at me from your post. Back on topic: How long did it take for the Ethiopian official to accept Christ as his Savior? I bet it wasn't more than an hour or two at the most before he had a life changing experience. What about the Roman army officer that Peter was sent to by Holy Spirit? Again, no 100+ questions to make sure they had aligned their life in accord with a list of man-made rules and regulations. A man is drowning and crying out for help. Another man on shore sees him and says, "Here ya go. Let me write down this list of things that will save you." The drowning man cries out, "But I need someone to save me now." The Wacktower says, "Let us study with you" but I find that nowhere in the New Testament does salvation rest upon "studying" with anyone or anything other than the Word of God.

  • ferret
    ferret

    hampsterbait you make a great point about denying the partaking of the emblems.

  • kristyann
    kristyann

    What are the 100+ questions asked before baptism? Are they just memorization of things and they ask you to repeat them back, pretty much? Are they the same questions for everyone? Anyone have a list?

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