Disaster : ( My niece wants to get baptised soon.

Spectrum

How do I stop her?
She's is only 16 and is bent on getting baptised. I know for a fact she is doing it for show, to show that she is a mature sister. Believe me, there isn't an ounce of spirituality in her. I've met teens that have a genuine respect and interest in their God and she doesn't fit this mode. She is far more interested in her looks, materialism, showing clevage, effing when angry etc. Basically a normal teenager.

Any ideas on how to prevent this?

Severus

She is far more interested in her looks, materialism, showing clevage, effing when angry etc. Basically a normal teenager.

Sounds like she be posting here someday. Let her do what she will. At that age, pressure will only result in a backlash. Let her know your mind and leave it. She will come back with thanks and an apology.

Gadget

She's is only 16 and is bent on getting baptised

Ask her parents when she's getting married? My parents would object strongly to someone getting married at 16 because they would think they're not emotionally mature enough to be able to make such a large commitment to someone...... What would your neice and her parents think looking at it from this angle?

Paul

MidwichCuckoo

She is far more interested in her looks, materialism, showing clevage, effing when angry etc. Basically a normal teenager.

Better tell her to hurry up and get Baptised then she'll be 'safe' from associating with her Wordly friends who'll only want to go out and have fun - pubbing, clubbing etc. When she's sitting through the 2 hour mid-week study, she'll be able to reflect on how fortunate she is that she made the decision...........especially when she wants to start dating. There's NOTHING more fun than making every date a threesome with the obligatory chaperone. Better ask her NOW if there are any young brothers at her Hall she likes - because that's about all she has to choose from.

greendawn

From what you are saying all she will achieve is to get thrown out soon and find herself shunned by all the JWs. If you tell her that she may reconsider.

freetosee

If that’s what she wants to do, let her go ahead. If she is doing it for show she is not going to last very long, unless she has a change of mind and ‘makes the truth her own’. Many youngsters and interested ones I’ve seen drifted away sometime after the love-bombing cools off. All the attention and compliments disappears after they are safely ‘in’ and then the responsibility of being a baptized member will awaken her to the reality of strictly controlled repetitious time-consuming JW activities. No longer sweet encouragements but “do more, do more, do more...prove your love for Jehovah”.

Freetosee

Nosferatu

You and me are in the same boat. It's hard to see someone special in the family devote their life to a lie.

The best you can do is let her go through with it and hope that they see the lie someday.

AuldSoul

Spectrum,

You might try this:

Without any commentary at all, provide her with the referenced Two Questions from 1973 and the ones from 1985. If you must comment, point out that you think the changes are rather significant and you wanted her to consider it carefully before deciding.

Teenagers like to be thought of as able to decide for themselves.

***

w73 5/1 p. 280 par. 25 Baptizing Follows Discipling ***

*** w85 6/1 p. 30 Subjecting Ourselves to Jehovah by Dedication *** (subheading: Decision Based on Knowledge)

Respectfully,
AuldSoul

Fleshybirdfodder

I can relate. Kids do not think of consequences. For me it was getting my parents off my back because I couldn't handle their "encouragement" and "reminders" that Elder joe's son was my age and was getting baptised at the upcoming assembly. I didn't think of the long term consequences of making a life changing decision at 14, and the elders didn't help by coaching me through a bunch of questions I didn't have the answer to (nor did I care). I think a lot of it depends on how much pressure her Witness family is exerting. There is such a "keeping up with the Joneses" mentality. Since she is a normal teen, the best you can do is let her know what will be expected of her after taking this step, and then stay close by, always reassuring her that she has a place to turn to if she feels she's made a mistake (a liberty the org does not grant).

steve2

RELAX....

Remember the golden rule: The earlier you get baptised, the sooner you leave.

Literally hundreds and hundreds of thousands of normal teenagers have slept-walked their way into baptism at JW conventions only to wake up sooner rather than later and leave.

In the meatime, you have a coffee or two, read a (worldy) magazine, laugh with friends and soon she'll be knocking on your door, not with the Awake or Watchtower, but with an enriching experience and a life ahead of her free from the Watchtower.

Disaster : ( My niece wants to get baptised soon.

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