Did you get a little pressured to get baptized young?

by outofthebox 39 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  outofthebox

  We saw an elder the other night trying to convince a couple of kids that they were ready to be unbaptized publishers. And then he went and added that he was baptized very young and they should too. So, these two kids were feeling the pressure. While witnessing (pun intended) that, I remembered I felt adults pressure and peers pressure too, and that's why I got baptized so young. A 'sister' here told me how two elders went to her house when she was 14 to tell her that she was ready to get baptized. And she did.

  Did you feel that pressure too?

  -- Out Of The Box
• 

  sweetstuff

  I think its pretty common to have direct or indirect pressure to get baptized as a dub. You don't fit in, if you don't. Sick, but true.
• 

  Elsewhere

  Did you get a little pressured to get baptized young?

  Yup... along with some friendly subtle threats to the stability of my social life.
• 

  Erace

  Oh yes! Somehow I held out until I was 15, but 13 was what my family was going for. When I brought that up after I got DF'd, I was reminded that I CONVINCED the elders I was ready and had a great understanding of what kind of commitment I was making. The good news...some of my family, I don't even miss!
• 

  restrangled

  A little pressure? How about heavy duty pressure before 1975. I was baptized at age 13 to keep the peace. Every kid in the hall was doing the same.

  I crossed my fingers behind my back and did not answer yes to the questions asked by the speaker at the district assembly, or maybe I did, but I remember crossing my fingers.

  So did my baptism count? What a farce.

  r.
• 

  delilah

  Did you feel that pressure too?

  uh-huh....my mom said that I was old enough, and if armageddon came, and I wasn't baptised, I'd die.

  So, I did it.... Dumb-ass move on my part...
• 

  Soledad

  Not a little............a lot
• 

  Gregor

  I'm 11 yrs old. It is about 2 weeks before the circuit assembly to be held at the Ventura County fairgrounds. My mom comes in and sets on the edge of my bed, interupting my reverie about that evenings episode of "Zorro" and how cool it would be to slash a "Z" on something. "Honey, have you thought about getting baptized?" (Hell, no. but I got a feeling I'm gonna think abut it right now) "Did you know that Gene (my cousin, 5 mos younger than me) is getting baptized?" "No" ( At this point in time I doubt that my cousin knew it either). My mother and her sister had cooked up the whole idea. So two weeks later we are getting dunked at a public pool. This was after changing into trunks in a tent where I noticed that everyone else had a lot of pubic hair except my cousin and I.
• 

  wings

  This would be my #1 issue with the BORG....unbelieveable, horrible, dasterdly, lowdown, rotton, reprehensible, scoundrels (I need a thesaurus). I have seen so many young ones pressured into baptism, including my own step kids. Who then continue to grow up with the belief that they are not okay out of the BOX, and have a life future of either being a drone, a fake, a looser, or a total reject. (or they just blow the BOX to hell and get on with their lives)

  Someone should have to go to jail for this.
• 

  sosad

  i wanted to make God Happy and My Parents but I am not sure about the order.

  there were many that felt I was too young (at 12) which made me even more determined to show them

  i still get the rear view mirror pressure from my parents who are determined that I knew what I was doing - and I love the reaction I got when I asked them why they wouldn't let me get married when I was 12 - or even pick my future husband, or drive a car, or live on my own etc etc- it's the marriage one that always makes them change the subject

  oh yeh- but those big bad old catholics baptise babies....give it a couple of years for the dubs- nothing surprises me about this cult anymore