Here is my story:
I was definitely pressured. I was 15 at the time and it was told over and over again to the female teenagers that if we did not get baptized we would have no chance of securing a good husband with privileges. (Saoirse I can relate) In retrospect that backfired on me since I married a man who abused me in about every way you can put a label to in the 14 years we were married.
At the time I was considering getting baptized, for the reason above; I still had my doubts and even asked an Elder to meet with me to talk about my misgivings. We sat at the hall, 1 male/1female alone. I stated to him that I did not feel ready but that because 1975 was right around the corner (next year actually) that I felt because I was of “the age of reasoning” that I needed to do it or die at Armageddon. (The carrot, as blueblades stated) (Saoirse I can relate) He agreed. Because he was a man I admired and feared, I went ahead with the steps needed to get baptized.
When I got baptized there was a ‘group herding.’ In other words, we were all (in my case about 8) sent to the meetings at the Hall with the Elders as a group. We did not have to answer EVERY question. (minimus, you brought that out. But notice in my case where you stated every fifth question…mine was 1 (one) question out of ALL asked) Because of the stance on schooling I was not a good candidate for studying so for this I didn’t do any. I answered 1 (one) question out of all the questions that were to be answered individually by each of us.
When I got ‘dunked’ I felt as noni felt….to be accepted. I remember coming out of the pool, after first worrying that I would have to be redunked, thinking…I am wet. Anyone afterward that said “Congrats” felt hollow to me.
Years later I find out that my parents did not want me or my siblings to get baptized as young as we were but they allowed it anyway. Unlike R.F. at the time I remember nothing to indicate my parents had reservations. They did the same thing after I was baptized when they allowed me to date and get engaged to be married at 16 (married at 17 & 4 months.) The night the idiot wanted/did propose, mom now states she was against us getting married and tried to get him to not ask me to marry him, but they allowed us to go off “ALONE” for him to propose.
The hardest thing for me to reconcile is the fact that my family holds us to standards that they now SAY they were against at the time by saying we made our choice. In other words, we made our bed….now lie in it. THEY allowed it yet they now treat us as outsiders, apostates, and evil people.
I hope this wasn't too boring, but it helped me to just get it out.
