Are there things they DON'T tell you until AFTER you're baptized?

lavendar

Just wondering......

Are there certain teachings / beliefs they don't tell a person who is studying....until AFTER they're baptized?

drwtsn32

Hmm...not sure, but most people that get baptized only have a superficial understanding of the WTS dogma.

In addition, once you are baptized some things are off limits, like asking about the governing body and how it's known that they are directed by god, etc. Those types of questions are "okay" to ask when you're studying, but certainly not when you have been baptized for a while.

Colton

First of all, you don't get baptised until they know you can be mind-controlled. This is the reason for the 80 questions meeting with the Elders after you studied the Knowledge Book. It's actually a test to see if you can be indoctrinated. Once you are baptised, you are well underway to believe just about anything the Governing Body says. Some of the hardcore doctrines aren't made clear until you have researched for yourself. I don't recall ever being told the Jesus was Michael the Archangel, but it's there. One thing leads to another ...

jamiebowers

More importantly, what is not told to you before you get baptized is that you will have to submit to even the most unreasonable rules as a jw. They paint a picture of Jehovah's happy people who have the elders and other shepherds to guide you when things go wrong. What they fail to tell you is that things frequently go wrong in life, and these so-called shepherds are nowhere near qualified to help, even if they are genuinely concerned. Instead what you get is the situtation where the shepherds aren't counselors, doctors or lawyers, but they stayed at a Holiday Inn last night type of deal.

leavingwt

It's worse than not being told until AFTER you're baptized.

You're NEVER told many things that you would have need to known before making an informed choice about joining the group.

Remember: Nobody joins a destructive cult. They're recruited into it.

lavendar

Remember: Nobody joins a destructive cult. They're recruited into it.

Soooooo true, Leaving!

Quirky1

You can always check in but you can never leave....

Lady Lee

They don't tell you getting baptized is the equivalent of selling your soul life to the WTS. They will hold onto that life even after you leave, quit or are disfellowshipped.

And even after you leave you are still supposed to follow their rules!!!

lavendar

It's amazing the HOLD they have on people .....by the mind control they employ!

jws

Hmm...not sure, but most people that get baptized only have a superficial understanding of the WTS dogma.

More importantly, what is not told to you before you get baptized is that you will have to submit to even the most unreasonable rules as a jw.

I wouldn't say these statements are necessarily true. Anybody who's sat through meetings for any length of time and has observed the congregation will pick up on all of this stuff, baptised or not. And quite a few of those baptised (like myself) were raised as JWs and had been hearing these doctrines over and over since birth and seeing how people are treated who don't follow the rules. As a teenager, I think I understood WTS dogma pretty well before I was baptised. And I distinguish between "understanding the WTS dogma" and "understanding what BS it is".

As far as what they tell you and don't tell you, they don't seperate the baptised from the unbaptised so they can teach them differently. Everything you learn is either spoken from the platform or read from books that everybody else reads. They don't pull you aside and give you more info once you're baptised.

There are some differences for different levels though. Elders will go to elder school and get the secret elder book. Pioneers will go to pioneer school and get some special instruction and a special notebook. But as far as your average baptised JW vs your unbaptised JW, it's all out in the open.

There's also the monthly Kingdom Ministry, which you only get if you're turning in time in field service. And there used to be a Theocratic Ministry School book if you joined that. Neither of which you have to be baptised to participate in. Or at least as a kid you didn't need to be.

I think there's also two versions of the watchtower now, one for door-to-door and one with study articles for the congregation. I don't know what the rules are on who gets that. But if you're in attendance when they study it, you hear everything.

Now the real heart of it is if you're a new one, they don't tell you everything. When you first answer that door, they don't tell you all of the ins and outs. But by the time most people get baptised, they seem to know how things work (in my experience anyway).

Are there things they DON'T tell you until AFTER you're baptized?

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