WHY ALL THE QUESTIONS ?

by iknowall558 30 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

rocketman

There are likely legal reasons why they take such a cautious approach. Once you're baptized, you can be df'd. They don't want disfellowshiped people pleading ignorance and/or possibly suing.
Also, they don't want people bearing the name of "Jehovah's Witness" while still steeped in some practices that are going to bring "reproach" upon the Organization.
Their approach is overly-cautious and tedious, but just going ahead and baptizing people would be a major headache for them, even if it's more in tune with what the 1st Century Christians did.
straightshooter

Also if they did not ask all those questions, then it opens the door for baptism annullments.
I did not know that rule existed, now I don't want my baptism to be valid.
caliber

It is guaranteeing self-protection of the Org.... same rule you now must practice for the rest of
your life..... the organization first...... people second
You might have more luck with honest answers to the following questions .. ...
Why is it called a TV set when there's only one?
If it's zero degrees outside today and it's supposed to be twice as cold tomorrow, how cold is it going to be?
Can a guy named Nick have a 'nick 'name?
If a person owns a piece of land do they own it all the way down to the core of the earth?
If an ambulance is on its way to save someone, and it runs someone over, does it stop to help them?
Do vampires get AIDS?
Why do people never say "it's only a game" when they're winning?
If you accidentally ate your own tongue, what would it taste like?
Are zebras black with white stripes, or white with black stripes?
Why do most cars have speedometers that go up to at least 130 when you legally can't go that fast on any road?
If Wile Coyote had enough money for all that Acme crap, why didn't he just buy dinner instead of chasing Road-Runner?
How can you hear yourself think?
If you had x-ray vision, but closed your eyes, could you still see?
If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?
When cheese gets its picture taken, what does it say?
Why isn’t the number 11 pronounced onety one?
If it’s true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?
If 4 out of 5 people suffer from diarrhea does that mean the fifth one enjoys it?
If man evolved from monkeys and apes, why do we still have monkeys and apes?
If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the rest drown too?
If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?
What's a question with no answer called?
Why is a square meal served on round plates?
Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up 10 times every hour?
If mars had earthquakes would they be called marsquakes?
Why is Charlie short for Charles if they are both the same number of letters?
How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?
Do Lipton employees take coffee breaks?
If it's tourist season, why can't we shoot them?
Can you cry under water?
If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?

blondie

iknowall, while there were 80 questions, as I said, each person did not have to answer all 80 (not when I went through it). One brother, 10 people to be baptized; some hardly answered at all. One reason for this was the 6-month bible study program and then dunk them; none of the 5 year study program any more; after all the end was nigh.

Narkissos

I went through the collective "80 questions" too as I recall. And "organization" had not yet taken the place of the "holy spirit"...

While there is a lot to say about the JW 'catechetical' program, I think it is a bit unfair to compare it to the apparent "instant baptism" pattern which might be gather from the book of Acts, which may cover a much more sophisticated (and certainly diverse) practice in the early church. Baptism was hardly ever the very first step of Christian initiation.

Here is an interesting Evangelical article on the topic: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3817/is_200403/ai_n9400818/

hotspur

iknowall ...... I don't know if his father did or not. He was an elder with a very strong opinion.... quite a renegade in terms of elder(ship). Probably not.

Yes, he is.... and 20 years old. Got married last weekend. Rather a weird wedding by all accounts, even by JW standards. My kids went and only one of three attend meetings.

IWillBeDubbedNoMore

There were four of us getting baptized at the same time, so the elders had all of us answer the questions together. It was ridiculous, in that each of us had to give an answer after a question was read. At least we each got a chance to be first. Being the fourth person to speak was the worst. Couldn't understand why we couldn't just take the first person's answer and move on. After all, if you didn't know the answer, you could have paraphrased what was already said.

iknowall558

Narkissos --

I get your point, but what I'm putting across is that the JWs, when contrasted with the early church, it's plain to see that believers didn't have to go through 'book studies' and undergo a series of questions before elders, but they were often baptized at the very instance they believed in Jesus. Within the JWs, baptism is certainly never rrushed into. Time passes where the 'candidate' will get through a fair amount of JW literature.

If a Christian wants to be baptised straight away, he or she can do so - - - JWs are not given that option! Examples of 'instant' baptisms in the NT are numerous and were usually a first evidence of their faith in Jesus. (Acts 2:41, 8:12, 8:36-38, 9:18, 10:47, 16:14,15,33)

Caliber -- lol

Blondie -- Thanks for clearing that up

cameo-d

AK Jeff:"Who the hell calls someone who wants to get baptised a 'candidate' anyway - geez."

In any kind of club or society where there is some sort of initiation or feats of requirement before acceptance, the person must first be "invited" to a meeting by a member....much like the way JWs do (I doubt many people just walk into the KH off the street ) and then, after pleasantries and some scrutinty, the invited spectator may be eligible to become a "candidate".

Narkissos

iknowall,

Have you read the paper I linked to? It's a 16-page article (endnotes included) but most of the ancient data regarding the organisation of catechumenate in the early church is found in pages 2-5, and it points to the relative standardisation (from the 2nd century onward) of a 3-year period of preparation before baptism.

It seems very unlikely to me that the church would have shifted overnight (or even in a few decades) from an "instant baptism" pattern to such an arrangement (unless you use the WT magic card of sudden and ubiquitous post-apostolic apostasy which potentially explains everything, of course). Much more likely, otoh, that the "instant baptisms" in book of Acts are a literary simplification (as well as idealisation, referring to the already past "apostolic age") of a much more complex reality.

WHY ALL THE QUESTIONS ?

Share this