there was a possibility that my baptism could have been annulled , my Elder father recommended this, as my step from baptism to full blown apostacy happened relatively quickly, this was the early 90's.
Trying to annul your baptism, WT says forget about it.
by cattails 31 Replies latest jw friends
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Scully
How would the WTS respond to the challenge of someone like me who insists that the questions that they answered in the affirmative at their baptism are NOT the same questions that are being "enforced" now?
The questions have been modified over the years. The questions I answered authorized me to act in accordance with God's will as he revealed it to me through Jesus Christ and the Bible under the enlightening power of the holy spirit. Since 1985, the WTS has claimed that only "God's spirit-directed organization" has the authority and ability to reveal God's will to Jehovah's Witnesses. Effectively it stripped individuals baptized prior to 1985 of the right to interpret scripture according to the leadings of their own conscience and understanding of the Bible. The WTS is now telling people that they cannot disagree with the WTS, and when you answer "Yes" to those baptismal questions, you are promising to agree with everything the WTS instructs. I NEVER agreed to that and they can't compel me to agree with it.
Technically speaking, the WTS invalidated all baptisms prior to 1985 with the institution and enforcement of the new questions, similar to the way adultery is a fracture of the vows that are taken at marriage. Sometimes it takes years for one spouse to find out about the unfaithfulness of the other partner, and the couple remains married until the full impact of the unfaithfulness is realized. It took close to 10 years for me to see the toll that the new baptismal vows had on my own spirituality, but once it became plain that the WTS had reneged on the verbal contract I undertook and stripped me of a personal relationship with God and Jesus, I knew that remaining a JW was no longer an option. It took almost another 10 years for me to unburden myself of religion entirely and realize that my conscience was a pretty decent guide all by itself.
Watchtower 1966 August 1 p.465 Baptism Shows Faith
Are you able to answer "Yes" to the two questions regularly propounded when individuals present themselves for Christian baptism?
(1) Have you recognized yourself before Jehovah God as a sinner who needs salvation, and have you acknowledged to him that this salvation proceeds from him, the Father, through his Son Jesus Christ?
(2) On the basis of this faith in God and in his provision for salvation, have you dedicated yourself unreservedly to God to do his will henceforth as he reveals it to you through Jesus Christ and through the Bible under the enlightening power of the holy spirit?
Watchtower 1970 May 15 p.309 Your Conscience Toward Jehovah
20 Two questions which do search out the heart and mind of each candidate are: (1) Have you recognized yourself as a sinner and needing salvation from Jehovah God? And have you acknowledged that this salvation proceeds from him and through his ransomer, Christ Jesus? (2) On the basis of this faith in God and in his provision for redemption have you dedicated yourself unreservedly to Jehovah God, to do his will henceforth as that will is revealed to you through Christ Jesus and through God's Word as his holy spirit makes it plain? Those who answer "yes" audibly to these two questions so that the other persons present may witness their affirmation of dedication may appropriately be baptized.
Watchtower 1973 May 1 p.280 Baptizing Follows Discipling
...If you feel the same about serving Jehovah God and taking Christ's yoke upon you, we suggest that you consider the following two questions, which are asked of candidates for baptism:
(1) Have you repented of your sins and turned around, recognizing yourself before Jehovah God as a condemned sinner who needs salvation, and have you acknowledged to him that this salvation proceeds from him, the Father, through his Son Jesus Christ?
(2) On the basis of this faith in God and in his provision for salvation, have you dedicated yourself unreservedly to God to do his will henceforth as he reveals it to you through Jesus Christ and through the Bible under the enlightening power of the holy spirit?
Watchtower 1985 June 1 p.30 Subjecting Ourselves to Jehovah by Dedication
Decision Based on Knowledge
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At the close of the convention baptism talk, the baptism candidates will be in position to answer with depth of understanding and heartfelt appreciation two simple questions that serve to confirm that they recognize the implications of following Christ's example. The first question is:
On the basis of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, have you repented of your sins and dedicated yourself to Jehovah to do his will?
The second is:
Do you understand that your dedication and baptism identify you as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in association with God's spirit-directed organization?
Having answered yes to these questions, candidates are in a right heart condition to undergo Christian baptism.
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hamsterbait
If the Witchtower wants to make out that Baptism is some kind of legal contract (and they have when pursuing people who quote their litterature online after leaving)
THEN
ALL baptisms of minors are INVALID because minors cannot enter into legal contracts. Since minors cannot legally gift anything to legal corporations then all their contributions are returnable to them or their legal guardians.
Hmm - Maybe I can ask for my childhood contributions to be returned. It might help buy a few christmas presents....
HB
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eyeslice
Hi Scully - I am with you on this. My baptism used the 1966 wording (makes me realise how old I am but I was just 14 when I was baptised). If I set aside the JW connection, I am still happy with the acknowledgements I made and would be happy to do God's will still as revealed by his holy spirit.
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bohm
My screwy cousin actually got hit baptism annulled, but he also spend a couple of month in the mental hospital - so I wouldnt exactly recommend his approach
Miss Bohm
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minimus
So if you were never a JW in the first place, you shouldn't be shunned.
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moshe
Everything is an implied contract with "mother" and contracts can be invalidated if it can be shown one party committed fraud in oder to obtain a contract.
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Scully
Moshe, organized religions are well known for promising things (on God's behalf, no less) that they can't deliver (ie, fraud) in order to compel people to join and/or stay involved in their belief systems. That pretty much sums up my position on organized religion and why I will never belong to one again for as long as I live.
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cattails
How do they know how you answered the 2 questions? What if you claim you said "no"? What would the legal consequences be?
---and minimus added---
So if you were never a JW in the first place, you shouldn't be shunned.
Well the counsel from the QFR is that elders should go ahead as if the
person understood what he/she was getting into... that is the baptismal pool,
if the candidates went ahead and took the dip then they were confirming this as their
publicly shown decision for everyone to see... so if it's invalid they're announced
as not being one of JW's and that gets you shunned just the same.
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OnTheWayOut
It's a dangerous mind-control cult. There's no winning by playing by some rules. If you succeed in annulling your baptism, the announcement is the same for a DA or DF, "XXX is no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses." The people will decide to shun you.
The article implies that anyone who attempts to declare their baptism invalid is a "wrongdoer" looking for an out. That leads to shunning.
The only way to win is to annul (declare as invalid or void) the Watchtower and it's power over you.