Just like a lot of you here I got baptized young. 11 years old. I did it because everyone else was doing it. I knew that at the time.
Some years later, age 15 or so, I asked my mom if it was possible to be RE-baptized. You know, now I was feeling all this zeal and wanted to make a heartfelt commitment to Jah. She told me that it was possible, that if I did not consider my initial baptism valid then I should talk to the elders and see about doing it again.
I have no WT library and really do not want to bring up JW subjects with my JW family. Do any of you know if that is really possible?
Because I wonder, if that baptism is declared void, then how can I be disfellowshipped? I say this because my brother, who was never baptized, enjoys full family association despite his sinful habits. I am DF but lead a sterile monogamous life and am the family leper.
I think this can of worms is something else the WTBTS doesn't want open. Although I do not think that the gov't will get involved (nor should they really) in the administration of religious matters (think of the infant baptisms in other religions - are they 'valid'?) I think that with so many people being dunked at 8,9,10, etc years old leads to that question. I know I wanted to be baptised because a) it would make my parents happy (I was of course, always 'encouraged' to be baptized, b) my older brother was bap at 13 and I wanted to be dunked at a yonger age (sibling rivalry), c) it would bring attention to me (one of the very few ways a child can be 'celebrated' - no birthdays, etc). I by no means really understood what it was I was signing up for - or the type of commitment I was being asked to make. Obviously I had only JW instilled 'knowledge' so had not exmained all sides of the issue.
I know at the end of it all I do not consider my 11 year old dunking to have had any real meaning - I was simply following the pack.
