Disfellowshipped and never baptized

zed is dead

I have a weird situation . . .

I was a born-in, and ended up DFed in middle age. The only thing is, I had a dirty little secret, that I would like to get rectified. Supposedly, I was baptized at the ripe old age of 12 at the International Convention in NYC. No relatives were allowed to go to the baptism, because of lack of transportation. (they were expecting 600-700 to get baptized, instead of almost 3,000)

To make a long story short, I chickened out. The beach was a filthy polluted mess. I never got dunked. My mother knows about it, and she understood. I am trying to figure out how to let the elders know, and recend my baptism that never happened. Since I never was baptised, I should have never been disfellowshipped. I would like to get them to recend the DF. Any suggestions?

zed

wha happened?

why?

zed is dead

Practical reasons. If any former elders or current have dealt with a situation like mine, please share.

zed

Chaserious

Well, if your aim is to have your family talk to you, maybe you can write a letter to the elders and let your family know and depending how hardcore your family is perhaps they will go along with it. If you think they are going to make a public announcement that your DF is rescinded or even privately tell anyone that it's OK to associate with you I suspect you are in for disappointment. Certainly they won't put anythng in writing, either.

wha happened?

it might be a good idea to approach the elders who were on your commitee. Start from there.

When I was baptized in 1989, I remember signing something. I never got a copy of course

maisha

Easy, just send them a written letter.

state your were supposedly baptised at 12 yo.

but never webt through with it,

how was it possible to df you.

let them run around and sort it out,, enjoy the mess.

recently they went to a person i know in their 30's, he was df at 16,

they went and tried to apoligise since he was now considered underage to df, and the advised him it was a mistake.

he told the to f off.

maisha

of course you could also sue them for public shame and damages.

wrongful shunning. etc..

DesirousOfChange

I would certainly advise them of the situation, but the fact that you sat through a JC (or did you refuse to go?) would set the precedent that you were baptized but lying now to avoid the DF consequences. Plus, if you accepted any assignments through the years that required baptism (Elder, MS, Pioneer) then I think they would say that you proved by accepting these that you were baptized and are simply lying now. There is no need nor desire for them to be fair and honest about it all. They want you out. Period.

Good luck.

Doc

ldrnomo

it will be interesting to see how this could play out. the whole baptism process is extremley important to the society. will they honor the fact that you never really went through with it and rescend the DFing? based on the societies desire to follow procedures closley, rescending the baptism would be the proper direction to take. or will they follow thier own procedure or put some kind of spin on the whole situation to make sure you are legally disfellowshipped?

Please keep us informed

blondie

Sounds like a Catch 22 situation to me.

Not baptized but never said anything for so long

So are you df'd now per the congregation?

Do you think they will announce that you were df'd in error...only seen that once and that was long ago and a messy situation which led to all but one elder on the BOE being removed. They don't announce that people are df'd or have da'd any more - "no longer of of Jehovah's Witnesses." Will they announce you never were one of Jehovah's Witnesses and admit the holy spirit did not reveal that to the elders?

People can still be shunned even if they are not df'd or da'd by personal choice. And the elders can "mark" individuals as bad association to be shunned until they see the elders associating with them (assuming the jws know who the nameless person is).

Disfellowshipped and never baptized

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