I was raised a jw. I thoroughly believed it. My parents actually tried to talk me out of it ( I was 8) They had me talk to a CO who questioned me and then told my parents that I was ready.
Coffee
Why Did You Get Baptised
by God_Delusion 53 Replies latest jw experiences
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JeffT
I read in the Bible that baptism was a necessary step for believers. I told the person I was studying with that I thought I should be baptized and was told I needed to study more and give the right answers to a bunch of questions. THAT should have been a clue, but I was already sucked into cult thing. Ended up getting dunked in the fall of 1973.
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DesirousOfChange
Because the new hot girl that moved into the Cong was baptized.
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clarity
Baptized within 12 mths of study!
Study? Absolutely no history or legit information
about where this religion came from.
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But my fears were soothed by stories from the jw ladies.
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Got baptized because I thought things would get a lot better!
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After getting out of that pool I felt so blue.
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Didn't get better!
clarity
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Mum
I was 17, and had been publishing for two years. People were pushing me toward baptism. I had no excuses left. Besides, all of my teenage friends had been baptized. The whole JW thing for me was a kind of rebellion against my parents. It gave me acceptance that I did not get at home. At the time, believe it or not, being a dub actually improved my life. I got acceptance and friendship from my peers, praise from my elders, time away from home (meetings and service were a pleasure compared to our home life), eating out after service, and travel to assemblies in different locations.
Too bad it went straight downhill from there. 1975 came and went, but I patiently held on until 1979. Now I have a wonderful family. The younger generation is much kinder than the older generation was. Life is good.
Regards,
SandraC
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Morbidzbaby
I was 13. I got baptized for a few reasons. Mainly, because I thought there was something missing... I wasn't receiving this "Holy Spirit" stuff. I must not have been because no one in the congregation cared about me or my family, I had no friends, meetings were a terrible experience for me. So it must be some deficit in ME. Baptism would give me Holy Spirit and then I'd gain more understanding! And people would see I was spiritual, despite my worldly dad! And then I'd have friends! The other girls my age were getting baptized, one of them an elder's daughter. So that must be the key! I also thought that maybe it would make Jehovah more "Real" to me because up until that point, I had really started to doubt that he existed. I also felt that my mom needed the support...my brother was on a quick trip to DF-Ville, and she needed someone to be by her side 100% to support her because my dad wasn't a JW...It was only her and I at that point.
The only enlightenment I got after getting baptized was "Surprise! Nothing changes!". Bah. -
paladin
I was family/peer pressured and I was told it would be safer to be dunked. Yea saved regarding the 1975 big "A" prediction.
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confusedteenager
I was 12. My father actually advised me to wait, but I felt it was the right thing to do. I truly believed in it all.
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Apognophos
In all honesty, it was partly because the brothers were wondering why I wasn't baptized yet. But a lot of the reason for me, privately, was that I was hoping I would get more holy spirit to help me be a better Witness. I didn't want to keep leading a double life, so I basically "doubled down" -- I figured that dedicating myself to God would show him I was serious about trying to serve him and thus he would help me get over my bad habit. I was disappointed to find out that the grass was not greener on the other side. God still wouldn't answer my prayers no matter how much I cried out to him. Now I realize it was much ado about nothing. If God exists, he likely couldn't care less about the things that I was told displeased him.
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WishingLiz
I was 16 and I did it because my Dad, who was an elder, said I should. All my friends were already baptized. I was waiting for the Holy Spirit to guide me and say it was time, I thought I should get some sort of revelation before I did it. But it never came. Didn't feel any different afterwards, so that was a let down.