I'm going to cut and paste my talking points on minor baptism:
Should a minor child be allowed to make a baptismal vow?
Baptism as a Jehovah’s Witness is a binding verbal contract with the Watchtower Society. In most countries today, minors are prohibited from making any kind of contract. A child’s knowledge and ideas change dramatically between the teens and twenties, and for this reason the law protects the rights of minors.
Never is the baptism of a minor mentioned in the Bible. Jesus was not baptized until he was 30 and Jews felt a person became an adult at 30. When Cornelius and his family were baptized it does not state that any non adults were baptized and there is no scriptural evidence of any children or teenagers ever being baptized.
Minor children of Jehovah’s Witnesses are discouraged from participating in non-sinful activities that worldly children take for granted (e.g. choosing entertainment, clothing and association, dating, attending parties without supervision) because they are not yet mature. How is it that someone who must run nearly every decision they make through a parental filter is deemed mature enough to make a vow dedicating themselves to live the remainder of their lives according to the dictates of an organization that may change rules and doctrines at any time?
As soon as a child is old enough to speak, it is old enough to parrot its parents’ beliefs. Memorizing doctrines and reciting programmed answers to baptismal questions does not ensure that a child understands the beliefs they purport to have. Do not the Witnesses pooh-pooh other religions for baptizing those without capacity for understanding?
In light of Biblical evidence and common sense about the sensibilities of children, is it reasonable to allow minors to get baptized and hold them accountable for a vow they made at time when they could not truly understand what they were dedicating themselves to?
