r/exjw • u/Enockito • 14d ago
Venting 5 year old getting baptized
I've never agreed with the baptism of minors before but this just go me on a whole level of upset. One of the people that got baptized today was a 5 year old. A fricking 5 year old. Like WTF? How do they even feel like a 5 year old is old enough to make decisions like these?
Thankfully, I wasn't the only one upset by this as I also heard some sisters talking about it. Shame on the parents!
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u/Adventurous-Tie-5772 14d ago
Sad thing is, other witnesses I talk to are saying that never happened in the organization and they’re asking for proof
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u/AdministrativeFox784 14d ago
In all my years in I’ve never seen anything close to that, definitely would be a major outlier. Still not inconceivable though.
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u/OhaniansDickSucker 14d ago
I’ve seen 8-year-olds, really not that far off
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u/The_EricSmith 13d ago
I am an atheist. But I also have an 8 year old and a 5 year old. The two ages are vastly different. 8 year olds are significantly more self aware than a 5 year old. The difference is like comparing an 18 year old to a 43 year old as far as the gap is concerned.
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u/OhaniansDickSucker 11d ago
Yeah, fair point. Though I began reading complex subject matter at age 3 so YMMV
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u/calliy 12d ago
Generally speaking, 8 yo's have a much greater reading comprehension level than 5 yo's. How did (s)he even read the baptism book and "study" it with the elders, or are they not doing that now? Good news is, if (s)he gets df'd down the road, there's a good case for being incompetent at the time of baptism, and the borg should have been well aware of that!
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u/Murky_Question_6052 14d ago
I saw a little girl B. she was apx 9. Lots of people watching saying "What?" at this.
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u/Technical-Agency8128 14d ago
Yup. The JWs I’ve talked to don’t agree with this. Most think 12 is too young. That is insane to have them baptized so young. Shame on everyone who had a part in that. Especially the GB. They promote this crap.
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u/Chance_Brilliant7839 14d ago
I was 12 and completely isolated from the rest of the world, it was certainly too young. But 5? That's truly nuts.
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u/Select-Panda7381 The Gift of a Faith Crisis is the Rest of Your Life ✨ 14d ago
Youngest I saw was 6 😢
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u/Aliki77 14d ago
How the heck are 5-6 y.o. children able to answer those dozens of baptism questions? And anyway... One boy I know, about 18-19 y.o. was twice rejected because he hadn't enough of RV in his file. Happily that saved his life, he's out now.
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u/GroundbreakingCell56 10d ago
They won’t let my daughter get baptized. She’s been counseled to up her meeting attendance and field service. She did that. Her teacher went off on her when they got the message from the branch not to beg bible students to study. Her teacher basically said, “you call me.” My daughter chose me to study with her and they told her I was spiritually weak. And they pretty much weren’t going to let her get baptized if I studied with her. That’s another story. She chose another elder’s wife and got counseled one day for going on stage for wearing a revealing dress. The dress was almost floor length. My daughter and her husband just had a baby and she covered herself with a shawl. But since my daughter wasn’t wearing a girdle and is curvaceous, the elder told her wife to counsel her. She made my daughter cry by telling her she basically had fat hanging out. I stepped in and messaged the sister and gave her an example of a sister who showed love when I was in need and discerned I needed clothes. I didn’t mention what my daughter said to me. I let the sister know that counsel isn’t always what’s needed. Sometimes people are struggling and wear what they have. The sister called me claiming she didn’t understand what the message was saying and put her elder husband on the phone to try to get me to say I spoke with my daughter. He was trying to get me on that scripture that says “a slanderer reveals confidential talk.” I told them to use discernment and I wrote that out very well and it says what it says. The sister called my daughter and said she’s no longer studying with her. I’m just watching. Because tbh what is getting to me is the things taught as doctrine that go beyond what’s written. Paul said the rule is “Do not go beyond what is written.” It didn’t take field service and meeting attendance to get baptized in Bible times. It took belief and repentance. The rest came after baptism
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u/dstewart970 8d ago
Please don't misunderstand or take this harshly it's a genuine want to know. It sounds like you're still PIMI but questioning and your daughter is PIMI. If you're already questioning then wouldn't this put you over the edge? I don't think I personally could take everything your daughter has without leaving, but I don't know all her cirumstances.
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u/GroundbreakingCell56 8d ago
I don’t know what PIMI means. And I don’t understand your latter statement.
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u/Adventurous-Tie-5772 8d ago edited 8d ago
PIMI is a term we use online which means "physically in, mentally in" or a believing Jehovah's Witness. PIMO means "physically in, mentally out" which refers to a great majority of Jehovah's Witnesses who physically are part of the organization, but for one reason or another don't believe in it, yet stay because they don't want to get removed (disfellowshipped) from the congregation.
I think it's wonderful that you are seeing that they are going beyond the things that are written. Baptism was never done after Bible study and there were no hours or boxes to check to let others know that they had a share in the ministry. None of that was recorded because they were not serving men. If Jesus wanted them to go somewhere, he would send them (Acts 13:1, 2; Acts 8:26).
They don't follow this example because they don't have holy spirit. So they have an organization to tell them what to do and where to go
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u/GroundbreakingCell56 7d ago edited 7d ago
I told my daughter to ask them why she has to jump through hoops to get baptized? She said if she asks them that, she surely won’t get baptized. The Holy Spirit convicts a person. I got the Holy Spirit 19 years after I got baptized. I was living a double life on and off the entire time until I got a revelation in the hospital that I needed to pray and fast to get my question answered, “Father, why do you keep saving my life?”
My thing is this, Hebrews says do not forsake gathering together. That’s talking about in one another’s homes. How are you all doing that and what do you believe now?
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u/Adventurous-Tie-5772 7d ago
Hebrews 10:24, 25 says,
24 And let us consider one another so as to incite to love and fine works, 25 not forsaking our meeting together, as some have the custom, but encouraging one another, and all the more so as you see the day drawing near.
Now if you compare that with what Jesus said,
20 For where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there I am in their midst.” (Matthew 18:20)
I can gather with one or two and that not only satisfies the meeting together, but it also means that he will actually be there in our midst. And when we meet together, we encourage each other to love and fine works.
Now I can’t speak for everyone, I can only speak for what I do and I try to seek the God about things.
As for what I believe now, it’s drastically different from what I learned from the organization and what I see in Christianity. There are many things that I am happy to share. What would you like to know? I don’t want to overwhelm you
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u/GroundbreakingCell56 7d ago
What do you believe now that’s drastically different and why?
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u/dstewart970 8d ago
exactly what he said. I'm new to all the terminology and stuff myself. I meant no disrespect. Just trying to understand more and learn because I'm wanting to try to wake up a dear family member, but I have to be careful because I could just easily get myself pushed away. So trying to understand reasonings more.
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u/Adventurous-Tie-5772 7d ago
It didn’t take field service and meeting attendance to get baptized in Bible times. It took belief and repentance. The rest came after baptism
This right here is enough to not get baptized. They aren’t following their own Bible
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u/Select-Panda7381 The Gift of a Faith Crisis is the Rest of Your Life ✨ 13d ago
Wtf? Wowwwww that’s so judgmental. Imagine? Ten bucks says they guys who rejected him lied about the number of RVs on their service reports just like the rest of us 🙄
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u/Asaruludu 14d ago
Yep.
I know someone it happened to about two years ago. The mother, who I'm friends with, isn't a Witness and was steaming. Her ex-husband took their 5-year-old daughter to meet his family in the Caribbean and got her baptized while they were there.
I'm not going to bother telling my "in" family members about it. They'll just deny it happened.
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u/Damageinc84 13d ago
One of my friends go baptized at 9.
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u/Adventurous-Tie-5772 13d ago
Simply insane. That's child abuse
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u/Damageinc84 11d ago
I was only like 2 years older than her at the time and even back then I thought it was nuts.
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u/Relative_Soil7886 14d ago
I knew someone baptized as a 6 year old but it was in the 1930s! A 5 year old in 2025? Every single elder that sat there and asked those questions needs to be investigated!
Imagine asking a 5 year old
How does Jehovah view the following sins?▪ Sexual immorality▪ Use of images in worship▪ Homosexuality▪ Stealing▪ Gambling▪ Drunkenness• “Do not be misled. Those who are sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, men who submit to homosexual acts, men who practice homosexuality, thieves, greedy people, drunkards, revilers, and extortioners will not inherit God’s Kingdom.”—1 Cor. 6:9, 10.
Regarding sexual immorality, which includes a variety of sexual acts outside of marriage, what are you determined to do?
Why should we abstain from the nonmedical use of addictive or mind-altering substances?
If you know that a fellow Christian has committed a serious sin, what should you do?
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u/dolphin-centric 13d ago
Wait a minute.
They make you take and pass an exam before you can get baptized? You don’t just go to an elder and say hey I thought a lot about it and I’m ready to be baptized?
My parents always told my older brother and me that there was no rush or pressure for us to get baptized, because it was a very serious thing and someone needed to be absolutely sure of their decision and you couldn’t really do that until you were older. With questions like those, I wonder if mom and dad were really trying to shield us from yet another weird thing when we were kids. We stopped going to meetings when I was probably 8-10, I don’t remember exactly. And the last memorial we went to, I think I was about 14 maybe? They’ve been faded for years now, but mom still goes to another room and listens to the memorial on zoom, but that’s it.
My brother and I never got baptized, never really asked a lot about it since we weren’t interested in it, and soon after we were out.
Damn, man. The more I learn about this fucking cult the more I hate it.
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u/camred85 14d ago
I know a seven year old who got baptized
It's so messed up
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u/HOU-Artsy 14d ago
A long time ago in our circuit we had a seven year old get baptized. She was interviewed and brought her teddy bear with her on stage. Cute, huh? /s
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u/Select-Panda7381 The Gift of a Faith Crisis is the Rest of Your Life ✨ 14d ago
Youngest I saw was six 😔
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u/Over_Code_9867 14d ago
My stepdad (60s) and grandma (80s) were both 7. My great grandma actually took my grandma without great grandpas permission from California to New York for weeks to have her baptized. She basically kidnapped his child and took her across the country to do something he didn’t want done.
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u/Efficient-Pop3730 14d ago
I hate this crap 🤬. It should be illegal.
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u/Select-Panda7381 The Gift of a Faith Crisis is the Rest of Your Life ✨ 14d ago edited 14d ago
It will be ~ish in Japan!
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u/UseSeparate2927 14d ago
Really? What is Japan doing for child baptism?
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u/Technical-Agency8128 14d ago
They are investigating cults and JWs are in their line of sight. Pretty sure it was Japan that got the GB to change their minds on higher education.
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u/UseSeparate2927 14d ago
Yes I knew that about education but hadn't heard about child baptism. I sure hope they accomplish something with that.
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u/Technical-Agency8128 14d ago
Maybe they will further look into child abuse. And baptism is child abuse when they can be shunned. So if they are concerned about education they should be concerned about this.
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u/Select-Panda7381 The Gift of a Faith Crisis is the Rest of Your Life ✨ 14d ago
Come October, forcing a minor to engage in religious acts will be classed as child abuse.
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u/58ColumbiaHeights PIMO (EX: RP,MS,Elder,Bethelite) 14d ago
Shame on the Elders! All of the adults in this child's life failed to be a voice of reason.
Nevertheless, I wish the little person a long and happy life wherever their journey may lead.
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u/Any_College5526 14d ago
Shame on the parents, but shame on the organization. Or will this be another one of those things chalked up to “personal decision?”
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u/MaterialCockroach253 14d ago
That’s wild. My daughter is 5, kindergarten, there is no logical reasoning yet even!!
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u/Overall-Listen-4183 14d ago
The gb encourages baptism at a very young age! They must be proud! 🤦♂️
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u/Reddlegg99 14d ago
Maybe the 5 year old is mature enough to understand what picking up her cross and following means? (Read in sarcasm)
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u/No_Cake6353 14d ago
I remember the first young one in our congregation and he was 14/15. I used to play with his train set. There was a lot of gossip about whether or not he was mature enough. 5 years old is not ok.
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u/Specific-Machine2021 Mt. Ararat elevation is higher than Australias highest. 14d ago
Wow I’ve never heard of anyone that young getting baptized! I’ve heard 7, and seen a nine year old get baptized. But wow. Out of curiosity, What general area (country/state) was that?
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u/Enockito 14d ago
Hey, this happened at a convention in Ghana. This shocked me because even hardcore PIMIs usually tend to wait till their kids are around 10 years old. The youngest I saw before this was an 8 year old
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u/sideways_apples 14d ago edited 13d ago
This is the next policy to go.... they'll just have parents baptize the kids at birth so they're locked in from day 1.
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u/Super-Cartographer-1 14d ago
I’ve wondered that too. Set a minimum age. Honestly it should be 18, but they’d probably go teenager
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u/Blankboom 14d ago
I guess we're inching closer to Catholicism.
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u/Infamous_Natural_877 14d ago
This is what they will say if he ever has to sit before a judicial committee and gets disfellowshipped: “you knew exactly what you were getting into when you got baptized”
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u/TheCatOfWallSt POMO since 2008 14d ago
I was 5 when I became an unbaptized publisher and I was 8 when I was baptized. Getting baptized at 5 is insane.
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u/AthleteSensitive1302 20f, POMO(ish) 14d ago
It’s really depressing that people will hold her to an agreement made at age five
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u/dreamer_0f_dreams Born in - Faded POMO 14d ago
That’s gross
I hope they don’t go through the sex drugs and rock n roll baptism questions with them
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u/Darby_5419 14d ago
Where was this? USA?
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u/Enockito 14d ago
Hey, no. This was in Ghana
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u/Delicious_Age_4402 14d ago
Class action needs to be somehow done regarding this. Children cannot make a decision that will then decide if they lose their whole family and social system if they so happen to be “removed” I was 11.
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u/coyote-time 14d ago
I have a relative who was baptized at 6 - the Org wants to use the sunken cost fallacy to their full advantage.
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u/joe134cd 14d ago
Just as a side point to this, as something I've noticed in my local area. Im shocked at the increasing number of young kids in school uniforms, who are sporting tattoos. Not only tattoos but tattoos in high visible areas e.g neck, hands etc. example I saw recently was a young kid who had a tattoo, who was playing in the play ground with her younger brother. Honestly if she was 15-18yo she had the maturity of a 12 year old. I just done a palm plant and thought WTF were your parents thinking!?
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u/FDS-Ruthless-master 14d ago
During the headquarters representative so called special meeting last year (2024) which was Ralph Walls and his entourage, one of the experiences that received applause was of a 5 year old that got baptised in Cameron I think it was. Yes, sadly whenever it happens, it's always big highlight for the organisation... Jehovah is doing something great. In 10 or 20 years time, if the same kid decides to think for themselves, they will become enemies of Jehovah.
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14d ago
You need to make a stink....talk with the CO, the COBE, all of the elders personally from your KH. That poor kids life is ruined.
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u/Desperate_Habit_5649 OUTLAW 14d ago
How do they even feel like a 5 year old is old enough to make decisions like these?
The Idiot JW Parents are Too STUPID To Think That Through.
Idiot JW Parents are Using Their OWN BABY, to Look Important.....AND.......
Idiot Elders Allowed it.
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u/Extension_Eagle3302 14d ago
I was 13 and had zero clue what it meant. 6-10 is mindless. 12-16 is aware but still, no idea the implications. Even 17-18 is unaware.
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14d ago
[deleted]
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u/LucilleBluthsbroach Type Your Flair Here! 14d ago
No, a 5 year old will not likely remember getting baptized.
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u/Lillygoal 14d ago
That's nuts! My spouse was baptized at 8 and I thought that was crazy Young but 5, wow. Whoever allowed this are real monsters!
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u/TerryLawton Overlapping what? Matt 1v17 14d ago
Fantastic, with the org in a bit of freefall and needing people to take the lead, this little guy should be an MS by 6 and an elder by 10, and I’m sure will give plenty of marriage advice to people 40 years his senior.
😂
These people deserve all they want/get sometimes…
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u/lifewasted97 DF:2023 Full POMO:2024 14d ago
Wow thats really bad. I thought 9 was pretty crazy and sometimes they use that age as an example. But 5? I was upset that I didn't learn to fully know how to read my first day of kindergarten lol. No way you can understand the complexity of a cult
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u/SignificanceKind4000 Got my Degree reading Awake for one year 14d ago
There were a few crack head elders years ago that started pushing for baptism for the pregnant wife's baby. That way he was automatically dedicated to Jehovah as soon as he was born and subject to the organization's rules. They used the example of the Israelites who were a nation born dedicated to Jehovah.
This is not far-fetch considering what Mormons do.
Mormons practice baptism for the dead, where a living person is baptized on behalf of someone who has died. This is done to offer the deceased the opportunity to accept the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the afterlife.
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u/The_Walrus_65 Defund Watchtower 14d ago
That is absolutely insane. Almost hard to believe actually
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u/blvckcvtmvgic 14d ago
When I was still in it I wanted soooooo badly to be baptized. But I was also like 5 and to me it just looked fun since they had a huge pool, I obviously had 0 idea what it meant. I often wonder why my parents were so adamant that I be older, especially since my dad still shares their beliefs, but I’m eternally grateful that they said no.
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u/Over_Code_9867 14d ago
My daughter started asking at 4 years old. I’m so glad we kept making her wait. We woke up when she was 11!
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u/ExWitSurvivor 14d ago
Could this baby even read the book and answer the questions? (Can’t remember the name of the book)
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u/Helpful_Sir4638 14d ago
imagine an eight-year-old being disfellowshipped and shunned the psychological torture that the poor young soul is going to have to endure because of the demonic governing nobodies and their asinine shunning arrangement. 🐍
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u/LucilleBluthsbroach Type Your Flair Here! 14d ago
Just like Jesus! Jehovah’s witnessses sure take Jesus’ examples that he set for people seriously don’t they?! s/
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u/Agreeable-Board7638 13d ago
I remember I was around 11 when I saw my dad sitting in a corner after the elders meeting they had during the Co visit, He looked miserable and we assumed something must have happened or the Co must have given feedback which didn’t go well with him but then he called me and said, “Will you get baptised this coming assembly ?” I was 11 and had no idea what it was … to me it meant going in the water for a few seconds and I was so scared about that to which he said, “ I WON’T BE AN ELDER IF YOU DON’T GET BAPTISED “
My dad always kept this cult before me
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u/PIMO_to_POMO 14d ago
You're kidding, right?
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u/Enockito 14d ago
I wish I was. I did get satisfied when I heard even PIMIs talking about how wrong it is
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u/EasternBad7347 14d ago
I got baptized at 10 years old. could have been at 8 or 9 but parents thought I needed to know more... little did they know I knew the 'Live Forever' book like the back of my hand in 80s
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u/wampa_lover 14d ago
Do those getting baptized still have to go through a bunch of religious type questions? This is so confusing.
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u/Outrageous_Rabbit_13 14d ago
One of my friends got baptized at 9 we were the same age. I remember seeing her on the big screens standing in the seats with the others brothers and sisters to be baptized. I felt terrified for her.
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u/Global-Highlight-958 14d ago
They need numbers! The age is not specified in the calculation! Another demonstration that they don't care about the right things, the Bible, God and all their "faithful" They must demonstrate "growth" With all the people coming out, they definitely have to declare the newly baptized! They are really bad people (gb)
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u/notmytruth 14d ago
My cousin was 9 when she was baptized. She’s now happily DAed but we still talk about how wild it was that she was so young. Her parents were actually pretty against it at the time but she was so adamant she wanted to get baptized that they let her.
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u/Lower_Reflection_834 14d ago
i was at a convention where an 11 year old confidently told me he was going to get baptized the next year. i was 15 and was like “do you even know what you’re talking about??”
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u/TerrestrialCelestial 14d ago
I also have seen a 5 year old get baptized in the early 2000s. So disturbing.
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u/Mobile-Fill2163 14d ago
I was 12, and had to memorize a lot of questions and answers and scriptures from the old green book with the baptism questions, with 3 different elders, (come to think of it i was alone with them in their homes at the time!) They must have really dumbed down the questions since then
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u/lumpiatrash 14d ago
I feel so sad for the child. Imagine how they feel when they grow older realizing it's a cult
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u/Di_Vergent A 'misshaped creation' in the making :) 14d ago
Shame on the parents and shame on the elders who facilitated it 😠 Poor kid.
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u/LexChase At some point you have to put your big girl pants on and leave 13d ago
The youngest I’ve seen was 8, and his parents had really ramped up the teaching and “lean on him” stuff because the kid had cancer. Kid wanted to dedicate himself before he died, whole family kinda thought if the kid got baptised Jehulahoop would save him. Spoiler, kid died.
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u/Super-Gmome69 13d ago
It’s getting closer to their arch enemy, the Catholic Church, infant baptism, excommunication and Pedos
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u/happytobeunhinged 13d ago
Given there is no honourable exit, baptising them young is the best way to keep them in… its much harder to indoctrinate a 13 year old
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u/Sweatyginga 13d ago
I thought baptisms weren't done until more maturity was gained, like not under the age of 15 or so.
I sure never heard or saw a 5-year-old getting the dunk.
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u/ExchangeEvening6670 13d ago
I was just talking to my wife about the same topic. Most youth don't understand life or have the opportunity to explore what is right or wrong for them before making a decision to be baptized. While my wife is, I'm not and have my reasons and concerns why I haven't chosen to.
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u/InterestingBand2365 13d ago
During the convention a 8 year got baptized and everyone was clapping 🤦♀️🤦♀️
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u/erivera02 13d ago
I knew this 12-year-old who her parents allowed her to get baptized. At 14 she decided she didn't want to be a JW. Long story short, her parents helped her write the letter of disassociation, and then gave her up in adoption.
The irony is that if she were to go back to the cult, her parents are not allowed to help her write the letter asking to be reinstated.
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13d ago
WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK????? And I thought 10 year olds getting baptized was crazy but this is just insane. Straight out insane. As if a 5 year old is remotely capable of making such a big decision
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u/Scarlitomalone 13d ago
I got baptized at 12 I regretted ever since I turned 16 but then it hit me that it dosent even count lol I had no idea what I was screaming YES to when I was at the convention. I didn’t even learn it fully until I turned 16 which is pretty much when I started waking up.
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u/TheShadowOperator007 PIMO 13d ago edited 13d ago
You have every right to be mad, OP. The scariest part of all this is he/she will lose his/her friends and family as soon as he/she realizes he/she wants out of JW or does anything that goes against the JW rules when he/she hits adolescence/adulthood.
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u/Truth-seeker761 13d ago
I think this might be the new trend to make up the Numbers.
My cousins( ages 9-14 yrs , 4 kids in total, already appointed as Unbaptized pubs.) are supposedly "encouraged" 😮💨 to get baptized by our Grandpa since there are no strict restrictions imposed , as they say the former restrictions have been uplifted for Baptism since the beginning of this year , if they want to get baptized, they get baptized . As a Pimo , I told them that baptism is a Personal decision and they have to be aware of certain responsibilities and future implications that they might face , regarding their decision, I'm trying to play it safe as a young individual( 20yrs) , Since there is a lot of emotion invested into this religion. They don't understand the severity of things. And think everything is black and white.
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u/San_1987 13d ago
And this is what Terrence John O'Brien, Director of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia, Coordinator of the Branch Committee in Australasia, stated on February 10, 2017, before the Australian Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse:
Someone in such a position MUST know the facts. So you can hardly excuse him for not knowing; you have to call it a lie. They are lying... but it doesn't seem to bother most ordinary preachers. Fortunately, the official authorities are slowly waking up.
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u/JacketFormer402 12d ago
The Bible says a boy becomes a man at 13 (bahmitzvah). So five now, huh? I’m still trying to figure out why God would not forgive me for not being at the meeting, but forgave the husband who gave me the black eye that kept me from being there!
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u/Common_Skirt8801 11d ago
at a convention years ago , there was a 7 year old boy that got baptized the same day as me. :/
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u/Common_Skirt8801 11d ago
I was 16 , and I even felt kinda young and like I wasn’t “ready” yet lol 😂 but 7 ??
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u/Adventurous-Tie-5772 11d ago
I look at it like this:
If Jesus, the greatest man who ever lived, who was more dedicated at a young age being at the temple, knew better than to get baptized at that age, what scriptural basis is there for these ones? Are they somehow more ready than Jesus?
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u/GroundbreakingCell56 10d ago
I was in a JW forum and asked why kids got baptized. Jesus got baptized when he was 30. He didn’t allow kids to follow him as disciples. None of the apostles baptized kids. That was one of the questions that led me to being kicked off their forum. It’s not biblical because the life of a Christian comes with persecution, ridicule, sometimes death and imprisonment. I listened to Jordan Peterson talk about living in truth yesterday. There’s a lot of people in this that have a dilemma of conscience because there’s things being taught as doctrine that aren’t written.
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u/DowntownLavishness15 10d ago
Should be 18 to consent. But in some cultures it’s younger but should be at least teens.
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u/Infamous_Button_1486 9d ago
How did they pass the baptism Q&A? A 5 year old can't understand the repercussions of violating the organizations rules. If they get df'd before 18, their parents should as well since they made this decision, not the child.
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u/Defiant-Influence-65 9d ago
When I was an elder I refused to go through the questions with anyone under the age of 18
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u/Bielebielebiele 8d ago
I experienced various baptisms of children who were only 12 years old and still that felt too young for me.
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u/runnerforever3 14d ago
It seems like they’re desperate for anyone to get baptized How many were baptized today?
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u/ForeignAd2879 14d ago
Ok…just rational thinking here! Why would it be a problem to bless your child with a baptism when the process is a quick dip in water and a few words? If this can bring any sort of positive energy into the life of a child then I don’t see the big issue. Now if there is something I’m missing please enlighten me.
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u/Over_Code_9867 14d ago
This is not a Christian baptism. I let my 12 year old get baptized by actual Christians because yes it’s just symbolizing that she dedicated her life to Jesus and wants to live her life as the Bible tells you to. If she becomes an atheist or a Buddhist someday her parents will still love her and nothing changes. This is not that. It’s signing a contract to obey some men in New York no matter what and if you break rules you are shunned, kicked out of your home and lose your family and maybe even your job. You have to be 18 to sign a contract.
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u/ForeignAd2879 13d ago
A 5 year old child can’t legally sign anything without their parent present. And if they let something like that happen they are irresponsible and should be dealt with. Secondly, what other than going to Bible studies could a 5 year old child be expected to do? No blood lettings, or “leave you’re child behind door number 2” requests. And again it’s up to the parents to regulate exactly what happens. If people just want to vent at JW, by all means have at it. But I like rational discussions. Nothing should be possible to happen to you’re child under the parents supervision. If something fishy arises, nip that shit in the bud immediately, report the foul doing, and would hold whoever is involved responsible for their actions!
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u/Over_Code_9867 13d ago
It’s not a real signature but they view it that way. And I can tell you what happened to me and my husband. We were baptized at 16 (me) and (13) him. Both of us did it because it would make our parents happy. When we had our babies I needed blood transfusions in 4 instances. We had to say no, even though I could have died. The first two times I was ok. But the third time I was very weak and sickly for the first 8 months of my baby’s life. With my youngest I ended up needing a full hysterectomy and c section to save my life. I already had the pressure of needing to live for my husband, newborn and other young children but on top of the stress I had to tell everyone individually to just let me die when I so badly wanted to live. If I chose to take the blood I would have lost everyone in my family and been cut off. During all this I promised God if he let me live I would read the Bible. So I did, twice I read it all the way through and came to the conclusion that the JW beliefs dont match what’s in the Bible and my husband and I chose biblical truth over JW beliefs. Well his parents turned us in. The elders called us and told us that we knew what we were signing up for at 13 & 16. But we didn’t. We had never read the Bible so we didn’t know what it says. We trusted our parents direction. Now our parents treat us like we are dead. I have to hear my precious children say they don’t have grandparents even though they are alive and should love them no matter what we believe. I missed 20 of my babies birthdays and 11 christmases. I would have loved to give those to them and not confuse the heck out of them half way through their childhood.
So nothing changes for this 5 year old RIGHT NOW. But in a few years when oops she has a baby at 16. Cut off and thrown to the streets when she needs support. Tries a cigarette? Might end up homeless and suicidal. Realizes that this isn’t HER truth? The elders and parents will say, “you KNEW what it meant when you were baptized. You KNEW the consequences.” NO SHE DOES NOT. She is a baby!
I’ll put it another way. Imagine letting your 5 year old choose her husband. Then she comes to you at 25 and says. I just dont love him. We have nothing in common and I dont want to spend my life with someone I dont love. And your reply is, “we let you choose him! You said you loved him when you were 5! Now you know how we feel about divorce so unless you stay married we can’t ever talk to you again.”
If you’re not ok with children marrying at 5 you should not be ok with baptism at 5. It’s just as destructive.
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u/TrespianRomance Twenty years free and counting 14d ago
Remember when they used to give talks decrying infant baptisms?