Examining Basic Watchtower Teachings - Baptism and Your Relationship with God -- #18

Examining Basic Watchtower Teachings
Chapter 18 -- Baptism and Your Relationship with God 
The book says;
“What steps do you need to take to qualify for baptism?” 
The account of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 is given.
A brief review of things learned from the teaching book is given. It is assumed that the student will be attending meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses and that s/he has begun to “develop a personal relationship with Jehovah God”. 
Public water baptism is a requirement for anyone wanting such a relationship, but one needs to qualify.
Knowledge is necessary and this can be gained by regular attendance at meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses. You must know and accept their basic teachings. 
Faith is also important. It motivates you to express your knowledge about God to others, by preaching. 
One needs to qualify to be accepted as an unbaptised proclaimer of the Watchtower message. This is done by meeting with two elders in the congregation who will assess if the student is leading a suitable lifestyle free from “sexual immorality, drunkenness and drug abuse”.
Repentance and conversion are necessary steps toward baptism. Then a dedication to Jehovah God must be made. This is compared to marriage.
Dedication is a “promise to give (God) your exclusive devotion forever….without …..setting any limits in worshiping him”. “We disown ourselves” and give our “complete obedience to God. Before you can get baptised, then, doing Jehovah God‘s will must be your main purpose in life”
We should not be afraid to make a dedication although it means being accountable to God. God will help you if you do your best, since you are not perfect.
When, after prayer, you have dedicated yourself to Jehovah God, you will meet with “some elders….. to review questions that cover the Bible’s basic teachings. If these elders agree that you qualify, they will tell  you that you can get baptised at the next opportunity”, usually at an annual convention. There will be a short public talk and you will be asked to declare that you agree with two simple questions, then you will proceed to a pool and be totally immersed under water. 
“You have made a dedication to Jehovah God himself, not to a work, a cause, other humans, or an organisation”.
“Baptism symbolises dying to one’s former way of life and becoming alive to do God’s will. (it)….does not guarantee salvation“. It is “only a beginning“

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Baptism is a sacrament in the Christian church also, except one does not have to “qualify”. Jesus Christ said “whoever believes in me has eternal life”. Qualifications are unnecessary. Only faith in Jesus is required.
Superficially, the Watchtower baptism appears to be a Christian act, but there are subtle differences. 
The two questions which were asked when I was baptised into Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1970, related to an expression of faith in God and Jesus Christ, but about 20 years later, these questions were quietly changed to make baptism a dedication to Jehovah God as he reveals things through his organisation (the Watchtower Governing Body). 
So, while the teaching book says that baptism is not about dedication to people or an organisation, in practice, “Jehovah God” and “his organisation” are synonymous in the minds of Jehovah’s Witnesses. 
A newly baptised student may think s/he has a “personal relationship with Jehovah”, but many Witnesses now realise that the organisation has taken over and has become a god itself. "Jehovah's organisation" constantly changes its doctrines and policies. When Witnesses eventually find out the truth about this publishing empire, they find, to their cost, that the organisation holds their friends and families hostage if they try to leave. Exiting this religion means being forever shunned by all one’s Witness friends and family.
I sincerely hope that you have not made it this far into your Watchtower indoctrination and that you are most definitely not contemplating baptism. Indeed, I would be extremely disappointed if the evidence I have given you already is insufficient to persuade you against committing your life to this cult

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