- Messages
- 954
If you feel that you have chosen it and even put your beliefs up for target practice (with an open mind?), then that's all anyone can really can ask of you.Houseman said:Every JW-hopeful (not an official term) is taught that one must make a personal dedication, that it cannot be made for you, not by your parents, not by anyone else. I feel that I have made this personal decision.
The only thing more we can do is to force some sort of minimum age requirement, or like the Amish, allow people to go out and see the world for a time before deciding whether or not go commit to this way of life. We couldn't do that, because what if Armageddon comes during this period in a person's life? They wouldn't be saved. Plus, Jesus' disciples once tried to shoo children away, but Jesus reprimanded them for doing that, so we would be spurning our lessons if we were to do that.
No, but before getting baptized I did spend some time on another religion sub-forum for the express purpose of allowing people to criticize my potential beliefs. It didn't change my mind, if that means anything.
Personally though, I think it's "funny" that children often have the same religious views as their parents...
Especially the more strict and select religions/sects/cults/beliefs.
The first ones are indeed the Jews, and the second ones the Christians. The third ones are the Muslims!If the first are the Jews/Israelites, and the second are the Christians, then who are the third? I don't consider there to be a third. I consider Christians to be Spiritual Israel, specifically the Christians mentioned in the bible, and then, of course, Jehovah's Witnesses.
The fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, etc, etc are all the other spin-offs from Christianity (and there are a lot of them).
Jehovah's Witnesses is a very recent off-shoot from the 1870's. Barely more than a 100 years old.
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Well, that's me running out of questions.
Thanks for being a sport!