THERE IS NO PROGRAM OR LITERATURE INSTRUCTING BAPTISMAL CANDIDATES ABOUT RESIGNATION OR THE PUNISHMENT OF RESIGNATION BEFORE THEY ARE BAPTIZED

THE TEACHING OF CHILDREN WHO WILL BE BAPTIZED

The Supreme Court’s ruling states that the treatment a Witness receives if he resigns is something he knows about and accepts when he is baptized. Therefore, it cannot be argued that this treatment represents undue pressure not to withdraw.

To the question: What does it mean to know in a legal sense? I received the following KI response:

To “know” something in the legal sense often involves more than just a subjective feeling of familiarity. It is a key concept for establishing guilt, responsibility, or due diligence.

Here are the most important nuances:

• Actual knowledge (knowledge):This is when a person has positive knowledge of a particular fact. For example, in a criminal case, that the defendant actually knew that an act was illegal or that an object was stolen.
• “Should have known” (negligence):Legally, it is often equated with knowledge that one should have understood the context. If a reasonable person in the same situation would have realized the risk or the facts, you can be held liable even if you claim you did not know.

In this study, I will show that those who were baptized, at the moment of their baptism, did not understand, what would happen to them if they resigned.

Jehovah’s Witnesses place great emphasis on the upbringing of their children. Families do many things together, and parents spend a lot of time raising their children to have good morals. Parents teach their children the Bible and the faith of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The children attend meetings, and there they also learn to practice the faith of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Most parents go through the current study book with their children. But it doesn’t mention resigning. And I’m pretty sure it’s a topic that parents never bring up with their children, since it’s not relevant.

In the 1960s, anyone could sit in the front row at a convention, stand up, answer the baptismal questions, and be baptized. But it was discovered that some did not understand what they were doing, so a number of questions were prepared for three different elders to go through with the baptismal candidates. These questions can be found in the so-called Organization Book. After the three elders have gone through the questions, they discuss together whether the baptismal candidate should be baptized.

The book Organized to Do God’s Will (2005) has 102 questions that baptismal candidates are asked. Question 27 in Section II reads: “What does the congregation do if one of its members breaks God’s commandments without repenting?” There is a reference to 1 Corinthians 5:9-13, and baptismal candidates are expected to comment on these verses and say that this person will be disfellowshipped.

In the revised 2019 edition of the same book, the number of questions has been reduced to 60. Question 17 in Section II reads: 7: “If an announcement is made that someone is no longer one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, how should we treat him?” There are references to 1 Corinthians 5:11 and 2 John 10, and the baptismal candidate is expected to answer that we should have nothing to do with such a person. However, these words only apply to those who are disfellowshipped, because it is never announced in the congregation that someone has resigned.

Both editions include a section on “disassociation,” which is the same as resigning from the congregation. And it is said that “Such a person is treated in the same way as a disfellowshipped person.

Does the fact that this sentence is in the Organization Book, which he or she receives just before being baptized, mean that they “are familiar with [the treatment of those who have resigned] when they join the religious community,” as stated in § 130 of the Supreme Court ruling? To that question, I would answer no.

The focus for the baptismal candidate is to give correct answers to the questions. There are scriptures associated with each question that must be read and commented on, and the baptismal candidate must spend considerable time reflecting on what he or she wants to answer for each question. This means that it will almost never happen that a baptismal candidate reads through the entire Organizational Book before being baptized, including the aforementioned sentence. And the baptismal candidates are not encouraged to do so.

Children who are baptized have not learned from their parents that those who resign from the denomination lose their entire family and friends who are Witnesses. The elders who go through the baptismal questions also do not teach the children anything about resignation or its consequences. This means that, at the moment they are baptized and join the religion, children know nothing about the treatment of those who have resigned. Nor can it be argued that the children should have known this. Because they are completely dependent on the teaching that others give them.

RESPONSIBILITIES RELATED TO AGE

In recent years, younger children have been encouraged to be baptized, but in the past, there was a more balanced view of baptizing minors.

BALANCED VIEWS ON BAPTISM EXPRESSED IN THE WATCHTOWER

The article “Youth in the New World Society” in The Watchtower of May 15, 1956, page 308, states:

¹⁵ His invitation to them to sing Jehovah’s praises meant too that it was proper for them to make a dedication to do Jehovah’s will. Faithful children today want to serve Jehovah lovingly and loyally and to follow in the same way that their devoted parents are going. Some may ask, then, Would it be proper for me in my early teens to make such a dedication vow and symbolize this by water immersion? Since many children are baptized each year at circuit assemblies and other conventions of Jehovah’s people, can it be said that this is the proper course for these young ministers to take? Of course, if they do not know in their own mind what they are doing, then they are not ready to take this vital and important step. The definite age as to when baptism or dedication is appropriate cannot be designated. If a child has sufficient knowledge of Almighty God, Jehovah, and his righteous purposes and adheres faithfully to the upright principles set down in his Word, if the child has reached the age of accountability and desires to make a dedication to Jehovah, it is in order for him to do so and it is then proper to take the step of baptism by water.

This is a good description of the requirements for baptism, and the following points are mentioned:

• There is no specific age for baptism.
• Baptism in the early teens is possible.
• Must know what they are doing.
• Must have a good knowledge of God.
• Must have reached the age of responsibility.
• Must follow God’s standards carefully.

My experience from 1961, when I became a Witness, is that there was a balanced view of the baptism of persons under 18 among the youths and their parents in the congregations. And there was no campaign to have children baptized at a very young age. I was baptized myself when I was 19 years old.

THE CAMPAIGN FOR BAPTISM OF YOUNGER CHILDREN

Several unusual things must have happened within the Governing Body in the 1980s, because many strange events occurred within the organization. One thing was the new focus on baptizing children at a very young age.

Each article in The Watchtower has a specific purpose, and the articles are carefully reviewed by the Governing Body before they are published. When people are drawn wearing clothes, the clothes are a signal of how the Governing Body wants the Witnesses to dress. When examples of how Witnesses have behaved in different situations are given, the purpose is to show that this is how Witnesses should behave. When examples of the baptism of very young children are mentioned, these are also intended as examples to be followed. Regarding baptism, we read in The Watchtower of April 15, 1987, pages 13, 14:

¹⁵ ‘What, though, if my son or daughter gets baptized when young and then cools off?’ some parents wonder. Certainly, a youth should not get baptized just to please a parent or because some friends do. Yet Joseph, Samuel, King Josiah, and Jesus when teenagers all had a serious view of the worship of God and held to it. (Genesis 37:2; 39:1-3; 1 Samuel 1:24-28; 2:18-21; 2 Chronicles 34:3; Luke 2:42-49) In modern times, a Christian named Jean was baptized when she was only ten years old. When asked years later if she really understood the step, Jean replied: “I knew I loved Jehovah, I appreciated what Jesus did for us, and I wanted to serve Jehovah.” She has served faithfully for some 40 years since her baptism. Each youth is an individual; no one can set a standard age limit. Parents should strive to reach their child’s heart, helping him or her to develop godly devotion.c They should not only keep before their children the privilege of dedication and baptism but also fortify them to be steadfast worshipers.

Examples of children being baptized at a very young age continued to be mentioned in Watchtower literature. In the March 15, 1988, issue of The Watchtower, page 14, we read:

Baptized at What Age?

²⁰ Jesus’ words at Matthew 28:19, 20 show that it is those who have been made his disciples that should be baptized. Hence, it follows that no infant or small child could meet the Scriptural requirements for baptism. An infant could not exercise faith in God’s Word, in God the Creator, and in his Son Jesus Christ. An infant could not understand that the holy spirit is God’s active force; nor could it repent of past sins and make a solemn vow to do God’s will.

²¹ But it seems that some among Jehovah’s people have gone to the other extreme. Many Christian parents let their children wait until they are in their late teens before broaching the subject of baptism. Time and again, we hear of youngsters making a valid dedication solely on their own initiative. For example, the preteen son of an elder sincerely wanted to get baptized. So his father had three other elders discuss with the youngster the questions designed for those contemplating baptism. Their conclusion was that, though quite young, he qualified to be baptized as an ordained minister of Jehovah God. Why, attending the Pioneer Service School in the Bahamas recently was a ten-year-old baptized girl, the daughter of two full-time ministers!

To become a pioneer (full-time preacher), one must have been baptized for at least six months. And to attend the Pioneer Service School, you must have been a pioneer before September of the previous year. So, the ten-year-old girl who was a pioneer must have been baptized when she was 8 years old or younger. In recent years, the Governing Body has launched a campaign for the baptism of very young children. One example is that when Mark Sanderson of the Governing Body visited Germany fifteen years ago, he gave a talk encouraging parents to help their young children get baptized. The March 2016 issue of The Watchtower, page 3, featured the article “Young Ones—Are You Ready to Get Baptized?” The article said:

 “I HAVE known you since you were born,” said a Christian elder to 12-year-old Christopher, “and I’m happy to hear that you want to get baptized. I would like to ask you, ‘Why do you want to take that step?’” The elder’s question was valid. Of course, it gives all of us much joy to see that every year thousands of young people around the world get baptized. (Eccl. 12:1) At the same time, Christian parents and elders in the congregation want to make sure that such young ones make a decision that is not only voluntary but also well-founded.

The 2017 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, page 26, contained another example of a child being baptized:

Kodi, who lives in England, says: “Thank you for all the time and effort you put into creating jw.org, JW Broadcasting, and the Caleb and Sophia videos. Thank you for making it easier to understand the Bible. I was baptized when I was eight years old. When I get a little older, I’m going to help build Kingdom Halls! And I want to work at Bethel. Now I’m nine years old, so it won’t be long before I can do that.”

These examples in the Watchtower literature, which show that children aged 8, 9, 10, and 12 were baptized, are read by both parents and their children. And these children are role models that both parents and children will consider following.

In 2015, The Royal Commission in Australia investigated how Jehovah’s Witnesses handled cases of child sexual abuse and whether the victims received proper protection from the congregation. Geoffrey Jackson, who is a member of the Governing Body, had to give a statement to the Commission. And he defended the baptism of young children, as we see in his exchange with the Commission’s lawyer, Angus Stewart. [2]

Stewart: Mr. Jackson, you were baptized when you were 13 years old, is that correct?

Jackson: Yes, I really was.

Stewart: And it’s a fact that many Jehovah’s Witnesses who are younger than that are baptized?

Jackson: There have been some I’ve met who have been younger.

Stewart: Do you mean that some people at that age are old enough and mature enough to make a decision that will affect the rest of their lives?

Jackson: Yes, I think so in some cases. It’s obvious that there are some children who wouldn’t be able to make such a decision, and some might question whether I could make such a decision when I was 13 years. But I have worked with people who were baptized when they were 11 years old, and they have stuck to their decision all their lives.

Here we clearly see the Governing Body’s view on the baptism of young children, as expressed by Geoffrey Jackson.

YOUNGER CHILDREN WHO ARE FULL-TIME PREACHERS

In the Jehovah’s Witnesses organization, there are full-time ministers as young as 7 years old, and I will give some examples of very young full-time ministers. I quote again from The Watchtower of March 15, 1988, page 14:

²¹ But it seems that some among Jehovah’s people have gone to the other extreme. Many Christian parents let their children wait until they are in their late teens before broaching the subject of baptism. Time and again, we hear of youngsters making a valid dedication solely on their own initiative. For example, the preteen son of an elder sincerely wanted to get baptized. So his father had three other elders discuss with the youngster the questions designed for those contemplating baptism. Their conclusion was that, though quite young, he qualified to be baptized as an ordained minister of Jehovah God. Why, attending the Pioneer Service School in the Bahamas recently was a ten-year-old baptized girl, the daughter of two full-time ministers!

The Watchtower of February 15, 1995, page 25, states:

Indeed, young people, both those brought up in the truth and others, seem to take their worship of God seriously. For example, Tamar and her sister Keila were both baptized at the age of 10 and entered the full-time pioneer ministry by 11. Wendy Carolina was 12 when she symbolized her dedication by water baptism, and two years later, in 1985, she started regular pioneering. Today she is an effective teacher, still enjoying the full-time ministry. Young Jovanny, baptized at 10 and a regular pioneer at 11, is conducting four home Bible studies. When ten-year-old Rey discovered that a secondhand-book vendor had a booklet published by Jehovah’s Witnesses, Rey begged his mother to buy it for him. He read it from cover to cover. His search for more Bible literature eventually led him to the branch office. Today he is enjoying the full-time service, and his mother is also serving God.

The 2001 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, page 222, states:

Young people also show zeal in preaching the word. Elber Heguía, a 13-year-old brother, has been a pioneer for two years in the Centro Congregation in San Pedro, Jujuy Province [in Argentina].

The first quotation mentions a ten-year-old girl who was a pioneer and who attended the Pioneer Service School. To become a pioneer, one must have been baptized for at least 1 year, and to attend the Pioneer Service School, one must have been a pioneer before September of the previous year. This means that this girl was baptized when she was 8 years old or younger and became a pioneer at 9.[4] The second quote tells of Tamar, Keila, and Jovanny, who became pioneers at 11, and of Wendy Carolina, who became a pioneer at 14. The third quote tells of Elber Heguía, who became a pioneer at 11.

Should we view these examples of young children who became full-time ministers as exceptions? Because they are mentioned in Watchtower literature, these children are role models for other children. And the fact that children, at a young age, serve as pioneers is no exception. This was shown by the information given to all who served at Brooklyn Bethel [the headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses] at breakfast on Wednesday, October 2, 2012.

In the United States, 212 pioneers were 12 years of age or younger, and 2 were 7 years old. There were 6,844 pioneers aged 12 to 18. The 7-year-old pioneers must have been baptized when they were 5 or 6.

LAWS THAT SHED LIGHT ON THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF MINOR CHILDREN

There are no Norwegian laws that say anything about the age for baptism in a religious community. But there are laws that can shed light on this.

Act on Religious and Philosophical Organizations

Chapter 1 Section 2. Joining and leaving religious and philosophical communities

Persons who have reached the age of 15 can themselves join or leave religious and philosophical communities. Those who have parental responsibility for a child under the age of 15 can register the child in or out of religious and philosophical organizations.

Religious and philosophical communities themselves determine the conditions for membership and the procedure for joining the community. Withdrawal must always be possible in writing.

§ 3.Children’s right to participation

A child who is capable of forming his or her own opinions has the right to participate in all matters concerning the child’s exercise of faith or philosophy of life.

Guardianship Act

Chapter 3 Section 9.The minor’s legal capacity

A minor may not perform legal acts or dispose of his or her funds, unless otherwise specifically provided.

§ 10. The minor’s right to enter into employment contracts

A minor who has reached the age of 15 may enter into an employment contract on his or her own. A minor under the age of 15 may enter into an employment contract with the consent of the guardian. A minor can terminate an employment contract independently, regardless of age.

The guardian cannot enter into an employment contract on behalf of the minor. If the interests of the minor so require, the guardian may terminate the minor’s employment contract with reasonable notice.

Although these laws do not directly address baptism at different ages, they shed light on the legislator’s view of children’s responsibilities. Joining a religious community can be perceived as an agreement. When the Religious Communities Act states that children must be 15 years old to join or leave a religious community, the legislator is saying that children under 15 are not mature enough to enter into such an agreement.

This means that a child under the age of 15 cannot be held responsible for knowledge or lack of knowledge. Paragraph 130 of the Supreme Court’s ruling states:

I find it difficult to see that such a general faith-based doctrine, which members are familiar with when they join the religious community, is later considered an undue pressure that impedes the right to free withdrawal.

These words cannot be applied to persons baptized before 1985, when the shunning and isolation of resigned persons began. Neither can they be applied to children who were baptized before the age of 15, who resigned as children, or who resigned later. The child was not competent to assume responsibility for an agreement. This is also supported by the Guardianship Act, which states that one must be 15 years old to enter into an agreement.

In addition to the lack of maturity before the age of 15, I have already pointed out that most children who are baptized know that Witnesses can be disfellowshipped, and that one should have nothing to do with disfellowshipped ones. But the vast majority of children who are baptized before the age of 15 have never heard of resignation or its many negative consequences.

My impression is that the description of a woman named Jean, fits very well with most children under the age of 15 who are baptized. I repeat the quote from The Watchtower of April 15, 1987, page 13:

In modern times, a Christian named Jean was baptized when she was only ten years old. When asked years later if she really understood the step, Jean replied: “I knew I loved Jehovah, I appreciated what Jesus did for us, and I wanted to serve Jehovah.” She has served faithfully for some 40 years since her baptism.

These children focus on their relationship with God, and that they want to serve him. Issues of doctrine are not what they are considering.

YOUTHS AND ADULTS WHO ARE BAPTIZED

According to the law, children who have reached the age of 15 are competent to enter into agreements and take responsibility for them, including joining a religious community. Does that mean they have knowledge of or should have knowledge of the consequences of resigning?

Parents continue to teach their children as they grow up, and when they become adolescents, parents often use two books written for young people: Questions young people ask answers that work  Volume 1 (2011) and Questions young people ask answers that work  Volume 2 (2008).

These books are very good because they are designed for interactive teaching. This means that young people are presented with several options and then asked to take a position on them. However, neither of these two books contains any information or comments on resigning. Since resigning is rare, there is normally no reason for parents to raise this issue with their young people.

But what do the young people learn at the congregation meetings? About 1% of the Witnesses are disfellowshipped each year, which in 2025 will include about 80,000. When that happens, it is read out at a congregation meeting that they are no longer Jehovah’s Witnesses. The young people are therefore well aware that disfellowshipping occurs, and that they are not allowed to have any contact with the disfellowshipped ones, even with close friends who are disfellowshipped.

If a member of the congregation were to resign, the same information would be given to the congregation as in the case of disfellowshipping. It is said that the person is no longer one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. This means that if a person has resigned, only the elders know, not the members of the congregation. This means that young people normally do not learn about it when a Witness resigns, or about the treatment of those who have resigned, from their parents or in the congregation.

If a young person wishes to be baptized, three elders will assess whether he or she is mature enough by asking 60 questions. These questions can be found in the book Organized to Do God’s Will, published in 2005, revised in 2015, and 2019. This book is written for baptized Jehovah’s Witnesses, and when a young person tells an elder that he wants to be baptized, the elder will give him a copy of the book. On page 152, we find the heading “Disassociation” and a discussion of it. At the end of the discussion, it states: ” Such a person is treated in the same way as a disfellowshipped person.”

Does the fact that this sentence is in the Organization Book that he or she receives just before answering the questions mean that they “are familiar with [the treatment of those who have resigned] when they join the religious community,” as stated in § 130 of the Supreme Court’s ruling? To that question, I would answer no. The focus for the baptismal candidate is to give correct answers to the questions. There are scriptures associated with each question that must be read, and the baptismal candidate must spend a lot of time reflecting on what he or she wants to answer for each question. This means that it will almost never happen that a baptismal candidate reads through the entire Organizational Book before being baptized, including the aforementioned clause. Nor are the baptismal candidates encouraged to do so.

This discussion has shown that almost no young people between the ages of 15 and 18, at the moment they are baptized, know that Witnesses who resign from the congregation lose their family and friends who are Witnesses.

I have now discussed what children under 15 and young people between 15 and 18 know about the treatment of those who resign from the congregation. I will now discuss other people who are baptized.

Jehovah’s Witnesses place great emphasis on preaching to others, to people who are family, to co-workers, and to people they meet when they go from house to house. When someone becomes interested in the Bible, a home Bible study is started. This means that the publisher visits the person every week and goes through a study book with him or her, chapter by chapter.

If this Bible study continues, the interested person will reach a point where he or she wants to be baptized. At this point, the interested person has learned the basic truths of the Bible. But, of course, information about resignation has not been discussed. You do not say to a person who is happy because he has found the true religion and wants to be baptized: “If you in the future will resign, you will lose your family and friends who are Jehovah’s witnesses.”

The interested person, who is now a baptismal candidate, will also receive a copy of the Organization Book. His focus, like the young persons’ focus, will be on the 60 questions and not on the content of the book.

The Supreme Court ruling contains the following statement:

It must therefore be possible to assume that the minor is also aware of the consequences of resigning or being expelled from Jehovah’s Witnesses. (93)

I find it difficult to see that such a general faith-based doctrine, which members are familiar with when they join the religious community, is later considered an undue pressure that impedes the right to free disassociation. (130)

This discussion has shown that both of these statements are based on misunderstandings and that there are almost no children, youngsters, or adults who are baptized as Jehovah’s Witnesses who, at the time they were baptized, have the knowledge that if they resign, they will lose their family and friends who are Witnesses.

IT IS ONLY AFTER BAPTISM THAT WITNESSES LEARN THAT THEY WILL BE PUNISHED FOR RESIGNING

Once a person has been baptized, he will read through the book Organized to Do God’s Will. Then he will also read the sections: “If a decision is made to disfellowship (page 150) and “Disassociation” and the sentence “If you in the future will resign, you will lose your family and friends who are Jehovah’s witnesses.”

The baptized person has now learned that it is possible both to be disfellowshipped and to resign from the congregation and that no one wants to have anything to do with such people. But he is happy because he has gained a faith, and he thinks that this is not something that will affect him. As he participates in the congregation’s activities and becomes familiar with the various procedures, he will also gain a better understanding of how disfellowshipped and disassociated persons are treated, and that there should be no contact with them that is not unavoidable, not even a phone call.

Of those who are baptized as Jehovah’s Witnesses, there are some who at some point want to leave the community and resign. If this person wants to investigate how a resignation will work, he will go to the website jw.org, find Index, and look up the words “Disassociation.”[1]

In the Index, he will find The Watchtower of July 15, 1985, page 31. Here we find for the first time the Governing Body’s requirement that those who disassociate themselves be isolated in the same way as those who are disfellowshipped:

Aid to Bible Understanding shows that the word “apostasy” comes from a Greek word that literally means “‘a standing away from’ but has the sense of ‘desertion, abandonment or rebellion.’”a The Aid book adds: “Among the varied causes of apostasy set forth in apostolic warnings were: lack of faith (Heb. 3:12), lack of endurance in the face of persecution (Heb. 10:32-39), abandonment of right moral standards (2 Pet. 2:15-22), the heeding of the ‘counterfeit words’ of false teachers and ‘misleading inspired utterances’ ( . . . 1 Tim. 4:1-3) . . . Such ones willfully abandoning the Christian congregation thereby become part of the ‘antichrist.’ (1 John 2:18, 19)”

A person who had willfully and formally disassociated himself from the congregation would have matched that description. [of ‘antichrist’ in 1 John 2:18, 19].  By deliberately repudiating God’s congregation and by renouncing the Christian way, he would have made himself an apostate. A loyal Christian would not have wanted to fellowship with an apostate. Even if they had been friends, when someone repudiated the congregation, apostatizing, he rejected the basis for closeness to the brothers. John made it clear that he himself would not have in his home someone who ‘did not have God’ and who was “not of our sort.”

Scripturally, a person who repudiated God’s congregation became more reprehensible than those in the world. Why? Well, Paul showed that Christians in the Roman world daily contacted fornicators, extortioners, and idolaters. Yet he said that Christians must “quit mixing in company with anyone called a brother” who resumed ungodly ways. (1 Corinthians 5:9-11) Similarly, Peter stated that one who had “escaped from the defilements of the world” but then reverted to his former life was like a sow returning to the mire. (2 Peter 2:20-22) Hence, John was providing harmonious counsel in directing that Christians were not to ‘receive into their homes’ one who willfully ‘went out from among them.’​—2 John 10…

The seriousness of this counsel is evident from John’s words: “He that says a greeting to him is a sharer in his wicked works.” No true Christian would have wanted God to view him as sharing in wicked works by associating with an expelled wrongdoer or with one who rejected His congregation. How much finer to be a sharer in the loving Christian brotherhood, as John wrote: “That which we have seen and heard we are reporting also to you, that you too may be having a sharing with us. Furthermore, this sharing of ours is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.”​—1 John 1:3.

Someone who disassociates himself is referred to as one who “wilfully abandoned the Christian congregation.” He is identical to the Antichrist, who was the greatest enemy of Christians, and if a Witness greets a person who has resigned, God will consider the Witness complicit in the “wicked works” of the person who has resigned. It is clear that at the moment a Witness was baptized, he or she was not aware of this very derogatory way in which those who resign are spoken of.

The important question in this study has been whether the person who is baptized and joins the congregation, at the time of being baptized, knew or should have known that if he resigned, he would be punished by losing his family and friends.

I will now look at this situation from a judicial point of view. As I have shown above, there is nothing written about resignation in the study books used to teach children, youth, and adults the faith of Jehovah’s Witnesses. In addition to the Watchtower’s printed literature, the elders receive guidance on things they should do through letters from the branch office. In the 56 years I served as an elder from 1964 to 2020, the elders have not received any guidance to teach baptismal candidates about resigning and its consequences.

Many young people who are baptized have attended meetings with their parents for many years. In the 35 years when I was the presiding overseer and coordinator in the Majorstua congregation in Oslo, and was responsible for the meeting programs, I can remember that there were sometimes posts that mentioned disfellowshipping and that disfellowshipped persons should be shunned and isolated. But I can’t remember a post ever discussing dissociation (“resigning”). The same is probably true in other congregations, because the Witnesses are not naturally taught about resigning. This means that young people and adults who are baptized have not learned about resigning in their home Bible study, in the elders’ preparation for baptism, or at the meetings.

In order for Jehovah’s Witnesses to prove that disassociation (resignation) and its consequences are something that those who are baptized are aware of at the moment they are baptized, they must either show that the subject “disassociation”  is found in the study books used to teach about the beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses or that there are letters or other printed information stating that there has been and is a program to teach everyone about resignation before they are baptized.

Baptisms take place at Jehovah’s Witness conventions, and those who plan to be baptized contact an elder before the convention to inform him. The presiding overseer will then select the three elders to go through the questions, and this is usually started a week or two after the baptismal candidate has said he will be baptized.

The book Organized to Do God’s Will contains information about disassociation (resigning).

As I have mentioned, the baptismal candidate will spend a lot of time preparing for how to answer the questions. And it almost never happens that a baptismal candidate will read through the entire Organization Book and thereby learn about disassociation.

But should the baptismal candidate have read through the entire book before being baptized? It is difficult to answer yes to that question. Baptism is, in fact, an enrollment in the community of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and it can be considered as entering into an agreement. But the baptismal candidate’s focus is on his dedication to Jehovah God and his commitment to serve God for as long as he lives. When we enter into an agreement, we should carefully read the agreement so we know what is required of us and what we get in return. But the baptismal candidate does not view the baptism as an agreement that has a text he must familiarize himself with. I can therefore hardly see that the baptismal candidate should have read the entire Organization Book before the baptism.

However, I would like to mention a fact that must be considered: that I served as an elder until 2020. I have in-depth knowledge of what happened up to that year, but not afterward.

In 2021, the new study book Enjoy life forever! was published. This is a much better teaching tool than previous books. Children and others who study this book will gain a good understanding of most aspects of the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Those who go through this entire book will learn about disfellowshipping, which is mentioned on pages 237 and 239. But this book says nothing about disassociation (resigning).

If Jehovah’s Witnesses can provide documentation in the form of letters or other printed material showing that there has been a program after 2020 to teach everyone before baptism about disassociation and its consequences, then we must conclude that those who were baptized after 2020 were familiar with the doctrine of disassociation and the punishment for it. If such documentation cannot be provided, we must conclude that those baptized after 2020 were also unaware of disassociation and its consequences at the time of their baptism.

CONCLUSION

Jehovah’s Witnesses have claimed that those who are baptized and thereby become members of the religious community, at the time they join (are baptized), know that if they disassociate themselves, they will lose their family and friends who are Witnesses. Therefore, the fact that this happens when they resign cannot be claimed as undue pressure not to resign. What has been discussed shows that Jehovah’s Witnesses’ claims are not true.

THIS STUDY HAS SHOWN THAT THERE ARE ALMOST NO BAPTISM CANDIDATES WHO, AT THE MOMENT THEY ARE BAPTIZED AND JOIN, KNOW THAT IF THEY RESIGN, THEY WILL BE PUNISHED BY LOSING THEIR FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

AFTER THEY HAVE ENROLLED BY BEING BAPTIZED, THEY LEARN THIS. THEREFORE, THE FACT THAT THOSE WHO RESIGN ARE PUNISHED BY BEING ISOLATED AND BY LOSING THEIR FAMILY AND FRIENDS IS AN UNJUSTIFIED PRESSURE NOT TO LEAVE.

 

 

[1]. https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200022289