Parents—Help Your Children Become “Wise for Salvation”

Beroean Pickets – JW.org Reviewer

[From ws17/12 p. 18 – February 12-18] “From infancy you have known the holy writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation.” 2 Timothy 3:15 At least the organization is more upfront with their purpose with this article than with many. It is not primarily to “help your children be wise for salvation“, but rather, as alluded to by the question for paragraphs 1 & 2, to help “children wanting to take the steps of dedication and baptism.” It would be more truthful if they added “because of strong emotional pressure from peers, parents and the Organization”. This is aside from the issue of whether a formal dedication is required (discussed at length here) since Matthew 28:19b says nothing about vows and dedication but instead speaks only of baptism followed by actions to observe Jesus' commandments. We then find another tweak in the NWT which changes the meaning of the verse. Matthew 28:19 should read “make disciples of all the nations“, not “make disciples of people of all the nations”. Why is this subtle change wrong? Because it changes the emphasis with which most witnesses read this scripture. The focus goes on “disciples of people” instead of “disciples of all the nations”. The Greek word here translated “nations” is ‘ethnos’ which means “gentiles, people joined by similar customs and culture.” Children are still learning customs and culture; only adults can be said to be truly joined by similar customs and culture. Did John the Baptist baptise any children? The baptism of children is not mentioned in Scripture. Only the baptism of adults fits the context. (See Luke 3:21; Matthew 3:13; Mark 1:4-8; John 1:29.) When did Jesus, the Son of God, get baptised? Not as a child, but as a full-grown man of 30. (Luke 3:23) If baptism is so important at such an early age, then why did Jesus Christ not set the example and get baptized when he was a child? Why did he not encourage the baptism of children? What is the difference between infant and child baptism? Very little. Both have little to no understanding of the gravity of the step they are taking. An infant is not even aware he is being baptized. He has no say in the matter. Does a child make the decision of his or her own free will? Usually, a strong emotional persuasion is exerted by parents, either wittingly or unwittingly, to motivate the child whose natural, inborn desire is to please his mother and/or father. Most children change their outlook on life drastically during their teen years. The Insight book makes the following comment on Baptism: “That Christian baptism required an understanding of God’s Word and an intelligent decision to present oneself to do the revealed will of God was evident.” -- (it-1 p253 par. 13) Most countries of the world do not consider a child to be old enough to make important decisions in life until aged 16, 18, or 21, depending on the nature of the decision. Why should becoming a member of a religion with its requirements be any different? We should bear in mind that Jehovah's Witnesses are not baptising their children in the Christ, but rather, in the Organization. JW Baptism means being willing to conform to all the rules, tenets and policies of the Organization, whether these conform to Scripture or not.[i] Few children will realize what they are getting into. (Indeed, few adults do either.) The same things said about infants in the Insight book article on baptism (it-1 p253 para 18) apply to children and most teenagers. How many under the age of say, 16, understand God’s word (let alone organization policy) enough to make an intelligent decision? Finally Acts 8:12 clearly states that “they proceeded to get baptized, both men and women.” Note the absence of children. Paragraph 2 attempts to dismiss any concerns on the part of parents. It does this in part by implying that concerns that the children may later leave ‘the way of truth’ should not stop them getting baptized. However,