Baptism Questions, Organized to do Jehovah's Will
Mood:  cool
Topic: Backgrounder
Here are some sample questions from the book, "Organized to do Jehovah's Will", (c) WTBTS 2005 pages 183-215. Some of the questions I've posted to show how extensive commitment required of the baptismal candidate. The expected beliefs on God, Marriage, Health and Hygiene are all laid out. Some of the questions are just plain wacky. I've given the provided answers or scriptures for some of them that might be of interest to an UBM.

Part 1, Q 20 Who is Satan the Devil? Where did he and his demons come from?

Part 2, Q 2 What is the only Scriptural basis for divorce that frees one to remarry?

Part 2, Q 7 How does Jehovah view (a) the unlawful shedding of human blood? (b) abortion? (c) suicide?

Part 2, Q 8 What responsibility rests upon a person who is infected with a communicable disease that is potentially fatal?

Part 2 Q 9 To avoid transmitting an infectious or a potentially fatal disease to others, why should an infected person (a) not initiate public displays of affection such as hugging and kissing? (b) attend the Congregation Book Study at the Kingdom Hall if at all possible? (c) not react negatively when some choose not to invite them in to their homes? (d) Why should a person who may have been exposed to an infectious disease voluntarily choose to have a blood test before beginning a courtship? (e) Why should one having a communicable disease inform the presiding overseer before getting baptized?

Part 2 Q 13 How should Christians view the shortcomings of fellow believers?

Part 2 Q 20 Why should Christians abstain from all nonmedical use of addictive or mind-altering natural or synthetic substances?

Part 2 Q 29 What is the Christian's position as to the world alienated from God?
(Answer: They are no part of the world, just as I am no part of the world. - John 17:16.
Do you not know that the friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever, therefore, wants to be a friend of the world is constituting himself an enemy of God. - Jas. 4:4.)

Part 2 Q 31 When a person separates himself from the world and becomes a Christian, what treatment should he expect from those in the world?
(Quotes John 15:19, 20; 2 Tim. 3:12; 1 Pet. 4:4)

Part 2 Q 34 Would it be proper for true Christians to share in worship with other religious groups?
(Quotes Rev. 18:4, 5; Matt. 7:13, 14, 21-23; 1 Cor. 10:30; 2 Cor. 6:14-18)

Part 2 Q 36 How can you determine whether you should observe or participate in celebrations that are popular in your community?
(Quotes John 17:16; 1 Cor. 10:21; Ps. 106:35; 1
Pet. 4:3)

Part 3 Q 3 Is the wife whose husband is not a believer freed from his headship?
(Quotes 1 Pet. 3:1, 2)

Part 3: Q 13 What is the Governing Body of the Christian congregation?
(Quotes Acts 15:1, 2)

Part 3: Q 15 How do members of the congregation demonstrate submission to the headship of Christ in the congregation?
(Quotes Heb. 13:7; Heb: 13:17)

Part 3: Q 25 What should be our attitude toward giving of ourselves and of our material possessions in Jehovah's service?
(Quotes 1 Chron. 29:14; 2 Cor. 9:7)

Part 3: Q 26 What attitude should we have when we are persecuted or undergoing trial?
(Quotes Matt. 5:10-12; Jas. 1:2, 3; Acts 5:41)

Refuting JW Talking Points
Mood:  energetic
Topic: Backgrounder
Here's another section I can keep building with your input, how to refute major JW talking points. I'm first pulling from the What Does God Require of Us brochure, published by the WTBTS.

- God requires us to obey and we learn to obey by following the bible's commands.
- The bible is completely trustworthy for instruction on Christian living.
- Satan works hard to keep you from the truth.
- Satan can work through your loved ones.
- Christendom's Churches strayed from God when they adopted the trinity.
- Those who follow the trinity doctrine follow three gods.
- God hates customs that have a pagan origin.
- God works through One True Religion.
- The world is steadily getting worse and we are living in the last days.
- Jehovah's Witnesses advocate a clean lifestyle that is rare in our modern world.
- Christendom's Churches are all corrupt and have failed mankind and failed God.
- Even though the WTS has it's problems, we are to be patient and wait for Jehovah to work it out.
- At least we are better than anything else out there!

What to Expect at Baptism
Mood:  not sure
Topic: Backgrounder
The watershed moment in a marriage for many UBM's is when your partner makes the leap from "interested study" to "baptism". You have every right to wonder how this commitment will change your relationship. You may not be able to stop your partner from taking this step. If you know it is coming, there are things you can do to prepare. So here's a description of the JW baptism, followed with some hints and tips on how you can stay involved with your partner as they work through this process.

When does baptism happen?
I believe a candidate will not be considered for baptism until they have completed one full round of study with an introductory book, usually six months. Baptism may be delayed if the candidate is not ready to make the commitment or if they admit to engaging in a sin listed in the 104 baptism questions. Smoking or living with a common-law partner are common prohibitors.

Where do they baptize people?
Usually baptisms occur at a larger assembly of Jehovah's Witnesses, that happen several times throughout the year. JW's immerse. If the assembly is at a purpose-built facility, there will be a baptismal pool somewhere on the grounds. The pool here in Edmonton is to the left of the stage. At the big district assembly, a temporary inflatable pool is set up in a corner of the rented auditorium.

Why the pressure to baptize?
The Watchtower is all about numbers. They count the hours that the study leader spends with your partner. They count the number of baptisms in a year. The study leader will expect after your partner has completed a book they will be ready for the next step. The study leader may begin to wonder privately if their time is being wasted. It takes an average of 40,000 hours of field service to bring in a single new recruit. A study leader who brings their study to baptism has achieved a rare success, and the baptism bring them a lot of recognition at the hall.

Who is putting the pressure on?
In the heirarchal Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, everyone feels the pressure to perform. Headquarters asks the Circuit Overseers why the numbers aren't going up. Circuit Overseers put pressure on the Presiding Overseers, who in turn ask the elders to check on the field service performance of the members. Everything is counted from meeting attendance, hours of field service, magazines placed, number of studies, and baptisms achieved.

The committee in charge of the yearly assembly will be busy collecting numbers of potential baptisms from the local kingdom halls. They need to know how many rows of seating to rope off at the front of the auditorium. The elders will be following up with the study leaders, and will likely want some firm numbers to give to the committee prior to assembly day.

The Baptismal Questions
There are 104 questions that all baptismal candidates must answer to an elder prior to scheduling their baptism. All these questions are listed on the back of "Organized to do Jehovah's Will" (c)WTBTS 2005, page 183 to 215.
Here's a link to sample questions. The "Organized to do Jehovah's Will" book resembles the membership books that I've seen other churches produce. You could say that the baptism is an initiation in to the organization of the Jehovah's Witnesses as much as a dedication to God.

Part 1, Elementary Bible Teachings (35 questions)
Part 2, Jehovah's Righteous Requirements (37 questions)
Part 3, Jehovah's Arrangement of Things (32 questions)

By comparison, the Nicene Creed, which is the core doctrine of all Orthodox Christian churches, consists of three paragraphs, all to do with the nature of God.

By comparison, New Life Community Church asks five questions at the time of baptism, to confirm their repentance and dedication to God.

The following questions are asked on the day of baptism, and the candidates are to answer in the positive in a loud, clear voice (p. 215):
"On the basis of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, have you repented of your sins and dedicated yourself to Jehovah to do his will?"
"Do you understand that your dedication and baptism identify you as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in association with God's spirit-directed organization?"

The Day of Baptism
Baptisms are usually done midday as part of a larger gathering, or assembly, conducted several times a year. The baptismal candidates have reserved seating at the very front of the auditorium. They have along a modest bathing suit and towel, which they keep with them in a bag under their chair. Just before the break for lunch, the speaker will address the candidates with a short talk, have them stand, and ask the two questions outlined above. After their affirmative answer, the candidates will file out of the auditorium to applause. Everyone breaks for lunch.

The candidates change in to their swimming attire. Those who are interested will gather at a discreet distance from the tank or pool to watch. If there are many baptisms to perform, there may be several elders in the pool to help to help with the dunking. Several may be dunked at once. There may be modest applause. The candidates line up and are dunked in turn, then go off to change.

Usually the newly baptized candidate will hook up with their study leader at lunch, where they will receive warm congradulations all around.

Compared to a Baptist service, the JW experience is rather impersonal. As usual with the Watchtower society, it's not about the individual but the numbers. I can guarantee the people in the assembly will be counting heads and comparing them to last year's. Somewhere during the meeting attendance and the number of baptisms will be announced.

I recommend
- Prior to baptism, ask questions about the sample questions I have posed. Is your partner 100% in agreement with them? If not, ask if they are really ready to take the plunge.

- Challenge your partner's assessment of you. Do they consider you worldly, and if so, someone to be avoided? How do they plan on incorporating "avoiding the world" while married to you?

- Ask to attend the baptism. If your partner challenges your motive, challenge them right back. They cannot assume you have no interest in the spiritual side of their life. This will set you up well for years ahead by making friends with the cult personality.

- It is acceptable to bring a camera to the baptism, and to stand at a discreet distance when the baptism is performed. Congradulate your partner on this momentous step, even if your guts are sinking. It's a big deal to your partner, and you want to steal some of the thunder from the study leader.

- If one of your partner's motives for joining is the abundance of attention, you will have an opportunity shortly afterwards to help your partner question their decision. Attention quickly shifts away from the believer after baptism. The study leader can no longer count their time. Your partner will suddenly be expected to maintain all obligations with very little reward or support. This is a rude shock for many recruits. Ask your partner if this is what they signed up for.

Cognitive Dissonance
Mood:  cool
Topic: Backgrounder
Description
"Cognitive dissonance is a state of opposition between cognitions. For the purpose of cognitive consistency theory, cognitions are defined as being an attitude, emotion, belief or value (Ford trucks built tough)... the theory of cognitive dissonance holds that contradicting cognitions (Ford trucks built tough, FORD stands for Fix Or Repair Daily) serve as a driving force that compels the human mind to acquire or invent new thoughts or beliefs, or to modify existing beliefs, so as to minimize the amount of dissonance (conflict) between cognitions."(Italics are my own thoughts, bolding added)Source, Wikipedia

Examples
Tedious peg-turning
"In Festinger and Carlsmith's classic 1959 experiment, students were made to perform tedious and meaningless tasks, consisting of turning pegs quarter-turns, then removing them from a board, then putting them back in, and so forth. Subjects rated these tasks very negatively. After a long period of doing this, students were told the experiment was over and they could leave.
However, the experimenter then asked the subject for a small favor. They were told that a needed research assistant was not able to make it to the experiment, and the subject was asked to fill in and try to persuade another subject (who was actually a confederate) that the dull, boring tasks the subject had just completed were actually interesting and engaging. Some subjects were paid $20 for the favor, another group was paid $1, and a control group was not requested to perform the favor.

When asked to rate the peg-turning tasks, those in the $1 group showed a much greater propensity to embellish in favor of the experiment when asked to lie about the tasks." Source, Wikipedia

Buy a Lemon
"Consider someone who buys an expensive car but discovers that it is not comfortable on long drives. Dissonance exists between their beliefs that they have bought a good car and that a good car should be comfortable. Dissonance could be eliminated by deciding that it does not matter since the car is mainly used for short trips (reducing the importance of the dissonant belief) or focusing on the cars strengths such as safety, appearance, handling (thereby adding more consonant beliefs). The dissonance could also be eliminated by getting rid of the car, but this behavior is a lot harder to achieve than changing beliefs." Source, Psycology.org

Shopping for a Coffee Maker
"J. W. Brehm (1956) conducted the first experiment using the free- choice paradigm to test predictions derived from dissonance theory. In his experiment, which was presented as market research, he had women rate how desirable they found eight different products (e.g., toaster or coffeemaker) and then gave each of them a choice between two products that were close in desirability (difficult decision) or between two products that were not close in desirability (easy decision). After choosing which of the two products they would keep, the women rerated the desirability of the products. Results indicated that the women who made a difficult decision changed their evaluations of the products to be more positive about the chosen product and less positive about the rejected product. Spreading of alternatives was less for the women who made an easy decision. The free-choice paradigm continues to be used to gain insights into dissonance processes (e.g., Shultz & Lepper, 1996; Stone, chap. 8, this volume)." Source, APA.org

People Exhibit
- illogical loyalty towards their choice
- discomfort when challenged
- strongly defend their choice
- trivialize conflicting information

Key Features
Significant Effort
Are they willing to admit to wasting a significant amount of time and energy towards the wrong choice? The greater the investement, the greater the dissonance. The longer the person digs themselves in to a bad decision, the harder it becomes to leave.
Free Choice
The more difficult the decision (that is, there is a lot of similarity between the two choices) the stronger the dissonance.

Small Reward
When the reward is small enough, the participant seems to consider their choice to be a favour rather than an obligation. Perhaps people put more effort in to volunteer activities because the reward is intangibles such as "personal satisfaction".

How Jehovah's Witnesses Use Cognitive Dissonance
Significant Effort: A new convert is not baptised for at least six months. This way, the convert has invested a significant amount of time prior to baptism. The longer they spend studying, the more difficult it will be to back out. After baptism, the Jehovan's Witness lifestyle is an endless parade of study, meetings, and field service. This life requires a great deal of effort to maintain. Again, when a Jehovah's Witness who decides to leave must admit that they have wasted years of effort on an empty cause. Only the most brave and the humble have the strength to admit this.

Small Reward: The Jehovah's Witness reward is for a future promise of life forever on paradise earth. Watchtower articles frequently extol the rewards of the Jehovah's Witness life, but few concrete examples are given. This reinforces the dissonance, as the reader makes up their own reasons, later vehemently supporting them.

Positive Uses
Now that I understand the principles of Cognitive Dissonance, I've put the principles to work at the office. I have successfully implemented change across my team by offering small rewards and recognition. My team are energetic and dedicated to the cause, rather than the reward.

It dawned on me, too, that governments are not above using Cognitive Dissonance to implement unpopular changes. The GST was an unpopular new tax implemented across Canada. Considering the swath that it cut from Joe Citizen's pocketbook, however, the protests were relatively muted. Along with the GST tax, the government instituted a GST rebate that low income Canadians can apply for. I used to think that the huge administration required to process this rebate would have been better spent in lowering the tax overall. But now I realize that the rebate is "payoff money" to institute public Cognitive Dissonance and reduce resistance to the tax.

Coaxing Someone out of Cognitive Dissonance
My experience is that if I directly point out how illogical the person's choice they put up greater resistance. Here's a diagram of someone with an illogical belief.

If I provide mounds of evidence, I increase their discomfort to such a degree that the person will do almost anything to shut off the unwelcome information. I provide the direct challenge.

They will come up with increasingly outrageous excuses not to listen. The person may even adopt more extreme views in response to a direct challenge. I have had much greater success asking questions about relatively non-threatening subjects. I allow the person to absorb and respond to each question. Over time, they will modify their belief closer to reality, resulting in less severe cognitive dissonance.

Further Reading
Pay Enough or Don't Pay at All Pay Enough or Don't Pay at All