Editing Jehovah's Witnesses practices (section)

==Conversion==
Individuals seeking to be baptised as Jehovah's Witnesses are required to follow a systematic, catechistical Bible study course, usually in their home, for several months. They will be expected to attend meetings at the Kingdom Hall and must demonstrate a willingness to carry out the doorstep ministry.<ref>{{Harvnb|Holden|2002|pp=59}}.</ref> Before baptism they will have discussions with the elders based on questions provided by the Watch Tower Society to determine that they understand and accept the beliefs of the Witnesses,<ref>{{cite book|title=Organized to Do Jehovah's Will|pages=185&ndash;205|publisher=Watch Tower Society}}</ref> and that they accept Jesus' ransom sacrifice and repent of sins and have made a personal dedication to God.<ref>''The Watchtower'' 1/15/89 p. 13 par. 18 What Prevents You From Getting Baptized?</ref> 

Baptisms are normally performed in pools at assemblies and conventions. At these baptisms, candidates make "public declaration" of their prior dedication to God.<ref>''The Watchtower'' 5/15/03 p. 31 Questions From Readers</ref> The speaker asks the candidates the following two questions:
# "Have you repented of your sins, dedicated yourself to Jehovah, and accepted his way of salvation through Jesus Christ?"
# "Do you understand that your baptism identifies you as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in association with Jehovah's organization?"<ref>{{Cite web|title=Concluding Discussion With Baptism Candidates — Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY|url=https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1102014954|access-date=2021-04-03|website=wol.jw.org}}</ref>

After candidates agree to both questions, they line up to undergo water immersion, usually in quick succession, often with hundreds baptised at large conventions.

Sociologist [[James A. Beckford]] reported two significant distinguishing features of the conversion process when related by Jehovah's Witnesses. He said they typically spoke of their conversion experience as a steady progression of mental states in which Witnesses "'work for' their conversion by a methodical confrontation with intellectual obstacles, and by a deliberate programme of self-reform. Conversion is not represented as something which {{em|happened}} to them; it is framed as something that they {{em|achieved}}." Beckford noted that those he interviewed regarded sudden, emotional upheavals in religious consciousness as suspect: "Experiences which smack of sudden or idiosyncratic illumination/revelation cannot be reconcilable with either the tenor of God's historical practice or the nature of his special covenant with the Watchtower Society."<ref name="Beckford 1978">{{cite journal |last=Beckford |first=James A. |author-link=James A. Beckford |date=June 1978 |title=Accounting for Conversion |journal=[[The British Journal of Sociology]] |volume=29 |issue=June 1978 |pages=251–256 |location=[[Chichester|Chichester, West Sussex]] |publisher=[[Wiley-Blackwell]] for the [[London School of Economics and Political Science]] |doi=10.2307/589892 |jstor=589892}}</ref>

He also found a striking contrast with other churches in the common attribution of responsibility for conversion to "a spiritual guide{{nbsp}}[...] the person who acted as the intermediary with the Watchtower movement and who supervised the initial process of learning and reforming". Beckford cited an interview "representative of many" in which a convert recalled initially resisting the Watch Tower Society's teachings until he was "talked into making a serious study of the scriptures{{nbsp}}[...] I had plenty of objections and was sure the Witnesses were wrong, but (the Witness leading the personal Bible study sessions) showed me how the facts of the Bible could not be faulted".<ref name="Beckford 1978"/>