Jehovah’s Witnesses in Utah to take big step — baptism

A lot of people know a little about Jehovah’s Witnesses.

They know members go door to door to spread the faith. They know they don’t celebrate holidays or birthdays. Maybe they know that Witnesses believe we are living in “the last days,” a time of war, wickedness and destruction before God’s Kingdom will come to rule the Earth.

But some beliefs, such as those surrounding baptism, are less known. Witnesses often are baptized as teens or adults and many follow the faith for years before taking that step. Witnesses believe members should be baptized only after demonstrating a certain level of biblical knowledge and commitment.

Dozens will likely be baptized next month at the faith’s three-day convention in Ogden, where about 6,500 Witnesses will listen to religious addresses and view a full-costume biblical drama.

Quinton Dobbins, a 40-year-old Salt Lake City telemarketer, has been a Witness for more than a third of his life and is among those who will be baptized at the convention.

“It’s huge. It’s life,” Dobbins said. “I’m stable enough now to say my love for Jehovah [God] comes first.”

Dobbins’ faith wasn’t always so solid. The Utah native was reared as a Witness, but he began to fall away when he was about 13 years old. His parents were divorcing, and he became more interested in hanging out with friends than thinking about God.

“You start doing things that aren’t acceptable with Jehovah,” Dobbins said, “and you can’t be a part of both [worlds].”