jehovah witness

[julie_yet]

Thats all well and good... but that doesn't stop me from feeling like pushing that belief on your child in a life or death situation is plain out child abuse and you won't convince me otherwise so don't bother trying or quoting the bible to me because I am a realist and a non believer anyway so it's pointless....

Several posters are misinformed or curious about why Witnesses do certain things and that is why I quoted scriptures. In no other way can I explain the whys and wherefores since this thread is talking about a religion. I'm not trying to convert you I'm just trying to explain.


As far as the blood goes there are also other alternatives to blood transfusions that aren't as risky and work just as well that many Witnesses take advantage of. So parents really are not putting their children in any danger. A good reference site is noblood.org.

 

[Goobergal99]

Several posters are misinformed or curious about why Witnesses do certain things and that is why I quoted scriptures. In no other way can I explain the whys and wherefores since this thread is talking about a religion. I'm not trying to convert you I'm just trying to explain.


As far as the blood goes there are also other alternatives to blood transfusions that aren't as risky and work just as well that many Witnesses take advantage of. So parents really are not putting their children in any danger. A good reference site is noblood.org.

They do not work as well, we have a bloodless program where I work... so I am well educated, even attended seminars.... I have seen parents put their children in danger, so while you may push for the alternative most do not

 

[Aisling]

For the record Jehovah's Witnesses don't believe in Hell and we go to people's homes because that's what Jesus and his Apostles did and it's what we're commanded to do from the Bible. And like the Apostles we also preach in public places. Shopping malls, buses, train stations.

Paul in Acts 20:20 "How I did not shrink from telling you anything that was for your benefit and teaching you in public meetings and from house to house,"

Jesus in Matthew 28:19 "Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."



Genesis 9:4 "But life is in the blood, and you must not eat any meat that still has blood in it."

Leviticus 17:10-12 "If any Israelite or foreigner living among them eats blood, I will disown that person and cut him off from his people, for the life of an animal is in the blood. I have provided the blood for you to make atonement for your lives on the Altar; it is the blood, the life, that makes atonement. That's why I tell the People of Israel, 'Don't eat blood.' The same goes for the foreigner who lives among you, 'Don't eat blood.'

You might think that eating blood and getting a blood transfusion is different but it's still being put into your body. In most Bible translations Acts 15:29 says to abstain from blood. We're supposed to avoid it whether it's intravenously or ingesting it.

Julie, thank you for explaining your beliefs. So many people don;t know that JWs don't believe in hell, but in not being resurrected.

Years ago I had a friend who was a JW from birth, along with her husband, and she confided in me that although they believed their religion was the truth, they didn't believe that eating blood = blood transfusion. It was a big private issue for them. Their reasoning was biblical, from the same scripture you quoted, that life is in the blood, that it's sacred. In their hearts, they were convinced that eating blood was a sin, as it passes through the body and excreted as waste...very disrespectful. They believe blood transfusions are a sharing of that life force to brothers and sisters who are in need. There is no perversion, defilement, or disrespect of that sacred blood when given to flow through another's veins and save a life. She said it was like giving mouth to mouth resusitation, breathing life into someone...transfusing is even more of a holy deed, as the sacred blood is giving life to someone.

I just wanted to share my friend's feelings with you. They never felt comfortable speaking about this to members of their congregation or to the elders. I've since lost track of them, as it's been over 10 years since we were neighbors.

Thanks again for adding to this discussion.

 

[Goobergal99]

Julie, thank you for explaining your beliefs. So many people don;t know that JWs don't believe in hell, but in not being resurrected.

Years ago I had a friend who was a JW from birth, along with her husband, and she confided in me that although they believed their religion was the truth, they didn't believe that eating blood = blood transfusion. It was a big private issue for them. Their reasoning was biblical, from the same scripture you quoted, that life is in the blood, that it's sacred. In their hearts, they were convinced that eating blood was a sin, as it passes through the body and excreted as waste...very disrespectful. They believe blood transfusions are a sharing of that life force to brothers and sisters who are in need. There is no perversion, defilement, of disrespect of that scared blood when given to flow through another's veins and save a life. She said it was like giving mouth to mouth resusitation, breathing life into someone...transfusing is even more of a holy deed, as the sacred blood is giving life to someone.

I just wanted to share my friend's feelings with you. They never felt comfortable speaking about this to members of their congregation or to the elders. I've since lost track of them, as it's been over 10 years since we were neighbors.

Thanks again for adding to this discussion.

I wish they would pass on the message to their fellow congregation, it would save some other poor brand new nurse the heartache of witnessing unecessary death

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Julie, thank you for explaining your beliefs. So many people don;t know that JWs don't believe in hell, but in not being resurrected.

Years ago I had a friend who was a JW from birth, along with her husband, and she confided in me that although they believed their religion was the truth, they didn't believe that eating blood = blood transfusion. It was a big private issue for them. Their reasoning was biblical, from the same scripture you quoted, that life is in the blood, that it's sacred. In their hearts, they were convinced that eating blood was a sin, as it passes through the body and excreted as waste...very disrespectful. They believe blood transfusions are a sharing of that life force to brothers and sisters who are in need. There is no perversion, defilement, or disrespect of that sacred blood when given to flow through another's veins and save a life. She said it was like giving mouth to mouth resusitation, breathing life into someone...transfusing is even more of a holy deed, as the sacred blood is giving life to someone.

I just wanted to share my friend's feelings with you. They never felt comfortable speaking about this to members of their congregation or to the elders. I've since lost track of them, as it's been over 10 years since we were neighbors.

Thanks again for adding to this discussion.

That's an interesting way to look at it. Thanks for sharing.

In the end, if it is your belief and your own life, I won't like it, but how different is that from a DNR when the person could obviously be saved. But please don't force it on your children.

 

[Aisling]

I wish they would pass on the message to their fellow congregation, it would save some other poor brand new nurse the heartache of witnessing unecessary death

If they did, their congregation wouldn't like at AT ALL. My poor friends struggled, because they felt strongly faithful to being JWs in every other way, but the transfusion issue...well, they believe it to be an incorrect interpretation. The only reason according to them not to eat blood was because it is treated as a waste product eventually. A BIG no no, since scripturally blood is sacred. But transfusions aren't treating blood as waste...it's transfusing the life blood to someone in need...very holy in their opinion. But in their congregation and at the big conventions, they would be thoroughly looked at as non-believers because of this, and would be asked to "restudy".

 

[Goobergal99]

If they did, their congregation wouldn't like at AT ALL. My poor friends struggled, because they felt strongly faithful to being JWs in every other way, but the transfusion issue...well, they believe it to be an incorrect interpretation. The only reason according to them not to eat blood was because it is treated as a waste product eventually. A BIG no no, since scripturally blood is sacred. But transfusions aren't treating blood as waste...it's transfusing the life blood to someone in need...very holy in their opinion. But in their congregation and at the big conventions, they would be thoroughly looked at as non-believers because of this, and would be asked to "restudy".

UNBELIEVABLE That's all I have to say about that..I hope they don't drink the Kool Aid

 

[Aisling]

In the end, if it is your belief and your own life, I won't like it, but how different is that from a DNR when the person could obviously be saved. But please don't force it on your children.

They don't like it, but they feel they HAVE to say no to transfusions, even for their kids, maybe especially for their kids, as it's displeasing to Jehovah, as they read/interpret in the scriptures. Their thinking of their kids immortal bodies/souls, and that's what they put first.

I don't agree with it, but I understand their reasoning.

 

[Goobergal99]

They don't like it, but they feel they HAVE to say no to transfusions, even for their kids, maybe especially for their kids, as it's displeasing to Jehovah, as they read/interpret in the scriptures. Their thinking of their kids immortal bodies/souls, and that's what they put first.

I don't agree with it, but I understand their reasoning.

There is no understanding.... It is ludacris, insane any number of other descriptive adjectives... none of which are able to be understood....

It sounds like voo doo and to think they are allowing their children to die for this... sounds alot like the 40 virgins waiting on the other side for the 9/11 terorrists, just as fanatical, just as insane and just as wrong

 

[julie_yet]

Yes, because Witnesses go out of their way to kill and maim people.

Many people have become sick or died after recieving a blood transfusion. More people than just Witnesses are against transfusions and not because of religious reasons.

 

[Aisling]

It sounds ludacris, but how about this...my father is a Muslim from Turkey (for real, but I'm Catholic). He doesn't eat pork EVER. I once asked him if God forbid he had to have a heart valve replacement operation, would he do and live, or say no and die. (At the time, all valve replacements were done with pig valves, as they were the most compatable living tissue). Well, my dad said he'd die. He believes God commanded Muslims not to eat/touch/smell/etc. swine, and it would be a serious sin if he did. Muslims DO believe in hell, and he said he sure as hell didn't want to go to hell. He couldn't help it, that's how he was brought up.


Just showing how religious beliefs are in a sort-of similiar situation.

 

[Michelle67]

Julie, thank you for your explaination of the why's and wherefore's of the situation as it is viewed by Jehovah's Witnesses.

Regarding whether it is okay to subject a child to your beliefs, don't we all? Even atheists voice their opinions and beliefs to their children, thus "forcing" their view on them. It is a natural condition of parenting. You may try hard to present all sides of things in an age-appropriate way, but your own opinions are still well known by your children.

In terms of whether it is okay to let a child's life be threatened, I'm certain there is a scripture (although I stink at chapter and verse) that says something to the effect that it does no good to save your body if you forfeit your soul. To Jehovah's Witnesses, it is more important to guard the soul of their child than their body if it comes down to the acceptance of blood, but one should never for a moment believe that this means they treasure their children any less than their main-stream Christian counterparts.

If someone came to your door and told your child that they or their parents might go to hell, first of all I must say they are deranged to talk to a child that way. Second, it is much more likely that they were Baptist. As previously noted, Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in hell. They believe that those who are not resurrected to paradise on earth simply remain dead and gone, in oblivion. Baptists, on the other hand, strongly believe in hell and also practice door to door "soul-winning." I know this first hand because I did it for a year while attending Christian school (which was supposed to be non-denominational) at the First Baptist Church of Sumner, WA. And believe me, the tracts that we, as children, handed out were full of hellfire and brimstone. As were the films that we were forced to watch in the auditorium from Kindergarteners through high school. I have lasting bitterness over the trauma and terror the small children were subjected to. And that is a "main-stream" socially accepted church, unlike Jehovah's Witnesses.

My sister is Jehovah's Witness, and has been for about 30 years. She and I have agreed to disagree, and we manage to find ways to respect one another's values and beliefs, mainly because we are well aware that we share much more than we disagree on. I think the world would be a better place if we could all come to that realization; the vast majority of the fighting and squabbling over who is right or wrong is just plain tragic. God speaks to different people in different ways, IMO, and that should just be the end of it.

But as far as the OP goes, I don't care for being badgered in my own home either, and if they can't take a polite thank you and no thank you as an answer they can talk to the door.

 

[Goobergal99]

It sounds ludacris, but how about this...my father is a Muslim from Turkey (for real, but I'm Catholic). He doesn't eat pork EVER. I once asked him if God forbid he had to have a heart valve replacement operation, would he do and live, or say no and die. (At the time, all valve replacements were done with pig valves, as they were the most compatable living tissue). Well, my dad said he'd die. He believes God commanded Muslims not to eat/touch/smell/etc. swine, and it would be a serious sin if he did. Muslims DO believe in hell, and he said he sure as hell didn't want to go to hell. He couldn't help it, that's how he was brought up.


Just showing how religious beliefs are in a sort-of similiar situation.

Hmmm.... well, my uncle was a converted muslim as well and I still think it's insane But to each your own, now your children having to suffer for it... well that is a whole other ethical issue

 

[thruthelookinglass19]

My mom used to invite them in and argue with them when I was little. They'd have coffee, take out the big Bibles and talk for an hour or more. I was pretty young, but even then I knew minds were not being changed.

Sounds like me and my dad! When I was in high school, he and I used to trade off Saturdays arguing with the JW's!! One Saturday I was in my room, hear the doorbell ring, and a minute later my dad yells "Jen - company!" -- go running down the stairs and it the JW's!!!

...Yeah, we have weird humor in my family....

 

[polineedyan]

Without going into it too deeply, I usually just tell them that they wouldnt want me. I talk about how they booted my father out of their church for getting divorced, and thats usually enough for them to back off of me..

 

[Kies99]

OT - My dad did that to a boyfriend I had when I was 18. We went over to his house for a party he was having, and I brought the BF over to introduce them. My dad knew we were coming, and had his rifle out, mock-cleaning it. He looked at the boy, and said "Your intentions are honorable, I presume?"

It's pretty funny in retrospect, but at the time I was humiliated.

My daughters are 7 and 5. I already plan on using this trick many, many times.

Yeah, I usually tell JW's that I'm an atheist (true) or that I worship Satan (of course I mean Miroslav Satan [pronounced Say-tan] who plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins).

 

[TomLovesBecky]

Okay I have not read the other responses but I am guessing I will get yelled at for this, but I have to say it anyway. Why on earth would you even open the door? I NEVER EVER EVER open the door, especially when I am alone with children (hubby at work), unless I know who it is. Sorry but if you were raised to put politeness ahead of safety that's very bad news, I am just sitting here with my mouth gaped open that you let two strange men come into your house and scare your child like that! Plus how did you even know they were JW, that is the perfect scam to get into someone's house to rob them or worse! Next time hopefully you will know better and not answer the door at all, for your son's safety if nothing else.

 

[tinatark]

They don't usually come to our door (walking/on bikes). Maybe the 2/10 of a mile uphill driveway has something to do with that... but when they have dh has said "Hey, you're a Jehovah's witness?" "So am I" (they're usually very excited to find a fellow congregant at this point) then my dh says "I worship Jesus Christ the Jehovah God" - it scares them and they just back away, slowly, not sure what they've encountered!

 

[Carolinagirl77]

I married a former JW. My in-laws still are. No one else in there family is a JW. Although, my in-laws do not attend the Kingdom Hall anymore.

I do not allow my in-laws to take my child too far from home because of the blood transfusion issue. My husband assures me that they will abide by my wishes but I won't take a chance with my child's life. My husband respects my decision.

My DH also said never give them money. If you give them money, they will be back. My roommate in college made this mistake and they kept returning.

Next time they come by ask them about the JW's predicting the exact year the world was going to end. It was sometime in the seventies and it was in the watchtower. Another friend who married a JW looked it up and saw the original Watchtower.

To the poster upthread who joked about Elvis and the poker night, now I want a JW to come to my house so I can use that line.

 

[MonicaInFlorida]

My daughters are 7 and 5. I already plan on using this trick many, many times.

Heh, one of my DHs favorite lines from Blue Collar Comedy:

She said, "What will you do when these little boys come over?" I said, "I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm gonna pull the young man in tight next to me so only he and I can hear the conversation. I'm gonna whisper in his ear. I'm gonna say, "Boy, look at me. You see that little girl there? That's my only little girl. She's my life. So if you have any thought about hugging or kissing, you remember these words: I got no problem going back to prison."