Jahovas Witnessess

[mook]

What is with them, my stepdads sister is a Jahovas witness and she has this huge card inside her purse saying "no blood" and she refuses to go to weddings, funerals etc as they are held in a church.....dont get me wrong people can believe in what they like but when it can endanger you life what sort of faith is that.

[Mr. Jon Donnis]

I dont know that much about the religion to be honest.
Is there anyone on here who is a JW, maybe they could tell us a bit about the religion

[mia]

My Auntie is JW, no matter how much she goes on at me i will never get it!

How can celebrating a birthday be wrong? Would you rather let your loved one die than give them blood? Why should she tell me not to wear my cross or have any icons? I'm not worshipping the picture for godsake.......

Whenever we have a wedding she refuses to come into the church, like its going to kill her! But, its okay for us to go into the JW halls for their weddings.......anyway thats their belief so who am i to judge, i just dont agree with any of it.

[quackersgpi]

I guess the thing about not giving blood and not allowing your loved ones to have life saving operations etc is difficult to understand unless you are of this faith. However lets look at it in terms of things we do understand. Time and time again research comes up with tests that can be done on unborn babies to check whether they have certain illnesses etc..these checks are done so people can decide whether to carry on with the pregenancy or not. This often leads to debate and high feelings..after all, the argument is what right have we got to make decisions over life and death. For people who have strong religious beliefs maybe this is the same thing. If it is wrong to decide who should live, it is wrong to decide who should die .. people with strong religious beliefs such as this may feel it is fate, decided by God and should be left in his hands.

[mamagpi]

I dont get the JW thing either to be honest, but as has been said that is their religion.

How do we get around the who has the right to who lives and who dies, what about the poor person who is ill, dont they get a say, obviously its different if they have clearly stated "let me go" Its certainly not a decision I would like to make !!

[lowrider]

I have in laws who are elders and i have spent many a time debating with them on their religion and its public face.
I have also read several book that they gave me and attended a couple of rallies.
To a large degree i have found that many witnesses converted while going through some sort of personal crisis.
The cross and Christmas is simply that they do not believe Jesus was crucified, or born on the Christmas Day.
One aspect of the blood is that is would be interfering in Gods will.
But the books and the leaflets are all designed to panic people into converting.
The one question i ask them that stumps them is that they believe that at judgment day if a man repents all their sins are forgiven.
So why can i not drink,smoke,have un married sex and all the other things they deplore and then when in front of God just say,sorry.
Bugs the hell out of them.
But since they now believe i am in league with the devil,if i speak to spirits i must be,they don't talk to me.

[Amaris]

They also have a knack for failing to get the "end of the world as we know it" predictions right

1914
1918
1925
1975

to name a few!

[lowrider]

amaris said:

They also have a knack for failing to get the "end of the world as we know it" predictions right

1914
1918
1925
1975

to name a few!

True,again a point i have made.
"Its next week,no next year,no 2007.
I will get back to you."

[Amaris]

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the Bible prohibits the consumption, storage and transfusion of blood, including in cases of emergency. This view was introduced in 1945, though restrictions on the use of certain blood products and medical procedures have been relaxed over time. Their stance on blood has been a common source of controversy, as members have died from loss of blood.


Current Medical Issues

Medical procedures

Certain medical procedures involving blood are specifically prohibited in Jehovah's Witnesses publications. Other procedures are not prohibited, but the decision is left to the individual to determine whether the procedure is in violation of the doctrine on blood. For procedures where there is no specific advice, individuals are to obtain details from medical personnel and then make a personal decision.[26]

The following medical procedures are specifically prohibited for Jehovah's Witnesses:

Homologous whole blood transfusions, or transfusions using the stored blood of others.
Autologous whole blood transfusions, or transfusions using one's own stored blood.[27]
Acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH), a method that is used to reduce or eliminate the need for blood transfusion during surgery by pre-operative collection of blood for re-infusion during or after surgery.
The following medical procedures are not prohibited for Jehovah's Witnesses, however members are instructed to refuse a procedure that they personally feel violates the doctrine on blood:

Closed-circuit acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH), a modified technique in which equipment is arranged in a circuit that is constantly linked to the patient's circulatory system.
Autologous blood salvage or cell-saver scavenging, a method of picking up blood that has spilled from the circulatory system into an open wound, cleaning and re-infusing it.
It is well-known in the medical community that Jehovah's Witnesses categorically refuse all blood transfusions of whole blood, and plasma. However, modern medical practise rarely uses homologous whole blood transfusions, preferring blood products.

Too complicated for me .... I'd say just give me the blood

[skeptomatic]

The JWs are just another dangerous cult. Pay them no heed unless it is to encourage your friends and loved ones to leave them the hell alone.

For info on this and other cults, cult-buster Rick Ross has an excellent site... the JWs page is at www.rickross.com/groups/witness.html

[Amaris]

Kept site to my favs will read it when I'm more awake!

[lowrider]

skeptomatic said:

The JWs are just another dangerous cult. Pay them no heed unless it is to encourage your friends and loved ones to leave them the hell alone.

For info on this and other cults, cult-buster Rick Ross has an excellent site... the JWs page is at www.rickross.com/groups/witness.html

True and it is not until i gave the in laws a lift to one of the Northern meets you understand just how big the movement is.
There were thousands

[Amaris]

amaris said:

Kept site to my favs will read it when I'm more awake!

Spent time on there today, very informative, brilliant site, thanks for the link skeptomatic

[louloumulder]

The blood thing bugs me big time, I mean, they can only eat blooded meat, as the cannot take any blood into their bodies, yet how can they tell that every single microscopic drop of blood has seeped from every single tiny vein? why dont they just not eat meat? Im sure they break their own rules on a near daily basis because of this.

[skairdykat]

My Mum's Uncle was a one. I remember dreading him coming cause all he did was preach. My Nan (his Sister) would have almighty rows with him. And more often than not tell him to leave. What gets me is the way they come knocking at your door trying to shove their beliefs down your thoat. I mean if I want to learn more i would go to the local Kingdom Hall I don't expect to be harrassed in my own home. Catholics/ Christians etc. don't do that so why do they?

[Kim]

One of my closest friends was a JW, he managed to get out!

I have just text him and asked him if would mind writing a small piece on his experience

[skeptomatic]

My Dad nearly became a JW back in the 1970s but Mum threatened to divorce him if he did and that was that! (Yay Mum!) It's a particularly nasty fear-mongering cult that seems to spend most of its time predicting the end of the world. (And being wrong!)

[lowrider]

skeptomatic said:

My Dad nearly became a JW back in the 1970s but Mum threatened to divorce him if he did and that was that! (Yay Mum!) It's a particularly nasty fear-mongering cult that seems to spend most of its time predicting the end of the world. (And being wrong!)

Bloody right.
I have,as i said read several of their books as well as numerous watchtowers.
If you are feeling in any way vunerable they will instill fear in you.
But they saved my in laws marriage by drawing them together,not sure if it was worth it.
I saw how the kids suffered.

[pal]

mook said:

What is with them, my stepdads sister is a Jahovas witness and she has this huge card inside her purse saying "no blood" and she refuses to go to weddings, funerals etc as they are held in a church.....dont get me wrong people can believe in what they like but when it can endanger you life what sort of faith is that.

Maybe it's just round here but the JW's we've had knocking at our door have been mostly fit young women.

[exile]

I know a lady who is a Jehovas Witness, she was told that she was doing wrong by living with her male friend. She is 74 and lives in a warden controlled block of flats and her 'boyfriend' lives on another floor!!