Hello, I'm new here and finally remembered what email I used to log in when I signed up. I wasn't able to respond to past posts ,so sorry if anyone asked a question and I didnt reply. My question this time is if anyone here has known someone or have themselves faced death ( a near-death experience, illness, old age,etc.) that caused one to rethink their JW beliefs or have a change of heart altogether. Did they face death with fear or peace or uncertainty?
Facing Death-Change of Heart?
by kojo 3 Replies latest jw friends
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Forscher
Yep. I've written about it before.
I ended up in the hospital dying (sorry, I won't tell you what of). For several days the doctors were not sure whether I'd make it or not. During that time neither the elders from my congregation nor my so righteous ministerial servant step son could be bothered to even stop by. It was especially galling that the stepson couldn't be bothered to be there for his mother and brother who were in a panic because they thought they were going to lose me. You'd think he would've done it for them at least.
Now I'd been thinking on some things long before. But that really took the cake! After I got better and was released from the hospital I had to stay home for a few months, doctor's orders. When I finally got back to the Hall, I found that I'd been relieved of all the responsibilities I had with out a word. It would've been nice if somebody had bothered to contact me and say something before that if they'd really felt it needed to be done. But they didn't! I finally decided that there was no place for me in any "Christian" organization with that little love. As far as I m concerned its their loss not mine!
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jb
welcome back kojo!
Yes I had a near death experience. It was the birth of my first child. I went into labor early and there were complications. I needed a blood transfusion. The doctor knew I was a JW and he asked me if I would consider a transfusion. He asked in front of my Elder father and my mother. I said no. They wheeled my in the operating room and he told me that if I wanted to take it he was legally bound to keep it private. He told me he would not even tell my husband. I was thinking to myself...Don't do it. You've screwed things up so bad already. This is a no-brainer. ( I had gotten preg. before I got married )
So, I said no. The doctor looked at me and said "You could die, you really could die." I still said no. That was hard but what happened next was worse. After I was in the recovery room they told me my son was not breathing on his own. And that he may have lost blood and that he may need a transfusion. My whole family was there. My Dad ran out of the room and called Brooklyn and they sent an elder to the hospital that they were sending my son to.
They didn't even ask me what I wanted. And to be fair, I'm afraid of what my answer would have been. Thankfully we didn't need to worry about that. He did not lose any blood. He was on life support for several days. I was very ill for weeks and one after another the JW's would come and shower me with attention. They were at my door 24/7.
I had a "sister" who lost a child to SIDS tell me that I made the right choice not to have blood and to take a stand. She also told me she was glad my son was ok. She stated that had he died he would not have been in the "new system" because he was a "SIN".
Well that was the last straw for me. If my baby, who was innocent and helpless, wasn't good enough then screw them. I never really looked back. My hubby and I made a fast fade. Then years later just told our family we were not coming back. And we have been free ever since.
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Free
2nd Corinthians 4:16-18 That was the scripture one of the two elders read to me in my hospital bed as I was preparing for a procedure that was needed to fix a very serious problem. If that procedure would have gone wrong (_thank god it didn't_) I would loose blood no doubt. I can't believe now what my family (all worldly) would have been feeling about my decision if something would have gone wrong. I was there, I did it, I lived it and let me tell you if they think going to stangers doors unwelcome takes courage they ain't seen nothin till this faith buster peaks its little head into the room. That scripture meant nothing at my time of decision, I was scared shitless and almost felt they where reading me my last witness rights. All I did was pray constantly from that point on and totally relied on JEHOVAH. I was one of the lucky ones as I'm sure there where ones that weren't so.