My brief "Bible Study" with the Jehovah's Witnesses

by garyneal 19 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Balsam

  GaryNeal,

  In 2001 my 15 years old son was in an auto accident on the way home from the KH. He was a passenger with another JW boy and the kid wrecked the car sending them both to the hospital. Dak had the worst injuries and needed immediate transfusion which he refused, and when we got to the hospital my JW husband refused blood for him again knowing our son was going to die for sure without blood. The hospital liaison committee was informed by someone and they met us at the hospital as the hospital was air lifting Dak to a trauma hospital. We were warned Dak would die without blood because he was bleeding internally. The hospital liaison committee and the Elders from our congregation followed us to the 2nd hospital and stayed with us waiting to see what doctors would tell us. The doctor came out and told us first of all North Carolina law states that parents can't refuse any life saving treatment for a minor so the trauma doctor gave Dak blood transfusions. But the damage was already done to his system and he died 3 hrs after the accident. The doctor said if the 1st hospital had disregarded our no blood ideas he might have been saved. The elders and those of the hospital liaison committee said the Doctor was right and we had to follow the law. The did try to help and support us but losing a child to death leaves nothing that comforts except that child back.

  The hospital liaison Com. was knowledgeable enough to tell my husband he could not sue the hospital for giving Dak blood. They were kind and supportive and they never pressed the blood issue with us once the hospital made it clear they could not follow the WTS dictates. Those men from the looks on their faces were stunned that the death of a child was probably directly connected to the refusal of blood at the 1st hospital. The ignorance of the 1st hospital of the NC law was damaging too. I did wonder why they didn't tell us what the law was here? If we had had a clue then we could have told the doctors to follow the law and give blood even through we were refusing.

  Anyway that was my experience in 2001 when my son Dak died and it involved blood transfusions. That event brought me and my other two sons out of the WTS but their Dad stayed in it always bragging to others that Dak refused blood.
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  boyzone

  ((((Balsam))))

  Words fail me...
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  cantleave

  Balsam, Thank you for sharing your experience.
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  GLTirebiter

  I then asked him why blood transfusions are used in Jewish hospitals to save lives- wouldn't the Jews avoid them if they violated their OT laws?

  Touche, Moshe! Of all the points made against the WT blood policy, this shreds it like no other.

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  Balsam, I am sorry to hear how you lost your son. It sickens me that the HL knew the NC law, but didn't say a word about it at the first hospital. They deliberately withheld information from you when it could have made a difference.

  GLT
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  dgp

  Balsam, I am so sorry to hear about how your son died. As GL Tirebiter says, it seems obvious that the HLC and the elders knew about North Carolina law but chose not to tell. It also seems obvious to me that they wouldn't have the nerve to say right there that the law is to be disregarded, but not out of concern for you, your family or your late son, but for the organization. How could they say "hey, blood transfusions are wrong" in circumstances where a young man had just died because of that belief? They didn't care about saving your son's life when they could have done it. All they cared about was the organization. It's so sad that an organization, any organization, is put above the people it is supposedly meant to serve.

  I never met your son, and I don't think we will ever meet. And, I don't pray anymore. If I did, dear Balsam, I would pray for your son, and for your family, for you, and, particularly, for your husband, who is sadly missing the point. I wonder if this is his way to avoid facing reality and managing his pain. He feels his son died for a higher purpose, and that is what he has by way of consolation. My heart is with him, too.
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  moshe

  -Touche, Moshe! Of all the points made against the WT blood policy, this shreds it like no other.

  I have seen many a JW's jaw drop when the reality of that hits home- then they clench their jaw and dig in their heels- Nobody is going to destroy the WT blood transfusion dogma so easily! Who cares what the Jews believe, I have been told. You see, if they admit I am right then they might as well throw their book bag into the gutter and go home. They believe that G-d will punish anyone or any organization that is guilty of blood-guilt and the wrongful death of probably thousands of JW's in Jehovah's name certainly makes them guilty! They just can't believe that "they" are the ones who need to have divine punishment meted out to them.

  JW's are really blind to the obvious, namely, if the WT ban on blood transfusions was to be in compliance with the laws given by G-d in the OT , then Jews would be the first in line to refuse blood. JW's never ask themselves, "well, why do the Jews acccept blood transfusions, but we can't?"
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  dgp

  Moshe, have you ever asked them whether "Jehovah" is more likely to be the right pronunciation of YHWH, or whether "Yahweh" is?
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  garyneal

  Thanks for the responses everybody and I especially want to send my condolences out to Balsham. I am so sorry that had to happen to you. I recall you telling me about this in the past when I posted my comments concerning the blood doctrine debate I had with my wife sometime back. She is becoming more and more dub like every day and during our black Friday shopping, I told her precisely why I would never become a JW. The murderous blood doctrine, even if everything else was write, their inconsistency on this doctrine is the sole reason why I would never become a witness.

  As I was telling about all of the inconsistencies, I can see in her face how she was tuning me out and erecting her wall. Then she said that I better put in writing my request for the doctor in case I find myself in that situation where I might need blood. Now that I think about it, I realize that I may not be able to trust her to make sound medical decisions for me and my daughter should something like this happen.

  I've already told my parents that if my daughter is in that situation and if my wife or some elders try to stop the doctor from administering life saving blood, it will be war. It is clear to me that I need to find some way to protect myself and my daughter from this dangerous cult.

  Moeshe,

  The only reason I did not respond to the elder that day was because it was Wednesday, the day before 'the thing' (as the elder put it) that happened this past Thursday (Thanksgiving) and I was trying to leave town to see my family that day. The next time I see them, I will bring it up and express all relative points. The elder once commented that blood transfusions are akin to eating blood, saying that it is no different than being fed intraveneously. My research has totally debunked this and I recall a WT article that admits that blood transfusion is the same as an organ transplant.

  Frankly, I hate this religion and everything it represents. I cannot believe that with these people being only 1/10 of 1 percent of the world's population that I would have a number of friends who are affiliated with them in some way, a wife, all her family except her uncle and late grandmother, and even some of my mom's cousins. Boy did the witnesses have an impact on my little home town.
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  dgp

  Gary, I know that sometimes it's difficult to tell whether people do the things they do because they are real bad, but hating the sin, not the sinner, is usually a good thing to do. I know that I am not walking on your shoes and it's easy for me to tell.

  And yes, you're right: you need to protect yourself and your daughter. You have raised a point I hadn't thought about: a witness might choose to follow the "blood policy" even with a non-believer. Scary.
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  garyneal

  Thanks dgp,

  It is scary that my wife will not use her mind and will follow the blood policy even on me but it is especially scary for my daughter. I understand some of their reasoning with the threat of disease and other inherit risks but I think she refuses to see the other side of it. I'm not sure what I can do to protect my daughter and myself but Lord willing I will figure out something.

  I don't think my wife and the other witnesses are bad. They are just following instructions from the GB. I asked my wife one time how she would react if the GB all of a sudden declared celebrating Christmas to be a consious matter. Her response, I would probably be more inclined to celebrate. I rest my case.