JWs in Ghana disown 5-year-old son for receiving blood transfusion

by brizzzy 31 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Psychotic Parrot

  Sorry, but I do not buy that part of the story. I am sure that this local radio station has got something wrong. It would be against all the teaching of the WTS for the parents to "disown" the lad because he was forcibly transfused. It seems that things were heated at the hospital and angry words may have been uttered that were misunderstood ?

  Look at the title, it's in Ghana. Members of christian religions in these kinds of countries always seem to take it to extremes that are considered a bit too much to westerners. The culture is different & they tend to mix watchtowerism with their own innate brand of craziness.
• 

  Scully

  Instead of counselling the parents in the "law of love", the WTS lawyers provided bail for the abusive father.

  I wonder whether it has anything to do with the cost of hospitalization in Ghana? Perhaps the JWs have found a loophole in being accountable or responsible for a child's medical expenses. Simply disown the kid and the state will have to pick up the tab, while the JWs pay your bail for inciting a riot at the hospital.
• 

  african GB Member

  ''The culture is different & they tend to mix watchtowerism with their own innate brand of craziness.''

  This is an utterly appauling comment,

  must we always generalize especially when it comes to non-Westerners?

  Shame!
• 

  Psychotic Parrot

  African GB Member, no offense, but the culture in much of africa is crazy, & you simply can't deny it. They're mostly a bunch of superstitious lunatics who could use a good dose of rationalism.
• 

  dgp

  Just imagine how incomprehensible and cruel this is for worldlies like me. You would expect parents to be willing to risk their own chance to survive Armageddon for their children's well-being. I know that they are acting under the belief that this is exactly what they are doing, but we worldlies know better.

  On a sad note, if this is how they love their five year old child, he's much better off in foster care.
• 

  Mad Sweeney

  I love the way the article closes:

  Since its inception, the Watch Tower Society has taught that the present world order is in its last days and will soon be destroyed by Armageddon.

  I only wish they would have added some details and emphasis to drive the point home:

  Since its inception more than 130 years ago, the Watch Tower Society has taught that the present world order is in its last days and will soon be destroyed by Armageddon. We're still waiting...ZZZZzzzzzzz.....
• 

  jamiebowers

  That poor baby will be SO MUCH better off without them in the long run!!

  If the story is correct, that kid is lucky! He's out of the cult and away from his nutjob parents at the age of 5. And isn't anemia a chronic condition? If so, who is to say this poor little kid won't need another blood transfusion? If he stays with his parents, they'll probably fail to get him medical treatment at all, and the Watchtower will hide him until he dies, like it did Bethany Hughes.
• 

  Diva

  What a bunch of freaks!! How could they give up their own son over a stupid man-made rule? It's sickening.
• 

  undercover

  BluesBrother does have a point, though I don't completely discount Parrot's point. It could be a combination of poor/mistaken reporting; over zealousness in trying to stop the transfusion; overstressed parents with no power do to anything to prevent a practice that they've been led to believe is sinful. Things were said...things were taken out of context. Easy to do and easy to happen considering the situation.

  That doesn't alleviate the Society's responsibility in this though. It's their terrible mismanagement of the entire blood policy that has led to these situations and worse. Anytime a JW fights for the "no blood" policy, I lay the blame for that turmoil, suffering and even death at the feet of the Governing Body...
• 

  Aussie Oz

  Surely the media will report more as it unfolds and the main question will be answered...

  that of the disowning of the child. true or false?

  Let us not be the ones to perpetuate an untrue story, rather wait till all is confirmed or not. If we help spread this story and it turns out to be untrue then all that we achieve is deminishing our own credibility surely.

  oz