by Iamallcool 23 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Or they could do the charitable thing and establish their own health care system so Witnesses don't have to rely on the charity of Babylon the Great.
Blondie, Do you think ordinary members will follow the written Wt text or does it depend upon the whims of local elders? There is always the stumbling issue. It sounds like an endorsement but they say it is an individual matter. It leads me to believe that a conscientious person will want to rise to a higher level of devotion.
Local jws here including elders have had no problem going to the Catholic named hospital since the early 70's. No one calls them on it. For years....I supposed there are a few petty minded jws but they have no influence in this area. No more nuns working (or in hardly any Catholic hospitals, not enough new nuns, they are mostly old ladies in the old ladies Catholic home. Many jws HMOs are connected with this hospital so they would have to pay out of pocket to go to another. Most "mature" jws with money too find a way around this. It is a "conscience" matter. Since jws already have an issue with no taking transfusions and finding a doctor who will operate without one which are not "conscience" matters, around here they don't add another issue.
I find that "petty" jws abound in small, isolated congregations rather than cities with 10 or more congregations. The greater number of jws in the area tends to dilute the petty ones, especially since it has to go across at least 10 congregational boundaries. I have seen some congregation insist on white shirts, others not, others say double pierced ears is forbidden, others not. So you can just move across town and/or attend the congregation that supports your action.
As a member of the HLC I visited doctors in hospitals with religious affiliations all the time. It was classified as a "conscience matter", which meant that you could do what you wanted unless the local elders had a diferent opinion. In that case you had to do what they said. Working or attending classes at a religious institution fell into the same category.
As with any issue, I think it entirely depends on the elders in the congregation. Some self righteous blowhards are always looking for an excuse to puff up their feathers and strut, others are more sympathetic towards someone trying to make a living.
Officially the stance is, if it hasn't changed, a conscience matter. Meaning, "we'd love to say no, but we've learned not to say anything definatively".
