...wrote a piece on the work of AJWRB and what had been accomplished, as well as how it was done. I had not read this before this evening when I came across it in their newsletter archives. Its interesting to see the perspective of someone who works as a child advocate and non-JW. Here is the link:
Childrens Healthcare is a Legal Duty
Rita Swan of Child Inc....
by Lee Elder 3 Replies latest watchtower medical
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Lee Elder
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Diogenesister
Interesting I would like to further study this guy's ideas.Great shout out to AJWRB, directly credits it as being responsible for the recent reform on blood fractions but rightly worries that not all witnesses will be aware. Correctly maintains that reform on fractions was not clearly stated in a directive to the congs but (typically for another doctrinal flip flop) it is mentioned in passing as an answer to a phoney Awake mag "Question's from readers".It mentions Bulgaria came to an 'agreement' with the Watchtower regarding the blood ban. To qualify as a religon they had to promise witnesses who accepted blood transfusions would not be subject to sanction specifically disfellowshipping . However Watchtower is right that this agreement changes nothing as currently witnesses who accept blood are considered to have 'disassociated' themselves from the congregation, which brings exactly the same sanctions as does disfellowshipping. The piece is silent as to this particular piece of watchtower shysterism though.Thanks for sharing👍Sociologist Richard Singelenberg calls the pro-hibition a "purification ritual" to create "structural boundaries" around a persecuted minority.
2 Scholar Gerald Bergm~ who has published widely on the evolution of Witness transfusion doctrine, suggests that the opposition to transfusions grew out of the Witnesses' opposition to vaccines since the same Bible verses were cited to justify both positions.
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Marvin Shilmer
Correctly maintains that reform on fractions was not clearly stated in a directive to the congs but (typically for another doctrinal flip flop) it is mentioned in passing as an answer to a phoney Awake mag "Question's from readers".
This habit of Watchtower to refrain from full disclosure is one of its most self-damning tendencies, and in this case one that literally jeopardizes health and welfare of its attendant followers.
One glaring instance of Watchtower's failure-to-disclose is found in a WORKSHEET Watchtower developed for its membership in year 2007.
Considering ramification to health and welfare of members, it staggers the mind to realize that on this document Watchtower failed to highlight the SINGLE LARGEST constituent from blood that JWs CAN ACCEPT, and when JWs do learn about this through back-channels a documented 96% are willing to accept this product from blood. (See: Over 96% Accept 99%!)
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Lee Elder
@Diogenesister - the purification notion has long made sense to me. If you look at the writings on vaccination it was clearly viewed as a "contamination". Little wonder that the view evolved into a ban on blood which was the source of the dreaded "puss" used for vaccines.
@Marvin Shilmer - they have certainly established a pattern of indifference when it comes to the lives of individuals who are impacted by these policies. The concern is always for the "organization". We've seen this all the way back to the clotting factors in the 70's. One of these days, the right attorney is going to hammer them on this - assuming there is any money left from all of the child abuse litigation, settlements and judgments.