JWs and odd health practices

by Seeker 14 Replies latest jw friends

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  Seeker

  I noted a long thread earlier that dealt with the frequency with which JWs will accept medical practices that are far out of the mainstream. Kinesiology, and herbs, and the like were all mentioned, and there was much discussion about whether these things should be taken seriously or not. I do not want to get into such a discussion, but wanted to talk about why I think JWs are so frequently involved in such health pursuits.

  Someone mentioned that JWs are trained to be suspicious of the medical establishment, and that's right. So they are already primed to accept health ideas from other sources. But I think the reason health fads spread so rapidly among the Witnesses is a psychological one.

  JWs are taught that the end is right around the corner. So in their mind, the age they are now is as old as they will ever get. To think otherwise is to lose faith in the teachings of the Society. So what happens as the years go by and no end is in sight and their bodies begin to break down? I think what is happening inside them is a psychological struggle. They perceive that their bodies are betraying them, failing in just the sort of way they thought could never happen. Yet they cannot consciously admit this to themselves, for that would be tantamount to accepting that the Society got it wrong, and that cannot be. So without consciously realizing it, they are open to anything, absolutely anything, that will restore their health. They want to deny the aging process somehow, to keep their hope alive.

  I think this underlying psychological dynamic is one of the prime reasons JWs are so accepting about any medical regimen, even the more silly ones. If you come up with some medical plan that calls for people to, say, oh I don't know, ingest nothing but blackberries for a one week period, you can be sure that you will find a ready audience among JWs, especially if they hear about another JW who tried the blackberry diet and now is pioneering!

  Once again, my extreme example is just that: extreme. It does not reflect my feelings about alternative medical practices, and this thread is not about whether one should believe in those practices or not. I just wanted to discuss the reasons so many JWs follow these practices.
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  chester

  Hi Seeker,
  you said
  

  JWs are taught that the end is right around the corner. So in their mind, the age they are now is as old as they will ever get. To think otherwise is to lose faith in the teachings of the Society. So what happens as the years go by and no end is in sight and their bodies begin to break down? I think what is happening inside them is a psychological struggle. They perceive that their bodies are betraying them, failing in just the sort of way they thought could never happen. Yet they cannot consciously admit this to themselves, for that would be tantamount to accepting that the Society got it wrong, and that cannot be. So without consciously realizing it, they are open to anything, absolutely anything, that will restore their health. They want to deny the aging process somehow, to keep their hope alive.

  You are absolutely right. I know of many people like this in the organization. They just cannot believe that the society got it wrong.
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  JanH

  Good topic, Seeker.

  I think there are a number of reasons for this. It might appear to be a strange thing, since the WTS officially seems to hail scientific medicine and discourage alternative treatments. This is especially apparent in Awake!

  First, I'll list two pretty obvious reasons: 1) JWs actually did have a time when the WTS encouraged quackery and even denied the "germ theory of disease", in the days of the crackpot Woodworth as "Golden Age" editor. Rutherford was no less a quack; and 2) the blood ban and the controversies surrounding it has caused the JW community to be generally negative to medical professionals.

  Second, there might be a more complex reason. "Alternative" treatment stories, like religions, propagate through existing social networks. They tell success stories ("I was given up by doctors but trough this fantastic X medicine I was healed.") which are not very unlike religious conversion stories. A religion like JW-dom, secterian in nature, provides a perfect network for such ideas to propagate. I think you'll find the same to be true for other sects.

  - Jan
  --
  Faith, n. Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel. [Ambrose Bierce, The Devil´s Dictionary, 1911]
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  patio34

  2 cents,

  JWs are set up to believe the 'world' is evil, which includes major systems such as governments, business, of course, all OTHER religions, so surely the medical folks are evil too. Plus, they 'persecute' the jws by trying to force blood on them.

  So, it's an easy step to accept alternative medicine which is usually presented as removed from the mainstream (maybe Satan isn't ruling that) and not making as MUCH $$ as the pharmaceutical companies. Ergo, they are more trustworthy.

  To sum it up: gullibility. After all, if you really can believe that the whole earth is going to be changed into a paradise any day now and that you'll live forever, you're pretty open to fantastic claims, without any hard proof.

  Although, I do haunt the health food stores sometimes, I just don't stake my life on it. I had cancer and you better believe I did whatever the doctors (of medicine) said.

  And, thanks to their surgery, chemo, and radiation, I'm alive today. Millions are.

  Odd, how the alternative stories leave out 'testimonials' such as above.

  Pat
• 

  mommy

  Seeker,
  Do you know where I can find this blackberry diet? lol I know my mom is very much into this altmed. I grew up hearing all the "sucess" stories, word of mouth is a good advertisement I think you are right in their bodies being temporary vessels and not much thought is given to ensuring a long heathy life.

  I know several peoeple who would rather take an alt med medicine than seek out real medical advice. It is amazing that people will try a "crazy" diet for weeks before they even alert the Doctor of problems. I have seen many people come into the office after trying something else, and they are better in a few days after the Dr. treats them.

  What we need to realize is that vitamins, herbs, homeopathic med is not regulated. There can be basically anything in this. I am pretty much broad basing this, so please overlook if there are some that are regulated. But most are not. We should keep in mind that the "sucess" stories are word of mouth and few and far between. Real medicine has a much better track record, and is regulated.

  I liked your thoughts Jan, I agree, in Jwdom they do like for stories to travel. And what a network huh?
  wendy
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  slipnslidemaster

  I'm not taking any of the "homo" medicine!!

  Slipnslideius Masterus: Strength and Honor ...
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  Seeker

  Thanks for the comments. Yes, the JW rumor mill plays a large part in this. When Sister So-and-so tells about the amazing cures she has experienced, what are the other JWs going to say? That she is gullible? No, for she is exhibiting the same mental processes that all JWs are taught. After all, WT articles have foundations of anecdotal evidence ("One newspaper headline in Lesotho read: 'Crime worse than ever.' Clearly then the worldwide increase in crime is a fulfillment of Jesus' words...") If JWs actually learned the critical thinking ability that could differentiate between a legitimate alternative medical treatment and one that is total quackery, they would also be able to tell which WT articles have sound logic and which ones are totally out to lunch.

  Besides, JWs want to believe each other (which is why they are such easy marks for business cons among them). If Sister So-and-so said it, that's good enough for me!

  As for blackberry diet, I'm going to start that fad by writing a self-help book based on it. I'll make lots of money as soon as I start a rumor among JWs that it works. I'll be sure to include lots of condemnation of the medical establishment, and how important it is to merely ingest Jehovah's wondrous creation, the blackberry. I'm telling you, I'll make a fortune...
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  anglise

  I think an awful lot of JW's go for alt therapies because there isnt actually anything physical wrong with them.
  In the UK if your GP finds nothing wrong other than a second opinion you come to a full stop.
  So if you then pursue this with alt therapists and practitioners you can go round and round till you find the one that suits you and then of course you can be given a label for your malady and maybe even pills, potions and a special diet to follow.

  Now you have at last achieved a real reason to miss meetings and drop some field service, you even have something to talk to others about when you occasionally appear back at the KH.

  Of course all of this is just a cover up for a more deeply rooted problem, that of a sub conscience that is shouting that the org is corrupt and that you are wasting your life away.

  I am sorry if this offends anyone but I have seen too many brothers and sisters (but mainly sisters) caught up in this trap.
• 

  Scorpion

  A great site exposing past and present WT Quackery of Science and medicine.

  >> http://www.premier1.net/~raines/articles.html
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  rem

  Seeker,

  This topic is great! My father-in-law gets sucked into every hippie health fad that comes around. When my wife and I were dating, he was busy growing Kumbucha mushrooms all over his house (smelled nasty!). Now he has huge pots of wheat grass growing all over the place. He really believes in this stuff. I just laugh - it'll be something else next year.

  As for your idea - that is actually something I've seriously contemplated (I’m sad to say). I know it's not really ethical, but judging from the credulity of the public in general and JW’s in particular, we would be fools not to develop some scheme to profit from this ignorance. I think magnets might be good because they are harmless and pretty popular now days.

  I don’t think I’ll ever take that path, but it does seem like easy money. Just use some fancy scientific-sounding terms like “Ionic transfer” or “Quadratic magneto-energy field”, or make a comment to the effect that your product works through “Quantum mechanics” and we’ll be millionaires in no time!

  rem