Demonizes medical techniques and jws

by Crazyguy 8 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Crazyguy

  So I remember in the 70s and 80s kenisalogy ( spelled wrong) was talked about as being demonized and wrong. For those of you not familiar with the term it was used to describe alternative medical techniques used by some. These could include massage techniques for healing, acupuncture, cranial sacral , aroma therapy, acupressure, etc etc..

  So my daughter has been dealing with a very painful condition and Western medical has only one solution which is a bad one so we have been searching and using some of these other types of medical treatment along with a couple of others that are unique and would maybe fall under the umbrella of this term.

  Anyway it's amazing how many JWs are getting treatments and practicing these types of medical procedures. Three different medical message techniques using three different providers working for three different firms are Jws working on my daughter. More then one member of my wife's congregation is using medical marijuana. One of these firms is owned by JWs.

  Its crazy to think that these people are all practicing a medical art form that would attract demons or is demonized according to the Cult. I was discussing my daughters condition with the wife of one of the therapists and she was commenting on the whole holistic approach she likes to think is the way to approach many medical problems of today. And her husbands technique is based on the Chinese idea of chakras and body energy. THIS is totally demonized medical practices according to the cult am I Wrong? Crazy how things have changed!!
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  Richard Oliver

  Kinesiology by definition is the study of the movement of the muscles of the body. In fact many colleges list their physical education classes under the heading of kinesiology. It is not defined by any of the terms you listed. I know that the US branch has a massage therapist and physical therapist on staff in order to help those who have legitimate need for their services.
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  Crazyguy

  Well maybe the term they used back then was either different or they had the wrong definition to the term themselves. But all these practices were wrong back then, even chiropractic may have been questionable back then.
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  Rainbow_Troll

  You have to keep in mind that the Watchtower Society was born at a time when scientific materialism was very much in vogue. Quantum mechanics was in its earliest phase of development and had not peneteated public consciousness. The theory of relativity wasn't even conceived of at this time. 'Holistic science' was an oxymoron. Most educated people lived in a simple 'common sense' newtonian world where action at a distance was impossible and the universe functioned like a mechanical clock with no room for randomness or uncertainty.

  If you look at many of the Watchtower doctrines, they seem to reflect this worldview. For example, in denying the soul's immortality, the Watchtower is asserting the standard hard materialist argument that consciousness is just an epiphenomenon of the physical brain and thus cannot survive the death of the body.

  I once read a WT article that mocked belief in astrology since science had proven that planets are "just dead pieces of rock" (guess they never heard of the Gaia theory).

  Even the Watchtower's God, while not as anthropomorphic as the Mormon god of flesh and bone, is still basically a sort of deistic grand architect of the cosmos who sits on his throne watching it all wind down; a far cry from the traditional Christian God who is omnipresent, closer to us than our breath.

  The weird irony of this is that despite their materialistic, no-nonsense, anti-mystical theology, JWs themselves, as a group, are the most superstitious people I have ever met. Everything has a supernatural (demonic) explanation in their world from missing car keys to malfunctioning electronics. They scoff at astrology, reiki, and parallel universes and yet they are convinced that fallen angels live in antiques and Satan spends his time playing practical jokes.
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  oppostate

  In the 80s and 90s there was a lot of JW Quacker's praising what they called kinesiology. It had nothing to do with the real science of physical movement.

  One popular way of proving their "science" was to show you how bad common medicines were for you.

  They would ask you to hold a bottle of Tylenol or Advil, aspirin or whatnot and extend your arm up parallel with your shoulder then they would put pressure on your arm to test for resistance. Then they would repeat the test without anything in your hand and more often than not you "experienced" a weakness of your strength in holding your arm out when you held the medicines in your hand.

  They would share with you how in Brooklyn they practiced this kinesiology and that's why the GoBos were living into their 90s and blah blahblah.

  It got pretty bad and there was a local talk about not giving medical advice if you were not a doctor. But it still went on, feeding on the distrust of modern medicine and encouraging folks to buy "holistic medicine" concoctions and "deep massage" treatments.
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  under the radar

  oppostate, I know exactly what you're talking about.

  Back in the 90's there was a JW doctor from Texas that was all about Applied Kinesiology. He really was a licensed chiropractor, but he went way beyond anything taught in legitimate chiropractic/medical school. For example, he claimed he had invented a "magic" box (about the size of a DVD case) that would detox and neutralize your allergic reactions to any food on a plate if you put it on the box for a few minutes. Of course, it could only work for so long and then you'd need to buy a fresh one. If you cut the box open (it was glued shut), the air would pollute the ingredients and it wouldn't work anymore. The sisters would almost swoon when Dr. Blanketyblank would come to town and "hold Court" at a local JW family's home so he could treat all the ailing sisters. Besides the box scam, he and his minions assistants would do the exact kind of testing you referred to. Last I heard, he got in some kind of trouble and doesn't come around anymore, but one of his former associates still does.

  She does the same bogus testing you talked about, but also touts Iridology. That's where the practitioner looks into your eyes and tries to interpret what every little speck and color pattern means. They ask things like, "Did you break your arm when you were a child?" Or, "Did you ever have such-and-such an illness?" Of course, if you say you didn't, they quickly move on to the next wild ass guess question. If you said you did have whatever they asked about, they almost gleefully say, "See! I knew it! It's right there in your eye, plain as day!"

  Now, I have no doubt that this particular woman is completely sincere, but she does become very defensive if anyone points out how ludicrous such a diagnostic technique is. All the while, adamantly denying that she is practicing medicine. She is only examining a patient friend, determining the cause of whatever their problem is, and prescribing suggesting whatever herb or natural remedy they should start taking. Fortunately, she just happens to have exactly what they need on hand, and can let them have it for a special price. You just know it's true because she once had a celebrity client and it did wonders for him.

  I think the Witness mentality makes them especially susceptible to "alternative" medicine and outright quackery. Many are big into conspiracy theories. "The AMA, or the government, or fill-in-the-blank doesn't want you to know this because it would cost them too much money. They want you to stay sick so you'll keep paying out all that money to doctors and the drug companies." Etc., etc., ad nauseum...
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  BluesBrother

  Back in the late 90's the WTS printed a mag article warning of the dangers of some alternative medical practises , naming kinesiology specifically.

  A sister who was a near neighbor of ours ran a clinic practicing this. She was horrified, and overnight her business nosedived, most clients being'sisters'. She stuck with it though and rebuilt the business. I just googled her name and she still does it and seems to be a leading U K practishioner. As far as I know she is still an active dub.
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  Finkelstein

  Take poorly educated people and tell them they have a personal redeemer and what do you get or maybe what should you expect ?
  
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  No Apologies

  Lots of JWs I knew are very much into the "alternative" medicine nonsense. There used to be a JW chiropractor here in the Twin Cities that was very popular. My ex-wife and her family were regular patients. He was very big into the homeopathy and muscle testing.

  When you are in a group where critical thinking is discouraged, this is the result.