by neverthere 1 Replies latest jw friends
Seeing that I have never been a JW so I wasn't exposed to the "teachings" they have, I have been wondering after seeing all the suits etc. filed about transfusions, do JW's permit organ transplants? I can understand why they in their reasoning wouldn't, but if they do, how do they justify it?
Diana
Wow, Diana, did you ever open a nice big can of worms!!
This is one of the teachings that they have waffled back and forth on for a few decades. First, organ transplants were considered tantamount to cannibalism. I won't go into the rediculous leaps of logic and circular reasoning they used to prove that one, but suffice it to say it was absolute law for at least a couple decades. Then for a while it was a conscience matter, but still frowned on. I think it is still a conscience matter today, as it hasn't been discussed in quite a few years.
It never ceases to amaze me how they have always been dogmatically negative about any new medical breakthrough (anyone remember vaccination, the medical use of leeches, and a host of others?). But over the years, as their negative teachings on it become obviously incorrect, they gradually soften the stance on whatever medical treatment it was.
By the way, our old congregation was the oldest in our state, dating back to the late eighteen hundreds (I have photos of some of them outside the first Kingdom Hall shack, and they are holding up a big banner with pyramid diagrams on it), and we have Watchtower magazines that date back to 1899. I was reading in one of these once, and the author of the article was griping about, of all things, this new product - sliced bread - and how it was one more example of how lazy "the world" was getting. Unbelievable stuff in those old magazines. Miracle wheat, demonic posessions, egyptian pyramids and their geometry correlating with Bible chronology and prophecy, etc.
Just be glad you were "neverthere"!
Best regards,
Brandon
