Will do.
Watchtower Coercion of Non-JWs
by Lee Elder 12 Replies latest watchtower medical
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under the radar
When my (at the time) father-in-law was in the hospital with his final illness, one of the reasons the doctors couldn't give him the surgery that might have extended his life was that he refused to accept the almost inevitably necessary blood transfusions it would entail.
Mind you, he was never a JW, not even particularly favorable toward their beliefs. I'd say it was more like he was tolerant out of an effort to maintain peace with his wife, who has a strong-willed if not domineering personality. Many in the family believed it was she that really "ran the show," and that he was pretty much under her thumb. Once in a while, he'd "get his back up" and stand up to her, but most of the time, he'd just give a resigned sigh and yield to her.
Anyway, I went to see him in the hospital and had a nice talk with him, mostly about non-controversial things like family and old times. I then told him what my dad, who had been a Congregation Servant since the 50's and an Elder since that arrangement came out in the 70's, told his own non-JW brother. He told his brother that he would think no less of him if he took blood, and that to refuse blood because of what someone else thought would be pointless. He stressed that he had never been baptized, never claimed to be a Witness, and therefore had no duty to take a position that he'd never accepted before and that he had serious reservations about anyway.
So I told "Grandpa" that he should only refuse blood if he himself believed it was wrong, and NOT because "Grandma" thought it was wrong, or what she might say to him if he did take it. I told him that refusing blood because he didn't want to disappoint some else by violating a belief THEY had but he didn't share was ridiculous. Then we moved on to other things and I left on very good terms with him.
"Grandma" sent word that I was not to visit "Grandpa" in the hospital anymore because I was "pressuring him to take a blood transfusion." I just replied that I didn't take my orders from "Grandma," and that I'd visit him whenever I could and say whatever I wanted. When I said that I'd only told him what my dad had told his own brother, I didn't hear any more about it.
It turned out that all this drama was a moot point. The doctors said it was an extremely risky and complicated procedure anyway, and he would not have been able to survive it at that point even if blood transfusions had been an option. He died a few days later.
"Grandma" insisted on a Witness funeral, and they played up how supportive he was even though he never got baptized and went to very few meetings. They completely omitted any reference to his other fine attributes and accomplishments, or even that he was a World War II GI in the Pacific. No mention whatsoever.
Did I mention that I HATE this blanking cult?
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Lee Elder
Thank you "Under the Radar" for another example of this pernicious aspect of the WT blood doctrine.