Enjoying freedom

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Posts by Enjoying freedom

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  37

  What was the first mean/unjust thing you saw as a JW that affected you?

  by Pioneer Spit...oh, i mean Spirit in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  think back.

  you can list more than one.

  .it's ok. how did you rationalize the actions of others?

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  Enjoying freedom

  My daughter has physical and learning disabilities.

  When she was a baby we had to keep her away from infection as something like a cold would result in heart failure and hospital admission.

  So before the meeting I would stay in the car with my daughter and only go in when the song started, and then leave straight away. Theory was that it would drastically reduce the number of cretins breathing, coughing and sneezing all over her.

  One Sunday afternoon an elders wife said to me that surely "it would be better that my daughter die now rather than later".

  I was so shocked I didn't know what to say.

  Now I would give her such a verbal dressing down that she would not know what had hit her.

  But back then I was so shocked, stunned, upset, and I didn't know what to say.

  I left the religion in October 2000.

  Best thing I have ever done!

  Enjoying freedom
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  4

  True to thee 'til death: why Jehovah's Witnesses refuse blood

  by Bryan in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  i haven't seen this posted..... http://www.journal-online.co.uk/articles/show/2719.

  true to thee 'til death: why jehovah's witnesses refuse bloodfrom a sociological perspective, blood is a powerful symbol of allegiance for the witnesses simply because it is unimportant to other faith communitiesprint article.

  post to facebook.

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  Enjoying freedom

  This is a really good article - worth bringing to the top of the board again!!
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  12

  BBC The One Show

  by KW13 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just watched the part about jehovah's witnesses - it was very brief and didn't go to any side, very neutral, possibly more positive than negative.

  anyway after they showed that; i got in contact and offered to share my experiences with someone from there as they asked for anyone interested in doing so, to get in contact.. please please please do the same!!!!.

  bbc.co.uk/theoneshow and get in touch!!.

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  Enjoying freedom

  I have sent in my comment to The One Show.

  Basically to say that I was a JW for 20 years.

  Was in the "blood issue" dilemma with my daughter more than once and so now first hand the hell it plays with your mind!

  No longer a JW

  That to consent to a blood transfusion is taken as an automatic diassociation, ie shunning, life falls apart.

  That in law every adult with capacity has to make own decisions regarding healthcare without undue pressure or influence. Therefore how can the threat of disfellowshipping/disassocation enable an adult to exercise that legal right?

  Is this religions belief? Or emotional blackmail and mind control?

  Enjoying freedom

  A potted version!
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  11

  Recipe Question

  by Sunspot in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  if i had any pride i would not even ask this question or show how stupid i am.....but here goes:.

  i saw either on the martha stewart show or another i watched last week---where they took cookie dough and pushed it into and around a pie plate as a crust and baked it before putting the filling in.

  i bought some pillsbury cookie dough, did what i had seen them do....and popped it into the oven for the amount of time it took for it to get browned.. the problem was----that the "giant cookie" rose up to look like an already full baked pie....and the center stayed moist and chewy---not like a "crust" at all.

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  Enjoying freedom

  .....and to finish my response...... (my reply was posted before I had finished it!!).....

  I have never tried this before but I wonder whether you are supposed to part bake it, then put the filling in, then continue the rest of the baking time.

  Like baking blind with pastry.

  Just a thought!

  Enjoying freedom
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  11

  Recipe Question

  by Sunspot in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  if i had any pride i would not even ask this question or show how stupid i am.....but here goes:.

  i saw either on the martha stewart show or another i watched last week---where they took cookie dough and pushed it into and around a pie plate as a crust and baked it before putting the filling in.

  i bought some pillsbury cookie dough, did what i had seen them do....and popped it into the oven for the amount of time it took for it to get browned.. the problem was----that the "giant cookie" rose up to look like an already full baked pie....and the center stayed moist and chewy---not like a "crust" at all.

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  Enjoying freedom

  Hi Sunspot!

  I have never tried this before
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  9

  Donation Arrangement

  by Frenchy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am curious as to how many of you are completely comfortable with the 'new' donation arrangement.

  (okay, i know it's not new anymore but...) do you prefer it over the old way?

  (i'd like to leave these two magazines with you for a contribution of fifty cents).

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  Enjoying freedom

  I would like to bet that the decision to stop charging for the literature was forced due to some regulation (ie couldn't charge and keep charitable status), not because of some altruistic decision to allow people who couldn't afford the literature the opportunity to read them without being out of pocket.

  Very rarely did anyone offer me money for the magazines after they were placed "without charge".
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  22

  The downside of no longer being a JW

  by Quandry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we have discovered a downside to no longer being a jw.

  as we were washing clothes today, my husband remarked that since we no longer attend meetings, we are not constantly sending suits and dresses to the dry cleaners and alas, we no longer get hangers and are going to have to (gasp) buy some!

  what down sides can you think of?.

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  Enjoying freedom

  I agree with Sunsport - there is absolutely no downside of no longer being a JW!
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  16

  I met Jamie Oliver!!!

  by tall penguin in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i work in a large bookstore in toronto.

  this past thursday, jamie oliver came to promote his new book.

  i got to work the "green room" and hang out with him before he went onstage.

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  Enjoying freedom

  He has just finished a series in England, and most of the camera shots seem to be of him cooking in what looks like an outbuilding, but I am sure it must be a "rustic" style kitchen!!!

  I love the way he has raised awareness about the appalling state of English school dinners, and he is of course the face of Sainsburys!!!!!
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  13

  Is BLOOD therapy really a sin?

  by Fisherman in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  is blood therapy a sin?

  if a blood transfusion could save a person's life, would god want such person to die instead of receivng the blood?

  on the other hand, heart, livers, kidney transplants are ok. but then again, blood transfusions may be sinful?

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  Enjoying freedom

  You have to clarify with yourself why you are hesitant about refusing blood transfusions.

  Is it (a) because of religions reasons or (b) because of the risks inherent with blood transfusions.

  If it is (a) then I would suggest that you read carefully the well thought out and presented posts made previously about religious doctrine. Also remember that LIFE is precious.

  If it is (b) then I refer you to the "National Blood Service - blood transfusion website (www.blood.co.uk) where it says in part:

  " The biggest risk from receiving a blood transfusion is being given the wrong blood. ... Compaed to other everyday risks the likelihood of getting an infection from a blood transfusion is very low. All blood donors are unpaid volunteers. They are very carefully selected and tested to make sure that the blood they donate is as safe as possible. The risk of getting hepatitis from a blood transfusion is currently about 1 in 500,000 for hep B and 1 in 30 million for hep C. The chance of getting HIV or HTLB infection is about 1 in 5 million. Although the risk of getting variant CJD from a blood transfusion is probably low with a single blood transfusion, the risk of any infection will increase with additional blood transfusions. Each year, approximately 2 million units of blood are transfused in England and there have been just a handful of cases where patients are known to have become infected with vCJD from a blood transfusion. "

  When making any decision about healthcare you are have to weigh up the risk factors, ie risk posed by the illness/injury, probability of death of permenant disability from that illness/injury, and the success rate of the proposed treatment, along with the risk of side effects of the treatment.

  Is the treatment you are considering a proportionate response to the risks posed by the illness?

  For example, if a patient with cardiomyopathy has a cold then there will probably not initially be any need for antibiotics. However, if that cold then settles on the patient's chest then the decision to take antiobiotics may be a wise one. However at this stage oral antibiotics may be sufficient - to propose a course of IM antibiotics would not be a proportionate response because (a) it is a more invasive procedure, and (b) the IM medication is very strong and can be painful when administered and can cause damage to the patient's veins. However, if that patient then develops a chest infection of sufficient severity that their heart is going into failure then it will most likely be prudent to start a course of IM antibiotics to treat the chest infection and reduce the heart failure - the fact that the treatment is invasive and can be painful is a risk that may be considered a necessary one.

  So, I personally wouldn't consent to a blood transfusion if all I needed was a plaster, or if there were other alternatives that had a lower risk and fewer potential side effects.

  But I would consent to a blood transfusion if there were no other alternative treatments with lower risk and my life/health was at risk.

  It is all down to proportionality.

  Enjoying freedom.
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  20

  "I don't want to die...

  by 5thGeneration in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i want to live under different circumstances.".

  that was a line i heard recently that really impacted me.. i think i need to make a firm stand soon but, unfortunately, it will hurt my wife and kids.. ah, the love is just oozing from jehovah's organization.. .

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  Enjoying freedom

  "You are the link to your family in finding out about the lies of the watchtower" Fantastic line! Someone has to be the first one in a family/group to start the ball rolling on the escape path out of the cult.