Posts by Lee Elder

46

Should doctors tell JW patients that there is disagreement about Watchtower's blood policy.

by Lee Elder in

this has been a controversial issue among doctors and medical ethicists.

i think it basically comes down to the fact that physicians have a responsibility to establish the presence of informed consent.

is it really possible for a person to give informed consent if they are not accurately informed?.

Lee Elder

Link disappeared here it is:

http://ajwrb.org/blood-transfusions-what-are-the-risks

46

Should doctors tell JW patients that there is disagreement about Watchtower's blood policy.

by Lee Elder in

this has been a controversial issue among doctors and medical ethicists.

i think it basically comes down to the fact that physicians have a responsibility to establish the presence of informed consent.

is it really possible for a person to give informed consent if they are not accurately informed?.

You are more likely to be struck by lightening or die of a bad reaction to an antibiotic than you are to die from a blood transfusion. WT implanted phobias and misinformation on blood persist in the EX JW community, I see it all of the time. Get the facts.

Blood Transfusions - What are the risks?

46

Should doctors tell JW patients that there is disagreement about Watchtower's blood policy.

by Lee Elder in

this has been a controversial issue among doctors and medical ethicists.

i think it basically comes down to the fact that physicians have a responsibility to establish the presence of informed consent.

is it really possible for a person to give informed consent if they are not accurately informed?.

Lee Elder

Fisherman: Your comments tap into the commonly held belief among JWs that blood is contaminated and unclean. Same "purity" notions drove the vaccine and organ transplant bans. Blood is a liquid tissue transplant and carries well known risks just like other tissue or organ transplants. In all cases, these are only considered in serious, life threatening circumstances. Watchtower implanted phobias and notions of uncleanness or contamination are without scriptural merit, and primarily serve as control mechanisms to generate revulsion and compliance imo.

46

Should doctors tell JW patients that there is disagreement about Watchtower's blood policy.

by Lee Elder in

this has been a controversial issue among doctors and medical ethicists.

i think it basically comes down to the fact that physicians have a responsibility to establish the presence of informed consent.

is it really possible for a person to give informed consent if they are not accurately informed?.

Lee Elder

Surprisingly little I'm afraid. The U.S. is far too accommodating of irrational religious based views.

38

Anthony Morris Says The Governing Body Is Not Dogmatic, But Simply Must Be Obeyed If You Want Jehovah's Blessing

by Brokeback Watchtower in

warning lots of compartmentalization going on, with huge leaps in logic and a whole lot of just beleive me because i say so.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhyfm-zikbq.

Lee Elder

Carla - they are trained to appreciate the "pure language".

46

Should doctors tell JW patients that there is disagreement about Watchtower's blood policy.

by Lee Elder in

this has been a controversial issue among doctors and medical ethicists.

i think it basically comes down to the fact that physicians have a responsibility to establish the presence of informed consent.

is it really possible for a person to give informed consent if they are not accurately informed?.

Lee Elder

This has been a controversial issue among doctors and medical ethicists. I think it basically comes down to the fact that physicians have a responsibility to establish the presence of informed consent. Is it really possible for a person to give informed consent if they are not accurately informed?

The Watchtower has made some improvements in this area, but still have a long ways to go in my opinion. A good place to start would be by publishing accurate statistics on the effect of anemia in JW populations, and acknowledging the well known limitations of "no blood" alternatives. Particularly in cases of child birth complications, blood disorders like leukemia, and trauma.

Here is what one prominent medical ethicist has suggested for fellow physicians. What do you think? Does it go far enough or too far?

BMJ link

33

Creative day 7000 years, is this correct and how did the Org come up with this idea?

by Crazyguy in

any body know?

Lee Elder

The last direct reference to a 7000 year creative day I can recall was in the reference book "Aid to Bible Understanding" circa 1971. It was replaced by the two volume "Insight on the Scriptures" and definitely backed away from the doctrine.

14

WT OCT 2015 - 3 Questions People Would Like to Ask God - how about you?

by ttdtt in

1: where the "f" are you, since there are no signs of your existence?.

2: why did you "create" life forms that by default hate to follow what your rules.. 3:.

from what i read in the bible, why are you such a petulant, vengeful, bi-polar nut who seems to only look for flesh and spirit to kiss you enormous godly ass?.

Lee Elder

1. Are you really there?

2. Why are you a "missing in action" non-interventionalist?

3. Why did you opt for creative systems and processes that both rely on and produce so much suffering?

3

Experience from AJWRB's Facebook page

by Lee Elder in

interesting experience reported by this former jw on blood shows the deep and lasting impact of the wts campaign of indoctrination and misinformation.

it also shows that people can be and are being helped.

"hi everyone at ajwrb.

Lee Elder

Interesting experience reported by this former JW on blood shows the deep and lasting impact of the WTS campaign of indoctrination and misinformation. It also shows that people can be and are being helped.

"Hi everyone at AJWRB. I came by to your page to say thanks and to share my story: I was raised a JW since age 7, after I went to live with my grandparents following the emigration of my parents. I 'faded' from the organization about 20 years ago, after my dissatisfaction with how the congregation elders repeatedly covered up the infidelities of my husband. When I found out the facts I moved to a new town, filed for divorce, and never went to another meeting. Nevertheless, the teachings of the JW continued to significantly influence my beliefs and lifestyle choices. For example, I continued to argue against blood transfusions, and frequently parroted the viewpoint that Ringer's solution and non-blood volume expanders are adequate substitutes in the majority of cases. About two years ago I came across the website run by AJWRB and started to reconsider my views. In particular, I was struck by how the JW organization arbitrarily refused some blood components but accepted others. Little did I know that this information would save my life. A couple of weeks ago I was hospitalized because I had been hemorrhaging severely and my blood count was critically low. The doctors told me that I had to have a transfusion immediately while I was being prepped for surgery. To be honest, I still had a major attack of conscience as I watched the blood dripping into my veins. One thought that kept resonating in my mind, however, was that a blood transfusion was a 'tissue transplant'; I was not "feeding on blood" as I had been taught so many years ago. I am not sure that I would have refused blood if I did not have prior access to the information you have been disseminating. However, I do know that you made it easier for me to have the life-saving treatment that I needed."

AJWRB Facebook Page

40

What was your ''the last straw that broke the camels back'' moment

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

there is a limit to how much straw (long yellow grass) a camel can carry on its back.

if you keep putting more straw on top, it will finally break the camel's back.

when you are at the last straw you are finally angry and will not take any more.. my moment (to stop attending all watchtower meetings) was after the harsh treatment from the elders and fellow congregation members of my second cousin who was disfellowhipped as a teenager.

Lee Elder

I think the chang on the "generation that won't pass away" in 1995 was a wake up call for me. From there I started to carefully research the blood policy and by late 1996 I knew it was wrong. No response on the matter from Dan Sydlik in January 1997, so I started "New Light on Blood" in February of that year (would late become AJWRB). I am sure it became apparent to the local body that I was not towing the line, and would not put up with any bullshit from anyone anymore. That led to me increasingly being labeled a "liberal", and a lot of confrontation with conservatives on the body. The last straw came when the body assigned two elders to ask me a series of questions - apparently as some sort of test. One of the questions was, "when was the last time you agreed to disfellowship a young person". That was it for me - I was done. Pulled my family out of that hall and never went back. Tough decision to make, but definitely the right choice for me.