This highlights the challenge a JW patient and their doctor face should they wish to accept a blood product not presently approved by Watchtower leaders. Additionally, almost all "no blood" programs are staffed with at least some JW personnel. When the bloodless options are exhausted, and JW patients want more choices, there are typically prying eyes preventing it. Perhaps its not even offered since it doesn't fit in the business model that JW administrators set up to drive traffic to the program. The ethics are troubling to say the least.
Lee Elder
JoinedPosts by Lee Elder
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Jehovah's Witnesses as medical records employees, and Medical Privacy laws.
by Balaamsass2 inthis subject has been brought up before.
the governing body and watchtower have repeatedly encouraged jws to show loyalty to the organization to "keep the congregation clean" by reporting wrongdoing to the elders.. i know directly of two cases.
two jws working in the records department of our local hospital "outed" 3rd gens 1st husband to the local elders when he and his mistress sought medical treatment together for stds.
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Lee Elder
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"Basics of Blood Management" by Dr. Petra Seeber and Dr. Aryeh Shander - Inaccuracies and Myth
by OrphanCrow inpatient blood management arose out of bloodless medicine and alternatives to blood transfusions.
pbm has been accepted as the standard of care in australia and has been implemented into the health care systems of other countries such as canada.
a prominent promoter of pbm has been aryeh shander from englewood hospital in new jersey.
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Lee Elder
Remarkable. JW's trusting these men with their life is simply foolish and often tragic.
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Lee Elder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=299&v=rghOFtMT6YA
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Lord, to whom shall we go?
by Lee Elder inonce someone figures out that the watchtower is not a safe place for their family, they come face to face with the question of where they should be.
i don't have the answer for that, but can speak to my personal experience over the past 20 years.. i ended up taking a 12 year break from organized religion, and then read an article about a new group that had formed locally called aldea spiritual community.
after a few visits, i realized that i had found a home among others who were fed up with organized religion.
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Lee Elder
Here is a pretty good example of what a Sunday talk sounds like. This one is on anxiety.
http://s3.amazonaws.com/mfsermons.myflock2.com/church5758/worry.mp3You can find all of the messages for the past 5 years or so here:
http://www.loveperiod.org/home-3/
For any of you are are now, or in the future, looking for ideas on how to build healthy communities with useful messages, you will find many useful ideas.
The building is modest, in some ways much like a Kingdom Hall. There are no crosses or images or alter. However, there is a room for children, and a nursery, as well as a children's director.
There is a paid part time pastor, and an administrator. The children's director and the music pastor are paid small salaries. Everything else is done by volunteers. The budget for the whole operation is around 100-120 thousand a year.
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Lord, to whom shall we go?
by Lee Elder inonce someone figures out that the watchtower is not a safe place for their family, they come face to face with the question of where they should be.
i don't have the answer for that, but can speak to my personal experience over the past 20 years.. i ended up taking a 12 year break from organized religion, and then read an article about a new group that had formed locally called aldea spiritual community.
after a few visits, i realized that i had found a home among others who were fed up with organized religion.
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Lee Elder
I get the skepticism. Aldea is a spanish word that literally means village. As for the Bible, they take it seriously, not literally. Bible stories are largely viewed as metaphor. Difficult passages are largely viewed as examples of where humans simply got it wrong. God is viewed as a loving presence.
A typical Sunday starts with 15 minutes of music, meditation, candle lighting, and then a message - generally on living the best life possible, and all of the things that entails. Being the best version of ourselves that we can be. There is only one doctrine and requirement for membership - to hold love as your highest value.
There is no looking up of scripture, books or literature. No rules, no judgement. There are community groups that meet in homes 2 times a year for six weeks to share a meal and discuss whatever they choose. There is a men's group, and a women's that meets every Tuesday for happy hour at a local restaurant. There are 1 or 2 parties most months that always include alcohol. There is a social justice activity every month - we do a lot with Habitat for Humanity.
I've been with this group since 2010. The people are amazing. Doctors, lawyers, dentists, psychiatrist, teachers, physical therapist, business owners, several former ministers, a Phd in Marriage and family counseling, a nobel laureate that attends from time to time - you get the picture. Not the kind of folks who would ever put up with the kind of nonsense we experienced in the Watchtower.
Its not right for everyone. If you are looking for answers to life's big questions, or lots of structure - its not the place. However, I think its the kind of model that will appeal to many former JWs.
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Lord, to whom shall we go?
by Lee Elder inonce someone figures out that the watchtower is not a safe place for their family, they come face to face with the question of where they should be.
i don't have the answer for that, but can speak to my personal experience over the past 20 years.. i ended up taking a 12 year break from organized religion, and then read an article about a new group that had formed locally called aldea spiritual community.
after a few visits, i realized that i had found a home among others who were fed up with organized religion.
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Lee Elder
Once someone figures out that the Watchtower is not a safe place for their family, they come face to face with the question of where they should be. I don't have the answer for that, but can speak to my personal experience over the past 20 years.
I ended up taking a 12 year break from organized religion, and then read an article about a new group that had formed locally called Aldea Spiritual Community. After a few visits, I realized that I had found a home among others who were fed up with organized religion. Aldea started with less than 20 people, and just one doctrine. To hold love as their highest value. A place where Christians, atheists, Buddhists, Jews, agnostics, and anyone else would be welcomed without exception or condition.
This is a very special place with people who are welcoming, loving and non-judgemental. Social justice is at the heart of the community, as is the desire to celebrate and enjoy life in all its fullness.
I wish that all of you had access to something like Aldea. It is a model of what a safe place for ex-JWs might look like.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HuGQ6xayZU&feature=youtu.be
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Sickle Cell Case
by Lee Elder inthe sad reality for jehovah's witness children who must depend upon the courts to get critical medical care their parents reject for them, even when their lives depend upon it.
to support the irrational blood policy of the watchtower society.
https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2018-12-05-three-jehovahs-witness-families-taken-to-court-to-save-childrens-lives/.
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Lee Elder
Your personal experience in this regard is quite powerful. I know that its hard for you to talk about, much less write about, so I don't want to press the issue. It might open some eyes.
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Sickle Cell Case
by Lee Elder inthe sad reality for jehovah's witness children who must depend upon the courts to get critical medical care their parents reject for them, even when their lives depend upon it.
to support the irrational blood policy of the watchtower society.
https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2018-12-05-three-jehovahs-witness-families-taken-to-court-to-save-childrens-lives/.
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Lee Elder
There is apathy is the ex-JW community on this issue in my experience. An acceptance that the policy will never change, and that there is little to nothing that can done to help. To most of the medical community it is little more than a curiosity to be pondered. To those who see the devastation first hand, it is frustrating but they too generally feel ill equipped to alter the outcome. To counter the work the Watchtower has done in building up a market for their blood policy will require enormous amounts of time and money. Most ex JW's have neither. The children suffer and die, they have no voice, and are largely forgotten. That is the sad reality.
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Did Ray Franz Help You To Get Out of “The Truth”?
by minimus ini sneakily read his books at work.
it was written in such a way that no one could accuse him of being another bitter old apostate.. once it registered in my brain, especially after reading the second book, i knew i had to get out!.
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Lee Elder
Without a doubt.
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Sickle Cell Case
by Lee Elder inthe sad reality for jehovah's witness children who must depend upon the courts to get critical medical care their parents reject for them, even when their lives depend upon it.
to support the irrational blood policy of the watchtower society.
https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2018-12-05-three-jehovahs-witness-families-taken-to-court-to-save-childrens-lives/.
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Lee Elder
It is rather surprising. This topic just doesn't seem to get anywhere near the attention you'd think it would.