Posts by No Apologies

16

Anyone's doctor force their hand about being listed as a JW?

by Mysterious in

i remember when i was in high school i went to the doctor about something completely unrelated to surgery or blood and as a matter of updating my medical records he made a point of listing me as a jw on it.

he never asked me if he could / should and i was in no position to object in front of my mother without explaining myself.

not to mention i would look wishy washy about my faith in front of the doctor.

No Apologies

Scully,

I totally disagree with your post. First of all, the doctor did nothing wrong. As far as he knew, both Mysterious and her mother were both JW, and so he noted it on her chart. I can't even understand why this is an issue. How many kids are going to have a problem with this???? A doctor is not going to pull every patient away from their parents to check their feelings about their parents religion.

If you were in high school you certainly had the right to discuss any medical issue with the doctor privately, without your mother there. You have the right to go in privately for any number of things, including discussing your menstrual cycle, birth control, abortion information, etc.

We're talking about a minor here. What rights are you talking about? What about the parents rights? They have the right to decide what's best for their child. And who are you to keep information from a parent?

No Apologies

16

Anyone's doctor force their hand about being listed as a JW?

by Mysterious in

i remember when i was in high school i went to the doctor about something completely unrelated to surgery or blood and as a matter of updating my medical records he made a point of listing me as a jw on it.

he never asked me if he could / should and i was in no position to object in front of my mother without explaining myself.

not to mention i would look wishy washy about my faith in front of the doctor.

No Apologies

I wondered if she was a witness and I just didn't know her because I have been away so long. Oh, well, too bad. It's not her business anyway.

Be careful!!! If by chance she is a JW, then rest assured she will absolutely make it her business!!! She has your name, and she knows that you will now accept a blood transfusion. The elders must be made aware of this, privacy regulations notwithstanding.

(For what its worth, I will add this anecdote: my ex-wife (a loyal dub) used to work at a hospital as an admitting clerk. She was well aware that at some point she could face a situation that would challenge her loyalty to the org vs. her employer's privacy policies. To give her credit, she admitted that she would have a hard time violating confidentiality, and that she might even refuse to divulge information to the elders, which, for a loyal dub, is saying a lot.)

No Apologies

16

Anyone's doctor force their hand about being listed as a JW?

by Mysterious in

i remember when i was in high school i went to the doctor about something completely unrelated to surgery or blood and as a matter of updating my medical records he made a point of listing me as a jw on it.

he never asked me if he could / should and i was in no position to object in front of my mother without explaining myself.

not to mention i would look wishy washy about my faith in front of the doctor.

No Apologies

oops! double post!!

9

Some photos of Rochester, Minnesota

by Abandoned in

jw
friends

i was out and about yesterday and i took a few photos of my home town, rochester, minnesota.. .

this statue honors the two brothers who founded the world famous mayo clinic.. .

this is rochester's art center.

No Apologies

That top picture, of the statue of Mayo Brothers, of course includes the Rochester Civic Center in the background, where many of us Minnesota/Iowa/Wisconsin exJWs attended many a District Convention over the last two decades.

No Apologies

42

Gene Smalley and the Watchtower's Blood Transfusion Doctrine

by Dogpatch in

jw
friends

gene smalley and the watchtower's blood transfusion doctrine.

randy: hi, is this gene?.

watchtower's blood doctrine?.

No Apologies

This article just leaves me scratching my head. Subject is Gene Smalley and the Watchtower's Blood Transfusion Doctrine. I see several comments about this Gene Smalley and his role at Bethel. I also see some interesting information regarding the JW blood doctrine as it has changed and morphed over the years. But nowhere was there any connection between the two topics. Is there a connection, something more than A) Gene Smalley is a Bethel heavy and B) Bethel is responsible for promulgating Watchtower doctrine?

???

No Apologies

edited to add: Ok Randy I just saw your followup with the proverbial missing link. Disregard my comments above.

39

Anybody want to sell me the original Jan 1st 1989 watchtower?

by ninja in

jw
friends

the one with the "preaching work will finish in our 20th century" quote ....i will pay good money for it....pretty please....it could sway someone out of the watchtower trap... they wont look at photocopies...here's hoping...

No Apologies

I don't want sound too negative, but even if you do manage to get a hold of an original copy of the magazine, it may not have an effect. Believe it or not, Witnesses have been conditioned( maybe brainwashed would be the correct term) to be suspicious of anything that might cast doubt on the Org. Even their own literature is suspect.

When a true believer is presented with a particularly damning quote like the one you describe, they will sometimes claim that its some kind of forgery. Seriously, they believe that somewhere out there, apostates have their very own printing operation turning out bogus Watchtower publications just to try and make the Watchtower look bad.

When in reality, the only organization I know of that reprints Watchtower literature with subtle but important changes made, is the Watchtower itself!

No Apologies

12

Help! Elders are after me-need advice!

by love2Bworldly in

hi--3 times this weekend 2 elders came to my door asking for me by name (my kids answered the door).

apparently my jw sister notified the elders about the letter she received from me several months ago and gave them my new address.

my letter was very clear about how i felt about the watchtower society and i have not stepped foot in a kingdom hall in about 15 years, and the last 8 years of that was sporadic at best.. why should i talk to people i did not invite to my home, when i know they are coming to condemn me?

No Apologies

love2Bworldly,

I really could care less if they make an announcement about me after all these years, as I have nothing to lose. My JW sister no longer speaks to me because of my letter.

In other words, you have won. They have absolutely no hold over you, nothing to use for leverage. That's very annoying to them but wonderful for you.

My advice, if they come around again, have a copy of your letter ready, hand it to them, tell them it will answer any questions that they might have about your position. Then tell them to take a hike, as in leave, now. If they persist, ask for their names, their home address, their congregation and its address. Make a point of writing all this down, assuming they give you the information. Send a registered letter to all the addresses telling them any further attempts at contact will be viewed as harassment and that at that point you will sic either a lawyer or the local police on them.

As Monty Burns would say, Release the hounds!

No Apologies

18

Do you have a CPAP?

by onacruse in

jw
friends

sounds like an epidermal lesion, doesn't it?

lol.

anyway, i've had a cpap for years.

No Apologies

I HATE when the hose falls off! Because as soon as it does, there's no air coming and you feel like you're going to suffocate!! That and the noise, it definitely wakes you up!

I have taken to wedging some kind of heavy object in front of the hose because otherwise the seal is not tight enough and it will invariably pop itself off.

No Apologies

12

Question regarding informing inactive ones of WTS changes

by NanaR in

last monday my middle daughter gave birth to my 5th grandchild.

she delivered by c-section and had complications.

eventually, it became clear that she needed a blood transfusion.

No Apologies

For an inactive Witness to die rather than take blood when they aren't even informed on the "current light" (confusing and contradictory as it is) is frightening to me.

I don't want to sound negative, but there are many, many, active JWs who do have all the latest "current light", and who still will categorically reject any type of blood treatment, even those that the org. has stated are a "conscience matter."

The brainwashing is deeply ingrained and hard to shake.

No Apologies

2

Leader of ex-Muslim group threatened by Muslims

by No Apologies in

jw
friends

just saw this article, shows that jws do not have a monopoly on religious intolerance by any means.. .

http://www.upi.com/newstrack/top_news/20070223-014518-1922r/.

founder of ex-muslim group threatenedcologne, germany, feb. 23 (upi) -- the founder of a group in germany for former muslims has sought police protection after receiving death threats.. .

No Apologies

Just saw this article, shows that JWs do not have a monopoly on religious intolerance by any means.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/20070223-014518-1922r/

Founder of ex-Muslim group threatened COLOGNE, Germany, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- The founder of a group in Germany for former Muslims has sought police protection after receiving death threats.

Mina Ahadi, a native of Iran living in Cologne, said about three dozen people have joined the Central Council of Ex-Muslims.

"I happened to be born in a Muslim family, and I have decided not to be a Muslim," she told the magazine Focus.

Ahadi said she and other members of the group have been "terrorized" and have received death threats, most of them sent via e-mail.

In many Muslim countries, people who abandon the faith face the death sentence under Sharia law.

Ahadi said she hoped to represent the interests of former Muslims who do not practice the religion. She chose the name as a play on the Central Council of Muslims, which has about 800,000 members and is the largest Islamic group in Germany.

No Apologies