Posts by cookiemaster

37

Blood Refusal Tragedy Sparks National Outrage

by cookiemaster in

so, here's some news from my country.

there was this 20 year old jw girl who was a rookie driver.

she was in the car with her parents and for some reason decided to cross a railroad right before a train was coming.

cookiemaster

Also, this thread on Reddit discusses this issue too:

https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/3slraa/19_year_old_girl_dies_in_romania_after_jw_parents/

37

Blood Refusal Tragedy Sparks National Outrage

by cookiemaster in

so, here's some news from my country.

there was this 20 year old jw girl who was a rookie driver.

she was in the car with her parents and for some reason decided to cross a railroad right before a train was coming.

Sorry for taking so long to reply. I had a bit of work. This unfortunate event indeed took place in Romania, near a city called Suceava. The girl had a "No Blood!" directive (what WTH is called) on her. That doesn't have legal value in this country, but like I said she was in a coma so her parents where her next of kin and were legally entitled to take that decision for her. According to the news, the prosecutors have already started a criminal investigation in the matter. JWs are being so hated at the moment in this country because of this. But so many of them are out defending their doctrines on any news website, claiming not taking blood is safer, LOL. As for the news, here are a few links:

http://stirileprotv.ro/stiri/social/au-ales-religia-si-si-au-lasat-fiica-sa-moara-cazul-grav-petrecut-in-suceava-anchetat-de-avocatul-poporului.html

http://www.libertatea.ro/detalii/articol/o-fata-de-20-de-ani-din-suceava-a-murit-cu-zile-in-spital-557985.html

37

Blood Refusal Tragedy Sparks National Outrage

by cookiemaster in

so, here's some news from my country.

there was this 20 year old jw girl who was a rookie driver.

she was in the car with her parents and for some reason decided to cross a railroad right before a train was coming.

cookiemaster

So, here's some news from my country. There was this 20 year old JW girl who was a rookie driver. She was in the car with her parents and for some reason decided to cross a railroad right before a train was coming. Being a rookie (most cars in Europe have a manual transmission), she stalled the engine and couldn't get the car out of the way before the train hit it. Her parents were fine but she was in critical condition.

She was in a coma and required a blood transfusion but her parents absolutely refused to accept it. The doctors pleaded with them but with no avail. They had no choice but to administer erythropoietin as the witnesses asked, even though that is almost useless as a treatment in such an emergency situation. The doctors began legal proceedings to overrule the decision of the parents but the parents hired a lawyer and attempted to move her to a different hospital where she would receive surgery. She died on the way.

This tragedy made national news. A branch representative gave a statement to the journalists stating that JWs do not mandate the refusal of blood, that this is a personal choice and that those that accept blood suffer no repercussions in the congregations. Funny thing is, next to him was the guy that visited my mother last month and knew that she was forcibly disassociated for taking a blood transfusion. He confronted the branch guy about his statement and the branch guy replied "What, did you expect me to tell the truth to the media?".

In the meanwhile, this tragedy has been hotly debated on numerous national news channels and newspapers. Most people have responded with outrage and JWs are hugely unpopular and infamous because of this. So much so that they stopped going in field service altogether in the region where that girl died out of fear for their own safety. Everyone is enraged with what a stupid cult this was, for basically killing this 20 year old girl. I can't imagine any other type of response. JWs truly gave a good witness on this occasion about what they really are.

6

What happened to shunning ?

by cookiemaster in

okay, so...i haven't been to the kingdumb hall since last spring but i like to believe i'm up to date with the jw ways.

as most of you have heard many times already, my mother was disfellowshipped (actually they said he disassociated), for accepting blood transfusions in a life or death situation.

right after coming from the hospital the elder said she da'd.

cookiemaster

Okay, so...I haven't been to the kingdumb hall since last spring but I like to believe I'm up to date with the JW ways. As most of you have heard many times already, my mother was disfellowshipped (actually they said he disassociated), for accepting blood transfusions in a life or death situation. Right after coming from the hospital the elder said she DA'd. My mother hasn't been to the hall since, hasn't called a single witness, anything.

Yet, a few weeks ago, an old family friend JW who has doubts visited. Last week another sister (uber fanatic) has called to check on her, even though she's well aware my mother is no longer considered a JW, and now today, an older JW couple from a different congo visited. An elder and his wife no less. Even though they both know my mother is DA'd. Still, they acted pretty friendly and even brought her some small presents. WTF is going on with these people? My mother was never too popular in the congregation and when it's become common knowledge for JWs in the area that she's no longer considered one, she gets four different people check on her in a matter of weeks?

These latest visitors are quite an unique case too, as the elder's wife has a form of leukemia. They said they wouldn't know what to do in a situation requiring a transfusion and that it should be a matter of personal choice. That nobody can understand how hard it is to go through such a thing. Pretty weird. I was under the impression JWs take shunning seriously.

3

Peaceful Revolution in Romania and Taxing Religions

by cookiemaster in

some of you might know i'm from romania.

some of you might have also heard about that terrible club fire that killed 32 people and injured hundreds.

the whole thing happened because the club owners bought the officials to allow them to operate even though the location was a fire hazard.

cookiemaster

Some of you might know I'm from Romania. Some of you might have also heard about that terrible club fire that killed 32 people and injured hundreds. The whole thing happened because the club owners bought the officials to allow them to operate even though the location was a fire hazard. Anyway, this event has triggered nation wide protests. It was a tipping point which prompted people to start fighting fiercely against corruption of all kinds and many social issues.

The prime minister and the government have resigned. One of the most powerful backlashes has been against religion though, especially the Christian Orthodox Church which has used government money to build a 400 million Euro cathedral. There are protests against religion's corruption all over the country and people are asking for the future government not only to stop offering any funds to religions, but also to start taxing them heavily. So, if this wish comes true, JWs will have to deal not only with anti-religious sentiment among the people, but also with their revenues being taxed.

This is a small country and they only have about 40,000 members here, but even if they only lose a few hundred thousand Euro, it will awesome! Another financial blow to them. Blow after blow, the financial burden is pilling up into a tower, and there's not going to be enough begging to save them in the end (I hope.

80

ANNOUNCEMENT CLIP ...2015 Annual meeting Sam Herd confirming what we knew a month ago about slow down and halt of worldwide construction

by Watchtower-Free in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_h68ktwpim&feature=youtu.be.

cookiemaster

If they're doing cost cutting, maybe the Gibberish Buddies could start by selling their super expensive watches, rings, bracelets, suits, etc, etc. Also, just look at the enthusiasm on his face while reading that stuff. It's electric, LOL. It's like he's going on death row or something, that's how happy he seems while reading that thing.

212

Why Do You No Longer Believe in God?

by Tenacious in

i know this question has popped up from time to time but i really would like to know how you guys, those that no longer believe, came to that conclusion?

was it the wts and all its crap?

was it something you read?

cookiemaster

Because the more I learn about the universe, the more I understand about our world, the less likely it seems that a god or that gods exist. At first, I tried to reconcile my theistic upbringing with science, by thinking maybe God is what triggered the Big Bang and Evolution. Then, I realized that only my emotions were making me think that way, and that there's no rational reason to think that way. So, after all, why would I? Think of it this way. If since you were born nobody ever talked to you about this concept of God. Nobody brainwashed you from the earliest age by constantly telling you about this invisible deity. If you had simply just learned about the world and the universe as we understand it today, without any religious intervention, would you have had any reason to come up on your own with this concept of God?

28

How Cultish are the JW's?

by xjwsrock in

first off, i certainly agree the jw's are a cult.

but i'm sensitive to black-and-white thinking now.. so, where do they rank on the scale?

think of a cultish religion scale from 0-10.. consider the likes of unitarian universalism vs baptist vs amish vs charles manson.. where do you think jw's fall on the scale?.

cookiemaster

Giving a rating of 10 to the suicide cults, I would also give a 10 to the JW cult. My reasons for this are simple. I had to spend 4 hours begging my mother to forget her brainwashing and choose not to die by taking a blood transfusion. Thankfully, she ultimately did, but I can't get over the fact that this cult almost killed her for nothing.

Aside from that, at the age of 19, she left her Christian Orthodox family because they didn't approve of the cult. She became a pioneer in the communist regime (the first pioneer in this country), preaching and illegally transporting literature at the risk of imprisonment or death. She gave up everything for this cult: family, freedom and life. When a life and death situation came, the cult said they have no obligation to help her. On top of that, they said she disassociated.

So, based on my personal experience as well as everything else I know and was taught about the cult, this cult does the following:
- asks members to die by refusing blood
- asks members to kill their children by refusing blood for them
- shuns members that leave or oppose these teachings
- limits social contact with the outside world
- brainwashes members into irrational beliefs
- demands the time and resources of members
- controls every aspect of the life of members (marriage, sex, appearance, education, profession, hobbies, holidays, etc)
- tolerates pedophiles

Taking into account that in the past this cult did not allow organ transplants and even vaccines, alongside the blood transfusion issue, I think the number of victims it has made far exceeds that of any other death cult (HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF VICTIMS), with the exception of Islam. With all this in mind, I strongly believe it is a 10 on the scale, being one of the most destructive types of cults in existence.

18

Apostasy and Pedophile Scandal are Spreading

by cookiemaster in

so here's an interesting thing that happened lately.

if you guys have followed my previous posts, you probably know my mother almost died from severe anemia, decided to take blood transfusions to avoid death and the elders announced the congregation she disassociated.

last week a "brother" came to visit from a congo about 100 kilometers away.

cookiemaster

Thanks guys for your feedback. Really interesting stuff. I just wanted to add that this really made my mother wonder about the real nature of the borg. She's DA'd but she was hoping they'll take her back in the future. I really tried to open her eyes about stuff, but didn't really believe me. Now that she has seen that others see things the same, and that the pedo scandal is very much real and impacting the faith of many JWs, she now just sits quietly and listens to any criticism about the beloved Borg and its leaders. It's kinda shocking for all in our family that long time JWs are now questioning the Borg and its integrity. Both my parents agree that the pedo policy is wrong and should be changed. In fact, all JWs that I've talked to and know about it say that it's wrong. This organization is rotten to the core and many are still in just to keep up apperances. Things aren't looking so good for their future.

18

Apostasy and Pedophile Scandal are Spreading

by cookiemaster in

so here's an interesting thing that happened lately.

if you guys have followed my previous posts, you probably know my mother almost died from severe anemia, decided to take blood transfusions to avoid death and the elders announced the congregation she disassociated.

last week a "brother" came to visit from a congo about 100 kilometers away.

cookiemaster

So here's an interesting thing that happened lately. If you guys have followed my previous posts, you probably know my mother almost died from severe anemia, decided to take blood transfusions to avoid death and the elders announced the congregation she disassociated.

Well. last week a "brother" came to visit from a congo about 100 kilometers away. He's known my parents for a long time and visits us every few months to stay in touch. His wife (also a JW) suffers from depression and hasn't gone to any meeting in 6 years. He still goes though. Anyway, he comes into our house. My father was gone to do some work, so only me and my mother were home. The brother starts doing small talk, but my mother doesn't really answer. I entertain him for a while by engaging in conversation. He goes for a minute outside.

During that time I tell my mother to talk to him and act normally because he might not know she's DA'd. When he comes back he starts talking about how some things don't seem to be right with the organization. That when somebody disagrees with something is automatically labeled an apostate and treated like the plague. He says he thinks this is a form of emotional abuse. I say that I agree. Then he tells us that the brothers aren't perfect, that some doctrines still need improvement. He expressed somewhat jokingly his long-time passion for martial arts and how he doesn't understand why JWs can't learn more about self defense.

At this point I get an important call and leave my mother and him alone. I could only return after he left. She later told me that after I left, she told him her current status. He said he's aware, but doesn't care and wanted to know how we are doing. He also told her about the Australian pedophile scandal, some other doubts about the organization and that he's very discouraged and the elders have been very rude about addressing his doubts.

The brother also asked my mother what she thinks he should do in a similar situation when a blood transfusion is required. So clearly, this guy has some serious doubts. From the way he talked to me it seems he might even be an "apostate" like us. Either way, apparently the spirit of doubt is spreading and more and more JWs are hearing about the pedophile scandals. Their numbers are dropping in his corner of Europe compared to 10 years ago. I think these small indicators show that the future spells trouble for the borg.