Posts by Rush

28

Would you or have you used a blood tranfusion?

by TylerMacKay in

jw
friends

would you or have you used a blood tranfusion since you the left the wt?

i was wondering what your feelings are on it now

Rush

i can speak with a little bit of authority here, or at least first hand knowledge. as a doctor working in an acute general medical department i prescribe blood on a weekly if not daily basis. NO, blood is not a risk free medicine. but neither are many of our modern pharmacy that millions of us take for heart, blood pressure, thyroid and so on.

i've saw a young woman last night in the casualty department who was bleeding from her gut and literally came back to life after blood, in a way that no amount of fluids pumped into her could manage.

with our present technology at the stage it (naturally) is, blood is the gold standard, treatment-of-choice for a few critical conditions. special circumstances excepted (usually in young, fit individuals) which we hear an awful lot about in 'blood-free surgery' stories, we can't do without it as health providers.

and why do witnesses insist on arguing the science behind blood (wonderful design, individual specific, infection transmission) when whether the science was kosher or not, they'd still have to condemn it?

i know the risks, i've seen the problems. but i would still have a transfusion.

if you're new out of the truth, be aware of emotional 'hangovers' from your old beliefs. you've got a fantastic oppurtunity to construct your own code of living now, one you can really have faith in.

thoughts are with you all,

Rush.

21

Straining the gnat, gulping the camel.

by Rush in

i remember the stink caused in the congregation when the sweets 'skittles' were released in the uk.

they were advertised as containing 100% natural flavourings and colourings.. the problem was, the dye they used in the red skittles was cochineal.

cochineal is made by pulping the dried bodies of a mexican beetle and produces a vivid red colour that has been highly sought after in the past.. i'm not sure where the issue arose, but some bright spark decided it was against the blood policy to eat this as the beetles hadn't been bled before they were dried and crushed.. the congregation was in an uproar.

Rush

now that i'm on a roll, i've got another little one about black pudding (blood pudding).

when my dad was an elder, he was at work (in a fire station) when the cook made them all a fried breakfast, including black pudding. when my dad's plate came and he saw the black pudding, he told the cook he couldn't eat it and got up to scrape it into the bin. a colleague told him not to throw it away but to give it to him instead.

my dad refused, and explained (a bit embarrassed) that he had to throw it away, in line with the bible's command to pour blood upon the ground. of course, his workmate didn't appreciate this and told him not to be so stupid. but my dad went ahead and threw it in the bin anyway. i'm sure this did his reputation no end of good at work as they already thought him a bit wierd, being a witness.

on the subject of rare meats, muscle is pink because of the pigment myoglobin which is similar to haemoglobin, but presumably isn't classed as blood.

if anyone's got anymore of these, i love hearing them.

Cheers,

Rush.

21

Straining the gnat, gulping the camel.

by Rush in

i remember the stink caused in the congregation when the sweets 'skittles' were released in the uk.

they were advertised as containing 100% natural flavourings and colourings.. the problem was, the dye they used in the red skittles was cochineal.

cochineal is made by pulping the dried bodies of a mexican beetle and produces a vivid red colour that has been highly sought after in the past.. i'm not sure where the issue arose, but some bright spark decided it was against the blood policy to eat this as the beetles hadn't been bled before they were dried and crushed.. the congregation was in an uproar.

Rush

I remember the stink caused in the congregation when the sweets 'Skittles' were released in the uk. they were advertised as containing 100% natural flavourings and colourings.

The problem was, the dye they used in the red skittles was cochineal. Cochineal is made by pulping the dried bodies of a mexican beetle and produces a vivid red colour that has been highly sought after in the past.

I'm not sure where the issue arose, but some bright spark decided it was against the blood policy to eat this as the beetles hadn't been bled before they were dried and crushed.

The congregation was in an uproar. I'm pretty sure there was never any formal anouncements about the point, but the elders when asked said it was a 'conscience decision'. People were scouring ingredients on foodstuffs in a religious fervour, convinced this was another satanic ploy to corrupt god's people. A sister in our group found cochineal in the dye on top of a bakewell tart, tried to scrape the icing off but 'the whole cake was just ruined, I had to throw the whole thing in the bin.' (I wonder what her unbelieving husband thought of this use of groceries?)

It finally came to a finish when one of the wiser sister's in the congregation, who'd kept respectively silent to avoid defending people, proclaimed the whole business ridiculous and asked if anyone seriously thought John the Baptist bled his locust with a pin before eating them in the wilderness.

Unbelievable.

Rush.

19

Convention Report

by Euphemism in

jw
friends

i just got back from my convention yesterday evening.

i'll be trying to catch up on the posts as time allows, but there is a very large volume; so if i miss any personal replies, please forgive me.. this was my first convention since i became mentally free, and it was just painful to sit through.

i used to be one of those dubs who actually enjoyed conventions.

Rush

that was quite an experience in itself, reading your nice little summary.

i honestly don't know how you can do it. the only thing that would stop me from tearing my own ears off would be to distract myself entirely in a day-dream, but then i would have no reason to sit for three days in the company of people who probably wouldn't want me there anyway.

thanks for keeping us posted anyway, it's nice to know what we're missing.

23

Oh No! Could The WTS Have Been Right Re Aluminium!!!!!!!!!

by ISP in

jw
friends

aluminium toxicity in edinburgh (1976)

in the 1970s, there were outbreaks of encephalopathy (dementia) and bone disease (osteomalacia) in various dialysis units.

this was often called "dialysis dementia".

Rush

I don't know an awful lot about this subject, but can find two reviews on 'Medline' that look at exposure to aluminium in various forms (such as occupational and drinking water) done in 2002.

one concluded that there was not enough information to link aluminium in any form with an increased risk of dementia. The other concluded that water levels above a certain threshold increased your risk of dementia but could not conclude on other sources.

Sorry I can't be more precise at the moment. But I'm certainly not throwing out my pans yet.

27

Childhood Sexuality

by JH in

jw
friends

now be honest, at what age does a person start to masturbate?

read the link and you will be surprised.

answer that question in your mind first and after, read this link below.. .

Rush

Hey all,

first back to the original question. I feel a lot of the shocked replies to this indicate a certain amount of prudishness (in the nicest possible way) and possibly a good old WTBTS emotional hangover.

I can't put an exact date on itself but I started around the age of five and continued pretty consistently through to puberty. I remember how long it took me to come to terms with it. I was convinced I was being punished by god by giving me a pre-pubescent erection and struggled with the guilt of this and the belief I was a bad person for years.

I remember very clearly the first time I realised my JW friends also partook and the enormous sense of relief (pardon the pun) that others were engaging in this 'unclean' habit.

I know of brother in a local congregation who was so wracked with guilt over his habit he took himself to the local hospital and demanded a circumcision to attempt to curtail his masturbation. Of course, this wasn't delivered and I think he may have actually got a psychiatric referral instead.

On a more first-hand note, I am a doctor in hospital not far from where I was brought up. I would admit people to a surgical ward the night befor minor ops such as vasectomies, varicose veins and hernia repairs. This one young chap came in for an inguinal (groin) hernia repair. Normally it takes me around ten minutes to get everything done with these patients. However, this bloke happened to be a JW and when he recognised me he pored out his heart to me and told me he had developed this hernia because he'd masturbated for the first time, at the age of thirty! It took me forty-five minutes of listening, counselling and reinforcing that masturbation does NOT make you go blind, give you hariy palms or hernias. This poor man was distraught. I also happen to know from another source that he'd been to see the elders about his 'problem'.

It's not just ignorance, but down-right dangerous, propagating these ridiculous myth. Mental health is on the line here.

36

Do you get yearly visits from the elders?

by unbeliever in

jw
friends

my sister just got a visit from the elders.

this was the first visit in 10 years.

an inactive friend told me they are supposed to visit every year.

Rush

My brother's now ex-wife got a call through her mother the other day saying that the CO's round at the minute and they're making an effort to get back inactive one's for the week. Is this a cynical political ploy to boost meeting quotas? I don't know, but it was with bare-faced cheek that they used the brother who had been their best mate whilst in the truth, but the persistent harrasser and back-stabber once left.

As an aside, did anyone else find that they tailored the elder's visits to the lamb being visited? When I left, because it was mainly academic reasons I left, they used to send round the science expert from the body of elders, whose credentials lay in having served at the brooklyn bethel, knew the references to the creation book and worked in an electronics factory.

I would love to get a visit now, but they must be avoiding my house...

Later,

Rush

21

Do you always "....Put stuff off"..... ??????

by ScoobySnax in

jw
friends

for 3 months now i've had a work related project to write and complete, its due in this coming monday, and still i haven't even started it, i just can't seem to get my ass in gear ever with this sort of thing .

occasionaly i've looked over it, thought about what i'm gonna write,.......... then just shoved it to the back of my mind for another week.

all the time i've been getting more stressed as the deadlines been approaching.

Rush

I've got a good story to tell about that, but I'll tell you it later when I can be bothered.

49

famous jehovahs witnesses

by Rush in

jw
friends

this is my first post.. when i was still a witness myself, there were some perennial stories regarding 'famous' jehovahs witnesses or ex's.

does anyone know any truth or have any proof about the following: hank marvin, cliff richard and more importantly, the man who hit the gong in the 'rank' movies?.

if you have anyone of note you want to tell me about, i'd most appreciate it too.. cheers, rush.

Rush

hello all. this is my first post.

when i was still a witness myself, there were some perennial stories regarding 'famous' jehovahs witnesses or ex's. Does anyone know any truth or have any proof about the following: Hank Marvin, Cliff Richard and more importantly, the man who hit the gong in the 'Rank' movies?

if you have anyone of note you want to tell me about, i'd most appreciate it too.

cheers, rush.

27

I need a good beating for what I did this morning

by freeman in

jw
friends

this morning i let my emotions run away with me and challenged my 20-year-old son into defending his loyalty to the watchtower shunning doctrine.

it was not good, im in no way proud of myself.

im sure he and my dub wife will likely mischaracterize it as an attack on god; anything said against the tower is always an attack on god.

Rush

Hi freeman.

An interesting point. I think you have the prerogative and even the right to air your views an issue that is more human than spiritual.

Yes, apologise for getting heated. No, do not back down on your views. You're relied upon as a father to provide emotional guidance to your prodigy whether you know it or not, and whether it's recognised at the the time or not. The witnesses create a strict template for emotions and actions for difficult situations, one which is hard to fill when you have to find your own feet.

You definitely don't deserve a beating for what you did. Almost invariably, the problem is in the manner it's discussed. I think you've done very well to speak your mind, and for god's sake, don't worry about how they interpret you're views. As Oscar Wilde said, 'There's only one thing worse than being talked about, and that's not.'.

Being a good father is the best you can do. Remember you're fighting for your family in this game, which isn't always the same thing as the other team.

And be careful; you know that putting up with persecution is the finest way to hone your devotion.

Keep us informed,

Rush.