by Robert7 30 Replies latest jw friends
One should always start off being polite, OUTLAW, before he ups the ante.
New light for you, your mother's wishes could get her killed. In your place, I would have absolutely no respect for them. If she is angered by you saving her life, at least you have a living angry mother.
They will come when not invited, and in suits.
I have a friend who needed emergency surgery while out of town. He has recently found that it is not the 'truth', but still feels blood is not for him.
He put down that he was a JW, so as not to have have to explaine everything.
Next day ,two elders arrived in his room. One proceeded to chat , while the other looked at his chart. All infront of his wife.
They came the next day too. But my friend had some interesting questions for them regarding the religion.
They didnt come back after that.
They did say they are apart of the Liaison Committee and that it is the soul job to moniter who comes in the Hospitol and claims to be A JW. It's thier special territory sort of.
Robert , I hope your Mother in Law is doing well.
If she is angered by you saving her life, at least you have a living angry mother.
I totally agree! How could anyone hate you for saving them, especially when they don't want to die? The only exception I can think of is if saving them leaves them in some horrible condition, like crippled, where dying maybe was a better option.
I've had an angry mother most of my life.... I honestly think that she would never talk to me. honestly. I really believe her heart would be broken. SHe would perceive that her relationship with Jeh was now 'tarnished' and I would be the reason she wouldn't be in the new system.
Honestly, the fight is out of my hands. She's got the paperwork. I'm an only child and even ONLY relative of hers at all. Lets just hope its not an issue. got 3-1/2 hours to go.
As for the suits, yes they stick out.. but they are 'clergy'. If they were trying to blend and be 'friends' with my mom all of a sudden, that would creep me out more.
Robert,
I went through this in recent history. My mom has been a JW for most of her adult life, along with my father. They raised me in the truth, but as a teen they faded a bit and then came back strong in my early 20's. Because I married a girl in the truth, I was strong until my mid 20's when I began to fade hard and fast. And while I continue to have friends and family in the truth, I have transformed into a person, who - beyond a doubt, knows this is hogwash.
So when my mother was in ICU, and the nurses told me she would not make it through the night without a transfusion - I learned all the "alternative treatments" were nearly useless when you get down to a certain level.
I talked my Dad into going home for a while, to get some rest. He is old and suffers from his own ailments, I told him I would stay the night but that I needed him there for me in the morning so I could rest.
After he left I explained to my mom that when the Bible authors wrote abstain from blood - they were talking about the pagan cow worshippers that were drinking blood and dying from it. Those authors never envisioned a day when blood would be transfused and lives would be saved. And then I told her how the Society has known this for a long time, but if they were to reverse their position they would leave themselves open for a flood of wrongful death lawsuits.
And I told her that Jehovah wants her to live, to help her grandkids and continue being a good example for this family. I couldn't stop crying, and I am not a soft man.
And somehow, something I said took root. And she said ok, and the nurse came in and we filled out all the paper work and I had them remove any hint of the word "Jehovah's Witness" from her paperwork, because I told mom that when they see that, they see "GIVE UP". And that night she had a transfusion, and she lived.
And slowly my father understood what happened, and she told him my reasoning. And while they hated to admit it, they realized I was right.
And her sister, a another lifer, is suspicious, and elders showed up the next day - and I explained to them with tears in my eyes and my fists balled up at my side in a subtle, non-threatening way, that this was a family matter and they were not welcome here.
And maybe it's because I am known to be possibly crazy, like my father, that they have left us alone.
And if they ever try to DF my elderly mother, I will threaten a lawsuit and call a lawyer because it would devastate my mother and there is no need for her to ho through that.
So, stay strong and do not be afraid to say what you need to say, just be smart about it - and discrete. Have faith that God will help you with the means and methods.
...WB
Wow Whataburger... thank you for that story. I never even concieved that she'd be awake and able to reason thru that. That is truly amazing she was able to see the true truth in the face of a transfusion. I think it also shows that they really dont WANT to die and probably would grasp a way to live. Hopefully if for some reason we came to that she would be awake and able to talk about it. I'm so proud how you handled that.
I'm shocked though they didn't DF her, i mean, Shes a sister that ok'ed a transfusion? thats some fancy footwork to get around that!! Good for you, good for her. It IS a family matter and none of their business.
I remember a couple of those boneheads hanging around when my sister-in-law was in the hospital. They do look out of place milling about in suits. I guess they are there partly for support but also to police the situation. Blondie referred to them as the HLC. I hope that hostipals limit their visits to JWs as they are in many cases counter productive to what doctors are trying to do. Outlaw's comment says it all.
I'm shocked though they didn't DF her, i mean, Shes a sister that ok'ed a transfusion? thats some fancy footwork to get around that!!
It is perhaps not so shocking. The recent clarification issued on the blood doctrine (S-55-E 9/10) directed at parents whose children are in a situation that might require the use of blood appears to reinforce the strictures but on close examination seems clearly to be written by lawyers who are seeking to limit the Society's exposure to liability. Most telling are the words to the effect that the parents should seek out a cooperative doctor who will "assure parents that he will do everything he can do to avoid using blood." Read that carefully. If the parent gets that assurance and tell a doctor they are not authorizing a transfusion, they are off the hook, but if a doctor feels he has done everything he can do, then he should feel free to go the extra step and prescribe a transfusion should he deem it necessary.
The WTS is in trouble with its blood doctrine. It changed the rules in 2000 to allow blood fractions and cited New Light for the change. The analogy used is that of someone who leaves a dark room into full sunlight and is blinded by it. Apparently, God does not want us to injure ourselves by giving us too much information all at once. But the analogy fails because the Old Light caused real harm, even deaths, to those who observed it faithfully.
Your mother may not even know about the changes to the rules, which now allow transfusions of hemoglobin from either human or bovine donors. Check out the official Watchtower.org website and type hemoglobin into the search field. Read what it says carefully. It basically says the choice is up to the individual JW based on conscience - this is the ONLY scriptural interpetation about which I am aware that is left to the discretion of the individual.
If you must intervene, intervene. You should not care whether or not your mother gets angry or feels she has lost her ticket to the magic kingdom because the alternative is far worse than you know. You don't know what you've got til it's gone, girl.
I guess mom is an active JW? And it was probably common knowledge throughout the congregation that she was having surgery?
If that's the case, it wouldn't take much work for the elders to figure out where/what/when and show up to give spiritual encouragement enforce WT law.
I've had surgery that caused the blood issue to come up. But I was inactive, not associating with the congregation and I kept my business to myself. My decision (to accept if necessary) was between me and my doctor. No one else had a say in the issue. And I had no elders show up at all ( a scenerio that had crossed my mind) even when the admitting nurse was a JW (who didn't recognize me or my name, but I recognized her)
Mom is done with surgery and fortunately pulled thru and did well. At least we didn't have to worry about blood, this time. She LOVES that they announce it at the hall.. she's a 'lives for the attention' kinda girl.
