IT HAS BEGUN "BIG" NEWS ON AP NEWS WIRE

by DannyHaszard 402 Replies latest watchtower medical

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  z

  Is Canada No part of the world?????????
  
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  z

  ops
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  Honesty

  In all fairnesss I had to support the Watchtower's position on many of its doctrines by referencing a few of their publications a few minutes ago in the FEEDBACK section of the Victoria, Texas ADVOCATE: Bob Evans had this to say on Monday, January 30, 2006 8:29 am

  Discrepancies with the Watchtower's blood policy are not their only faux pas. While claiming to use the Bible as their source of ultimate authority they dishonor God by usurping His word if it contradicts their doctrines. They have a bible version that is inconsistent in its rendering of Greek words such as "worship" and "Lord" which can be seen in their own Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures which they have taken out of print. Many of their single magazines have been 'revised' when collated and compiled into their yearly bound volumes. The Watchtower Society actually supported Adolph Hitler in 1933 and 1934 which is documented in the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society's publication, "1934 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses." The mere fact that the Watchtower has stated in their literature that the Bible is ambigous (having a double meaning) suggests that the Watchtower's doctrines and quoted references should be scrutinised thoroughly by every active Jehovah's Witness instead of them accepting at face value what this multi-million dollar publishing and real estate giant promotes as truth dispensed through God's only approved channel to mankind (their words, not mine as I discovered too late that they have never been approved by God since their beginnings in the 19th Century).

  I sincerely hope this clears up any misconceptions that thinking people have about the WatchTower Bible and Tract Society.

  Bob Evans

  Walland, TN.
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  detective

  fantast
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  detective

  Fantastic. Excellent news.
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  Dansk

  ''Any argument challenging the validity of this religious belief inappropriately trespasses into profoundly theological and doctrinal matters,'' Brumley stated.

  In other words, Watchtower is running so scared it is using the "freedom of religion" banner to try and hide behind instead of coming right out into the open where it will be found its lies have caused untold deaths due to members refusing blood transfusions. Most courts are afraid of getting involved with religious issues and Watchtower knows this. The BIG NEWS information tackles the problem outside of the religious angle by highlighting misinformation and lies. It is this aspect that Watchtower can be found guilty on and it knows it.

  Ian
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  DannyHaszard

  Blood transfusion ban of Jehovah's Witnesses is more complex than many realize Missoulian - 7 minutes ago NEW YORK - Jehovah's Witnesses are renowned for teaching that Jesus is not God and that the world as we know it will soon end. But another unusual belief causes even more entanglements - namely, that God forbids blood transfusions even when patients' lives are at stake. Montana usa Blood transfusion ban of Jehovah's Witnesses is more complex than many realize By RICHARD N. OSTLING - Associated Press

  Attorney Kerry Louderback-Wood poses in the law library of Henderson Franklin law firm in Fort Myers, Fla., Jan. 23, 2006. Louderback-Wood has written a major academic critique of the Jehovah's Witnesses blood policy. Photo by LUIS M. ALVAREZ/Associated Press

  NEW YORK - Jehovah's Witnesses are renowned for teaching that Jesus is not God and that the world as we know it will soon end. But another unusual belief causes even more entanglements - namely, that God forbids blood transfusions even when patients' lives are at stake.
  
  The doctrine's importance will be underscored next week as elders who lead more than 98,000 congregations worldwide recite a new five-page blood directive from headquarters.
  
  The tightly disciplined sect believes the Bible forbids transfusions, though specifics have gradually been eased over the years. Raymond Franz, a defector from the all-powerful Governing Body that sets policies for the faith, thinks leaders hesitate to go further for fear that total elimination of the ban would expose the organization to millions of dollars in legal liability over past medical cases.

  The Witnesses have opposed transfusions of whole blood since 1945. A later pronouncement also barred transfusions of blood's “primary components,” meaning red cells, white cells, platelets and plasma.
  
  An announcement in 2000 in the official Watchtower magazine, however, said that because of ambiguity in the Bible, individuals are free to decide about therapies using the biological compounds that make up those four blood components, such as gamma globulin and clotting factors that counteract hemophilia.
  
  Next week's directive could create confusion about these compounds, known as blood “fractions.”
  
  Without noting the 2000 change, the new directive tells parents to consider this: “Can any doctor or hospital give complete assurance that blood or blood fractions will not be used in treatment of a minor?”
  
  Aside from the new directive, a footnote in the Witnesses' standard brochure, “How Can Blood Save Your Life?,” mentions the 2000 article on fractions - but then omits its contents.
  
  By coincidence, next week's directive follows some heavy criticism of the blood transfusion policy from attorney Kerry Louderback-Wood of Fort Myers, Fla., writing in the Journal of Church and State, published by Baylor University.
  
  Louderback-Wood, who was raised a Witness but now has no religious affiliation, accuses her former faith of giving “inaccurate and possibly dishonest arguments” to believers facing crucial medical decisions.
  
  Louderback-Wood complains that many Witnesses and physicians aren't given clear instruction about their faith's blood transfusion policy, particularly on the subject of fractions.
  
  She's no disinterested bystander. The lawyer says her mother died from severe anemia in 2004 because local elders didn't realize hemoglobin is permitted.
  
  Louderback-Wood learned that hemoglobin was allowed from the Web site of Associated Jehovah's Witnesses for Reform on Blood, which was founded in 1997 by dissenting local elders, eight of whom served on Hospital Liaison Committees that advise Witnesses and physicians.
  
  The founder of Associated Jehovah's Witnesses, speaking on condition of anonymity to protect his standing in a faith that does not tolerate dissent, says liaison committee members know about the revised teachings, but most Witnesses automatically refuse all forms of blood without consulting the committees. Physicians are often ill-informed about Witness beliefs, he says.
  
  Louderback-Wood thinks the faith is subject to legal liability for misinforming adherents, which to her knowledge is an untested theory in U.S. courts. Related issues arise in a pending lawsuit in Calgary, Alberta, however, over the alleged “wrongful death” of teenage leukemia patient Bethany Hughes.
  
  Witnesses headquarters refused an Associated Press request to interview an expert on blood beliefs. Instead, General Counsel Philip Brumley issued a prepared statement rejecting Louderback-Wood's “analysis and conclusions” in general.
  
  “Any argument challenging the validity of this religious belief inappropriately trespasses into profoundly theological and doctrinal matters,” Brumley stated.
  
  The Watchtower's 1945 ban said “all worshippers of Jehovah who seek eternal life in his new world” must obey. Such edicts are regarded as divine law, since the Governing Body uniquely directs true believers. Violators risk ostracism by family and friends.
  
  A subsequent Watchtower pronouncement forbade storage of a patient's own blood for later transfusion. In all, Associated Jehovah's Witnesses lists 20 shifts and refinements in blood-related rules over the years.
  
  At the core of their blood beliefs, Witnesses cite Acts 15:29, where Jesus' apostles agreed that Gentile converts should “keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols and from blood.” The Witnesses also cite passages in Genesis and Leviticus.
  
  Judaism and Christianity have always understood these scriptures to ban blood-eating for nourishment. This underlies Judaism's kosher procedures to extract blood from meat, which Witnesses do not follow. Christianity eventually decided the rule was temporary.
  
  Experts assume that Raymond Franz's late uncle, Frederick Franz, who served anonymously as the Witnesses' chief theologian, decided those passages cover blood transfusions. But Raymond Franz raises questions about the blood policy in his book “In Search of Christian Freedom.” Among them:
  
  n Why forbid a patient's own stored blood yet permit components derived from large amounts of donated and stored blood?
  
  n Why allow organ transplants, which introduce far more foreign white blood cells than transfusions?
  
  n The Witnesses forbid plasma, which is mostly water, but allow the components in it that provide therapy. So what's the point of banning plasma?
  
  Advances in bloodless surgery have reduced medical dangers for Witnesses in the United States, but Associated Jehovah's Witnesses maintains the blood policy is a life-threatening problem elsewhere.
  
  Louderback-Wood says she'll be contented if her protest saves one child's life.
  
  On the Net
  
  Witnesses' official brochure: www.watchtower.org/library/hb
  
  Dissenters' data: www.ajwrb.org ; www.jwtruth.com http://www.missoulian.com/contact/ contact page
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  AK - Jeff

  A friend shared the Saturday Fort Wayne Journal Gazette article with me - I had not been able to find it in their website. Anyway it is identical with the standard AP version with the addition of the following comments between the paragraphs cited below.

  Louderback-Wood, who was raised a Witness but now has no religious affiliation, accuses her former faith of giving “inaccurate and possibly dishonest arguments” to believers facing crucial medical decisions.
  
  "We're not out to argue with those people", says Richard Dellinger, city overseer in Fort Wayne and a member of the Hospital Liaison Committee for Jehovah's Witnesses. "The matters of Jehovah's Witnesses are not generally brought before the public in TV and radio and newspapers by Jehovah's Witnesses.," he says. "We communicate within our organization, and we know that we are following Bible principles just like the apostles in the early church did."

  Dellinger says the Bible is "very clear to abstain from blood." He adds, "it didn't say you could make an exception if some doctor says you need a transfusion."Louderback-Wood complains that many Witnesses and physicians aren't given clear instruction about their faith's blood transfusion policy, particularly on the subject of fractions.

  The local elder's comments are the only deviation from the original AP story I could find. I highlight them here in red. It would be interesting to see if his response was 'canned' and came from Brooklyn. I did not look at all the paper's coverage listed on this thread - did any other local elder's make an identical comment?

  Jeff
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  DannyHaszard

  did any other local elder's make an identical comment?

  As far as i know he is the only one for now-Danny
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  DannyHaszard

  unrelated to the "big"news but on the wire and you can add a comment Ferghana.Ru news agency, I. Rotar, 30.01.2006
  Ferghana.ru, Russia - 26 minutes ago
  ... Why Jehovah's Witnesses are outlawed. The ... cult. Learn more by doing a keyword search of "Jehovah's Witnesses and see for yourself.
  Igor Rotar: Religious organizations officially registered in ... Ferghana.ru
  all 2 related » http://enews.ferghana.ru/detail.php?id=44088673843.021,1520,17822841 ADD COMMENT here