Greetings!
Its been a while since I posted here...hope everyone is well.
Some in Canada may read the National Post newspaper...Friday they had an editorial entitled "Halfway between religion and cult", discussing the blood issue as it relates to the the surviving sextuplets in British Columbia, Canada. I decided to respond, and to my suprise it become the "letter of the day", published in this weekend's edition of the Post. Below is what I wrote. Any feedback is welcome.
toronto_guy
Re: Halfway between religion and cult
Having been raised by devout Jehovah's Witness parents, and having been a zealous member of the faith until I was 24 years old, I have followed the B.C. sextuplet case with interest. To their credit, Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in or practice infant baptism, because they feel that a person should be old enough to understand the faith and have a personal relationship with God before committing one's life to him, and to the faith. However, why does this thinking not apply to blood transfusions? Jehovah's Witness babies are not baptized members of the faith, and are therefore not bound its edicts. I don't have an issue with adults making the conscientious decision to reject certain medical treatment on the basis of faith, regardless of how irrational it may be. What bothers me is that fact that, had I faced a life threatening medical condition as a baby that required a blood transfusion, my parents would have fought to ensure that I die instead of breaking the rules of a religion that I, as an adult, no longer have any faith in and no longer practice.