Yes.
And my son would have received blood when he needed it.
Really? Ok, I won't doubt your words, as I don't know you or your circumstances. However, there are countless cases of JWs who have fought within the court systems to have their bloodless decision respected, which shows that many of them are genuinely determined to not let anything stand in their way of "respecting God before Men". If you were a "spiritually strong" JW once, you will know what I'm talking about.
Not after I had been indoctrinated from birth.
But
without the Watchtower indoctrination and false information, I most
likely would have accepted blood like any other person (including almost
all Christians)
How many JW would refuse blood without being told to do so by Watchtower Inc.? Without being pressured by elders and Hospital Contact Gestapo Committees? Without fear of being shunned by all friends and family?
My guess: almost none.
Just
like nowadays almost no JW would refuse an organ transplant on
religious reasons, but some decades ago almost all of them would
have...because Watchtower told them so.
I agree that this decision is one all JWs take based on an interpretation given to them by the WT. And I understand some might be influenced into making such a decision because they do not want to suffer the consequences put upon them by JW doctrine if they falter. However, to say that ALL JWs refuse blood because of fear of discipline is simply not true. You can't paint all with a such a broad brush.
I personally know a few stories of witnesses who have been determined to not accept blood, even if it meant death and I know that these witnesses were not making such decisions because they were afraid of discipline; rather, they made the choice because they felt it was the right one. They accepted the doctrine the WT preached, and made it their own, and thus it became part of their "individual conscience". They had a genuine strong belief that taking in blood would be a serious sin before God's eyes and that death from refusing it would be acceptable, since they would surely return in the resurrection
To claim that all JWs are superficial and not strongly determined to follow these doctrines is simply not true.
Through Watchtower Inc., the GB tells JW what to do, to
their disadvantage. If a government wants to stop an organization/legal
entity to issue instructions, it's fully within their rights.
But here's what no one has been able to argue against:
-Since when have government bans been effective in stopping JWs from promoting their message? Specially when there is an already existing thriving JW community within the country. They only have a contrary effect. Look at authoritarian government history and see how clandestine JW communities have only been reinforced in their belief.
-Taking into account the first point, now one must remember that these are real people that will suffer real pain. These are not just statistical numbers when it comes to JWs that will finally have to abide by the "rights of a government to stop an organization". Think if your JW sister/brother/son/daughter were in Russia. They will possibly face real pain. Persecution, possible jail time, public humiliation and ridicule, beatings, constant searches and scrutiny from the authorities, having to live in an "underground" situation etc.
Now, If you want to try to justify this real pain/persecution with the idea that "well, it's for the good of humanity to stop JWs", then we must remember as per point number 1, it JUST ISN'T TRUE that gov bans stop JWs. They thrive under persecution, it feeds their message and fans their fire. History has shown this. (Look at today's daily text as an example (6/11/2016) )
No matter what, two wrongs do not make a right. There is no way around it.
