Gordon Watson is a good JW, no doubt (page 3)

Lady Lee

I realize that some people use humor to reduce their discomfort as some things but can we please leave the humor elsewhere.

Personally I don't find this funny at all.

Uzzah

There are two different arrangements for elders to go to hopsitals. The most advertised is the HLC groups regarding blood.

The other arrangement is for "Pastoral visitation." I was one of the elders assigned to 4 local hospitals in my area. I had to go meet up with the hospital chaplaincy and was added to the allowed contacts. If someone was admitted into the hospital and claimed to be a JW I could have a list of their names to go visit them. Or if someone asked for a JW minister I would be called.

IMO This arrangement is the closest thing the JW's have to a 'loving arrangement to help the flock." Not surprisingly it is also the aspect of most congregations that gets ignored.

When I read the story, I immediately got the impression he was there doing such a visitation arrangment. So his being an elder got him into the hospital but then pretended to be a doctor to the patient.

What a sick bastard!!!

Lady Lee

If you click on the link in the first post you can scroll down to the bottom of the page and leave your thoughts

Here are mine

Jehovah's Witnesses have a record of protecting sexual abusers and ignoring the plight of the victims. Most recently they have been in the news (Fifth Estate) for their policies of protecting pedophiles at the expense of child victims and their families. Their policy of having two witnesses to corroborate a sexual assault is beyond absurd. It is criminal. Sadly due to their policies convicted sexual predators have been documented on video going door-to-door preaching as a Jehovah's Witness about their religion. (Fifth Estate, Canada; Dateline, USA; Panorama, UK; Sunday, Australia). They just don't seem to be aware of the terrible damage that is done to the victims or of the secodary victimization by the religion's leaders when they ignore the victims and embrace the abusers.

RunningMan

This is a strange, strange, story. I, too, had the impression that this was a pastoral visit. They are far more common than HLC visits, since the number of cases where blood becomes an issue is a fairly small subset of the total number of hospital visits.

I am very curious to hear the results of the court case. This must be hugely damaging to the Witnesses in Brandon. It's a fairly small city, and news like this would spread like wildfire.

Scully

I have seen various elders at the hospital where I work making "pastoral" visits. These visits are supposed to be made upon the request of the patient.

However....

When my youngest daughter was born, I specifically stated in writing on the admission forms that I did NOT wish to have visits from anyone making "pastoral" visits, including from JWs (I was registered at the hospital as a JW). I was not sick and did not feel that the elders needed to visit, particularly if there were other JWs in the hospital who were sick and would have benefitted from a Shepherding Call? while they were in hospital. On the Wednesday evening at around 9pm (visiting hours were finished at 8pm) a man I didn't know entered my private hospital room and poked his head around the curtain while I was breastfeeding my newborn daughter. It was an elder from the local congregation making a "pastoral" visit. He was by himself.

I had him step outside while I covered up properly. When he came back in the room he began to close the door and I had to tell him to leave the door open. Claiming that a closed room would make me claustrophobic worked like a charm. Then I asked him how he got my name and location. He said that the Brothers? making pastoral visits had access to hospital records listing all patients of a particular faith and that I was on the list. (Lucky me! ) I asked if he realized that I wasn't sick, that I was being discharged in the morning with my newborn, and that I had declined in writing to have pastoral visits since I felt that someone who was really sick would have benefitted more from a Shepherding Call?. He told me that he had noted my specific written request, but thought it was strange for a JW to refuse a visit that was supposed to be "encouraging". I guess he wasn't used to being told "NO".

At the time, the whole incident creeped me out. Now it just makes me angry.

That is why I will keep saying this until I am blue in the face: If you do not want JW elders to find you in the hospital, make sure you do not have "JW" listed in your hospital records!!

Love, Scully

Lady Lee

Scully that would totally freak me out too and piss me off afterwards

Nathan Natas

Scully, do you remember what the elder who visited you looked like?

Can we get a photo of Gordon Watson?

I wonder...

Gadget

He told me that he had noted my specific written request, but thought it was strange for a JW to refuse a visit that was supposed to be "encouraging".

Did you tell the hospital about this at the time? I wonder what they would have thought about people delibrately ignoring the written requests of patients.....

Scully

Gadget:

No, I didn't report the incident to hospital staff at the time. The cool thing is that I actually work as a nurse there now on that very ward, so I am in a position to "persuade" people to leave if and when an unwelcome visitor shows up. I've suggested various ways of doing this which have been implemented into our practice.

Nathan:

Since it happened over 10 years ago, my memory of his appearance is rather vague (medium height and build, gray hair with receding hairline, pointy nose, dark suit). But I have his name written down in my daughter's "First Year" book, and it is not Gordon Watson. Not even close.

Love, Scully

Nathan Natas

I'm relieved to hear that, Scully.

Gordon Watson is a good JW, no doubt

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