Posts by OrphanCrow

28

When you were Hard-Core JW, did Opponents Screaming or Filming you help your Exit?

by PokerPlayerPhil in

all of us are upset in different ways, some of us are ferociously angry because, let's face it, it's our fault!

i had many clues they were lying about our religion but i failed to see through them because of the pain of admitting we got conned and family pressure from peers stopped me from making a courageous choice.

when i read about people who confronted the elders and won their judicial committees (even though the jw elders df'ed them) my heart goes out to their courage, their amazingly stronger than i will ever be.

OrphanCrow

You sound like an apologist

I am not an apologist. I just understand the dynamics of the type of situation you are speaking of. And I understand what activism and public protest entails. I also understand that some protests do far more harm than good by the way that they are carried out.

They did not enter anyone's personal space. The memorial is a public event.

The Memorial may be a public event, but the Kingdom Hall itself is the 'personal space' of the JWs. You know that.

Also, your claim that that type of protest would never reach anyone is unproven

I didn't make that claim. I said that if you save one person, that it comes at the cost of destroying many others' chances at being saved. Please do not say that I have said something I didn't.

What is proven, though, is that aggressive action by others towards either the abuser or the victim results in a tighter bond between the two. This is common and accepted knowledge within the field of psychology.

Did you not read the link I posted in the other thread about Stockholm Syndrome? If you didn't, you should.

51

NEW 2012 Elders book with 2015 Amendments

by Newly Enlightened in

thanks to jw archive wiki we have a pdf of the new elders book.. https://www.dropbox.com/s/mz9z38909t3fh7c/2012-shepherd-the-flock-of-god-ks10_e.pdf?dl=0.

OrphanCrow

The following questions should be answered with regard
to the accuser: (1) What is the level of maturity
of the child or youth? (2) Is he (or she) describing
conduct that one his age would not normally know
about? (3) Is the child or his parents known to be serious,
mature? (4) Is his memory consistent, or is it
intermittent, or does it involve repressed memories?

Ugh, That just makes my stomach churn. Window washers are not qualified to make those judgments or even to ask the appropriate questions required to determine the answers without re-traumatizing the child accuser.

Since when do unqualified people know enough about 'repressed memories' to make an accurate decision about the validity of a child's memory?? Eh...I will answer that. They don't. A JW elder knows fuck all about memories, repressed or not.

Elders are not psychologists by any stretch of the imagination and by following the WTS directed behavior they are harming the victim even further..

28

When you were Hard-Core JW, did Opponents Screaming or Filming you help your Exit?

by PokerPlayerPhil in

all of us are upset in different ways, some of us are ferociously angry because, let's face it, it's our fault!

i had many clues they were lying about our religion but i failed to see through them because of the pain of admitting we got conned and family pressure from peers stopped me from making a courageous choice.

when i read about people who confronted the elders and won their judicial committees (even though the jw elders df'ed them) my heart goes out to their courage, their amazingly stronger than i will ever be.

OrphanCrow

Ninja: Non violent protest should not be demonized. Even if it doesn't cause droves of people to question their religion, it may just reach one person that experiences it. That one person is a difference maker.

I am not sure what you mean by "non violent protest", Ninja. I am going to assume that your comment relates to the recent display by some young, immature men at the Memorial.

A violent act does not need to be defined by whether or not it causes physical injury - many acts are violent in nature by the virtue of aggressiveness. There is a big difference between aggressiveness and assertiveness.

Aggressiveness attacks other people's space - assertiveness is about claiming your own space.

The nature of the relationship between the JW adherents and the WTS is an abusive and controlling one. And, with that in mind, any attacks or aggressive methods only serve to tighten the bond between the WTS and the JW.

So, your comment that "it may just reach one person that experiences it. That one person is a difference maker" is a fallacy. That one person comes at a pretty high price - the aggressive actions required to 'save' that one person can, and does, throw all the other JWs under the bus, who could potentially be reached with more sophisticated methods. For every one you 'save', you sacrifice the countless others who could be 'saved' but instead are pushed into an even tighter relationship with the WTS by that aggressive action.

21

Do JWs suffer from Stockholm Syndrome?

by campaign of hate in

jw
friends

this topic is what what it says on the tin.

do jws suffer/are suffering, from stockholm syndrome?.

getting abused (mentally) and then seem to form a relationship with the captives (wtbts).. there is also a condition called oslo syndrome, but haven't read up much about it.. personally, i think i might be suffering from the former.. would love to get a few opinions.....

OrphanCrow

sparrowdown: But would I be right in concluding that "mind control" is on a spectrum with the WT being somewhere in the middle?

If you were to place "mind control" on a spectrum, I would place the WT in the 'high' category.

The WTS/JWs are a high control cult. They don't even need the geographical isolation that some suicide cults employ - they manage to control their members by isolating them within the culture at large. And, they even manage to convince their members to die to prove their loyalty. That is high control, not medium.

77

Blood Transfusion: Letter of Understanding

by defender of truth in

http://ajwrb.org/science/blood-transfusion-letter-of-understanding.

"every parent among jehovahs witnesses worried about how local watchtower appointed elders will respond to letting their child have blood transfusion without opposing it should download this letter of understanding and be ready to hand a copy to them.

then ask those elders to leave them (the parents) and doctors alone to concentrate on the childs best interests.".

OrphanCrow

...this letter is quietly making its rounds in the U.S...
I remember everyone involved was shocked (and relieved Im sure) that such a thing existed.

This is an important document that could mean the difference between life and death. A person would think that the Letter of Understanding should receive just as much attention as the LARS document and medical directive that all JWs are encouraged to sign.

It is strange that the Letter of Understanding isn't promoted in their anti-blood propaganda when it is such a serious matter.

Why not?

21

Do JWs suffer from Stockholm Syndrome?

by campaign of hate in

jw
friends

this topic is what what it says on the tin.

do jws suffer/are suffering, from stockholm syndrome?.

getting abused (mentally) and then seem to form a relationship with the captives (wtbts).. there is also a condition called oslo syndrome, but haven't read up much about it.. personally, i think i might be suffering from the former.. would love to get a few opinions.....

OrphanCrow

Do JWs suffer/are suffering, from Stockholm syndrome?

Absolutely they do.

http://drjoecarver.makeswebsites.com/clients/49355/File/love_and_stockholm_syndrome.html

(the 'victim' is the JW and the 'abuser' is the WTS):

Every syndrome has symptoms or behaviors and Stockholm Syndrome is no exception. While a clear-cut list has not been established due to varying opinions by researchers and experts, several of these features will be present:

Positive feelings by the victim toward the abuser/controller
Negative feelings by the victim toward family, friends, or authorities trying to rescue/support them or win their release
Support of the abuser’s reasons and behaviors
Positive feelings by the abuser toward the victim
Supportive behaviors by the victim, at times helping the abuser
Inability to engage in behaviors that may assist in their release or detachment

It has been found that four situations or conditions are present that serve as a foundation for the development of Stockholm Syndrome. These four situations can be found in hostage, severe abuse, and abusive relationships:

The presence of a perceived threat to one’s physical or psychological survival and the belief that the abuser would carry out the threat.
The presence of a perceived small kindness from the abuser to the victim
Isolation from perspectives other than those of the abuser
The perceived inability to escape the situation

The relationship that JWs have with the WTS is a classic case of Stockholm Syndrome.

34

Pregnant women refuses blood

by Giordano in

http://jehovahswitnessreport.com/blog/jw-refusal-of-blood-transfusion-mother-and-baby-die#more-4001.

a 28-year-old woman and her unborn child have died because of the womans decision not to accept a lifesaving blood transfusion.. doctors at the royal hospital for women and prince of wales hospital in randwick, sydney, australia, have described the harrowing effect on hospital staff of two otherwise avoidable deaths.. the woman, a jehovahs witness, was seven months into her pregnancy when it was discovered she had leukaemia.. amy corderoy, health editor, reporting in the sydney morning herald states,.

more than 80% of pregnant women suffering from the cancer, called acute promyelocytic leukaemia, will go into remission with proper treatment, and the outlook for their babies is good.. .

OrphanCrow

What is really disturbing about this incident is that it highlights the gender imbalance inside the JWs.

JW women are at a higher risk of dying from refusing blood than the men who make up the rules are. JW women have no say whatsoever in making the rules, and they are the ones most affected by them.

A core belief among members of the Jehovah’s Witness (JW) faith is that they will not accept blood transfusion or its primary components, including red and white blood cells, platelets and plasma, even when such transfusion could be life-saving1. This poses potential problems for obstetric services worldwide because obstetric haemorrhage remains a major cause of maternal mortality and morbidity2,3. Indeed, there is a general consensus that morbidity and mortality rates in association with childbirth are higher in these women than in the general population4–7. In the largest observational study in the USA, Singla et al. reported that JW women were at increased risk of maternal death and that blood loss was the major factor4. In the UK, the largest descriptive obstetric study of JW reported a 65-fold increased risk of maternal death compared to the national rate. In addition, there was significant haemorrhage (>1,000 mL) in 6% of all of Caesarean sections5.
More recently, a study from the Netherlands reported that compared to the non-JW Dutch population, JW women had a 6-fold higher risk of all causes of maternal death, a 130-fold increased risk of maternal death because of major obstetric haemorrhage and a 3-fold higher risk of maternal morbidity because of obstetric haemorrhage6. Other earlier studies support these views, both for obstetric and gynaecological operations7.
It is estimated that there are approximately 6 million JW worldwide, about 150,000 of whom reside in the UK. Thus JW women constitute a significant group at high surgical risk. Apart from menstrual blood loss and childbirth, the vulnerability of JW women as a group is further increased by the significant proportion of African women who are members, since these women have a high incidence of fibroid disease, and, therefore, a preponderance of menorrhagia and iron deficiency anaemia.

When it comes to the blood doctrine, being a JW woman is a high risk position to take - far riskier than the men who tell them what to do.

77

Blood Transfusion: Letter of Understanding

by defender of truth in

http://ajwrb.org/science/blood-transfusion-letter-of-understanding.

"every parent among jehovahs witnesses worried about how local watchtower appointed elders will respond to letting their child have blood transfusion without opposing it should download this letter of understanding and be ready to hand a copy to them.

then ask those elders to leave them (the parents) and doctors alone to concentrate on the childs best interests.".

OrphanCrow

I wish that document had been in place 40 years ago. My son would not have had to go through what he did if it had been. He would have got blood when he needed it.

I had no choice in the matter - I was a minor teenage mom. It's funny how the 'mature minor' clause didn't apply to me when I objected to the elders' interference.

34

Pregnant women refuses blood

by Giordano in

http://jehovahswitnessreport.com/blog/jw-refusal-of-blood-transfusion-mother-and-baby-die#more-4001.

a 28-year-old woman and her unborn child have died because of the womans decision not to accept a lifesaving blood transfusion.. doctors at the royal hospital for women and prince of wales hospital in randwick, sydney, australia, have described the harrowing effect on hospital staff of two otherwise avoidable deaths.. the woman, a jehovahs witness, was seven months into her pregnancy when it was discovered she had leukaemia.. amy corderoy, health editor, reporting in the sydney morning herald states,.

more than 80% of pregnant women suffering from the cancer, called acute promyelocytic leukaemia, will go into remission with proper treatment, and the outlook for their babies is good.. .

OrphanCrow

OC - you do realize I was being sarcastic? I hate their stinking blood policies as much as the next person.

Yeah, I know...I was just adding a comment...apparently...;)

We should have a sarcasm button to hit when we want to make it clear.

77

Blood Transfusion: Letter of Understanding

by defender of truth in

http://ajwrb.org/science/blood-transfusion-letter-of-understanding.

"every parent among jehovahs witnesses worried about how local watchtower appointed elders will respond to letting their child have blood transfusion without opposing it should download this letter of understanding and be ready to hand a copy to them.

then ask those elders to leave them (the parents) and doctors alone to concentrate on the childs best interests.".

OrphanCrow

Marvin, the Letter of Understanding that you posted on your site pertains to a hospital in Canada.

Do you know if this document is used anywhere besides Canada?