@TD:
Irrelevant. It’s not about medical facts, it’s about the religion’s blood doctrine and free choice. I read the article and there are a lot of pages dedicated to how the WTS got the medical facts incorrect. Irrelevant.
The WTS is requiring its members to refuse blood transfusions on the basis of their scriptural interpretations, not medical science. Yes, they talk about all these things as a secondary point. But it’s not the primary reason for refusing transfusions.
Are you saying that if the WTS came out with a corrected brochure about blood, JWs would start to accept blood transfusions? No way. They would still say, “Looks like blood is a lot safer now. But the scripture is clear, and those scriptures are binding. So to be in our club you have to agree to this rule, even if you die.” And they actually *have* made that quite clear.
The article’s example about the Moonies is different because the Moonies didn’t tell the potential members until after they were members. The WTS hides nothing and is quite clear - you don’t take them, even if you die.
The article references the Catholic Church and child molestation. Again, apples and... elephants. Nobody willingly, making their own choice, volunteers to be molested.
Perhaps some judge somewhere would be willing to rule that JWs can’t make this choice, but I would argue this is a gigantic mistake. It undermines freedom of association, and gives way too much power to people willing to tell others what is “good” and “bad”.
