Posts by Marvin Shilmer

14

Please take a moment to read my daughters story.

by Racheljr in

silenced for so long she has found her voice.. ladies and gentlemen meet my incredibly brave daughter.

http://jehovahswitnessreport.com/blog/courtney-parker-tells-her-story-of-8-years-of-child-sex-abuse-by-jw-elder-david-dennis.

Marvin Shilmer

Dear Rachel,,

Reading your and Courtney's experience brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for sharing, and I'm so glad for Courtney that she found a time and means to deal with what was done to her, at least to the extent it's possible to do so.

These incidents remind me of all the times as JWs we were told how one signal of "the last days" was the presence of "no natural affection". It turns out the very religion harping about "no natural affection" as a sign of "the end" has twisted the whole concept of "natural affection" onto its head by failing to out-pour affection that should come naturally to a person victimized as was your child.

Then I'm reminded of another biblical text talking about how God had given up individuals to a disapproved mental state. These very individuals are said to have "no natural affection". The mental disease is among those who have lost their natural ability to recognize who needs their affection and to share it accordingly.

Who lacks "natural affection" is plainly evident in the experience of you and Courtney. It's just such a shame that so many have been led to think and act like this. Such a shame.

Thanks for sharing this!

10

Over 96% Accept 99%!

by Marvin Shilmer in

jw
friends

today i added a new article to my blog that shares a bit of astounding evidence of just how ridiculous it is for a jw to tell anyone anywhere that jws abstain from transfusion of blood, and plasma in particular.

this article is based on two studies authored by medical staff at duke university's center for blood conservation, a program that is heavily touted by the active "noblood" crowd among jws.

one of these studies contains a real whopper of a piece of information!

Marvin Shilmer

"Isn't blood plasma 95% water? (by volume) Or are these percentages without the water?"

The percentages presented in my article represent the total volume of what is found in a typical bag of fresh frozen plasma. This of course includes the important constituent of water.

Our body is composed mostly of water. I've read estimates that whole blood is composed of 80 to 95 percent water.

Just like cellular structures (which also have water as a primary constituent) are suspended in the liquid plasma component of blood, so are clotting factors and various proteins and salts suspended in water making the liquid plasma.

When I hear someone say something like "Plasma is mostly just water" it is often said to minimize what plasma is as a biological substance. I'm not suggesting that's the case here. It's just an observation I'm sharing based on experience.

10

Over 96% Accept 99%!

by Marvin Shilmer in

jw
friends

today i added a new article to my blog that shares a bit of astounding evidence of just how ridiculous it is for a jw to tell anyone anywhere that jws abstain from transfusion of blood, and plasma in particular.

this article is based on two studies authored by medical staff at duke university's center for blood conservation, a program that is heavily touted by the active "noblood" crowd among jws.

one of these studies contains a real whopper of a piece of information!

Marvin Shilmer

Today i added a new article to my blog that shares a bit of astounding evidence of just how ridiculous it is for a JW to tell anyone anywhere that JWs abstain from transfusion of blood, and plasma in particular.

This article is based on two studies authored by medical staff at Duke University's Center for Blood Conservation, a program that is heavily touted by the active "noblood" crowd among JWs. One of these studies contains a real whopper of a piece of information!

The article is titled: Over 96% Accept 99%!

3

Blood collection agency's novel approach to JWs and blood donation

by Marvin Shilmer in

jw
friends

today i added an article to my blog advertising a novel approach taken by a major blood collection agency that potentially taps a previously unthinkable source for blood product donation.. my article is titled american blood centers' approach to jehovah's witnesses donating blood.. we can only wonder how bethel fields calls steered from this source.

.

Marvin Shilmer

"I have never seen the distinction made that if it is to be used for fractions, it is permissible. I would like for this to be so."

I haven't done this in several years, but at one time a JW could phone Bethel and ask "Since we can accept fractions from blood that has been donated by someone can we donate blood strictly for the purpose of having fractions extracted for another JW who needs it for transfusion?" and they'd get the answer, "Yes, so long as the rest is thrown away."

Once when I spoke with insider Fred Rusk I went further by asking why this was not published information. His response haunts me to this day. He said, "It's not something we want to talk up."

3

Blood collection agency's novel approach to JWs and blood donation

by Marvin Shilmer in

jw
friends

today i added an article to my blog advertising a novel approach taken by a major blood collection agency that potentially taps a previously unthinkable source for blood product donation.. my article is titled american blood centers' approach to jehovah's witnesses donating blood.. we can only wonder how bethel fields calls steered from this source.

.

Marvin Shilmer

Today I added an article to my blog advertising a novel approach taken by a major blood collection agency that potentially taps a previously unthinkable source for blood product donation.

My article is titled American Blood Centers' Approach to Jehovah's Witnesses Donating Blood.

We can only wonder how Bethel fields calls steered from this source.

24

would it have been different if we knew why?

by sowhatnow in

i always took issue with the idea of no one knowing why a person got df.. i know im not alone.. i complained to my mother about this when i was younger, explaining that how do we know what it is that gets a person df if no one knows what they did?

my moms answer was , .

'if people knew a persons personal faults and what they did , others would not be so forgiving when they were reinstated, because we'd always view them with that view, so in other words, if when so n so, committed fornication, and the whole cong would know it, if they announced from the platform then his/her reputation would be permanently stained' .

Marvin Shilmer

"I think they've discovered this gives them more power as they can effectively silence anyone and not have to explain why"

Bingo!

55

Are we pro-shunning or against it?

by Simon in

just to continue my theme about religious freedom and how we approach criticizing the wts, i've also been thinking about 'shunning'.. i think shunning is the most unifying complaint that most ex-members of religious groups that practice it have in common.

it is the layer that runs under every other complaint - whatever the reason for leaving it seems "... and i was shunned" can be added to it as the final rap on the charge sheet.. of course it seems like a no-brainer to many of us and we hardly ever stop to really think about it - shunning is bad, the watchtower believes in shunning therefore the watchtower is bad.

they need to stop it.

Marvin Shilmer

"As others stated, forced shunning is the issue. But, for the record, Paul NEVER said to shun. He said to "stop keeping company" or "stop associating". There's a BIG difference in shunning and avoiding."

You presume.

I have not cited the biblical incident as though it presents a model for shunning as Watchtower would have JWs shun.

Otherwise the distinction you attempt of shunning versus avoiding is amusing. Avoiding is an instance of shunning.

55

Are we pro-shunning or against it?

by Simon in

just to continue my theme about religious freedom and how we approach criticizing the wts, i've also been thinking about 'shunning'.. i think shunning is the most unifying complaint that most ex-members of religious groups that practice it have in common.

it is the layer that runs under every other complaint - whatever the reason for leaving it seems "... and i was shunned" can be added to it as the final rap on the charge sheet.. of course it seems like a no-brainer to many of us and we hardly ever stop to really think about it - shunning is bad, the watchtower believes in shunning therefore the watchtower is bad.

they need to stop it.

Marvin Shilmer

"Because they do fear the laws that they cannot win."

Yes. That is the thing that undermines a critical difference between Watchtower's shunning program versus the instance Watchtower leverages from scripture.

The biblical instance has the local church membership informed precisely the sin for which the subject should be shunned. It didn't matter what the local "judicial" ramification could have been. But that's not what Watchtower does, and has never even attempted.

Telling is all the time and money Watchtower has spent over the years with legal wrangling to let parents opt to let their children suffer premature death rather than acquiesce to blood transfusion, yet Watchtower has at no time spent the same time and money assert a right to inform local church members of the sin for which a particular person should be shunned. Watchtower has never fought legally for this right because Watchtower does not want to always inform local membership of the supposed sin for which a member is to be shunned for.

Watchtower likes the circumstance where it can orchestrate the shunning of a person who's sin is to demand answers to questions that deserve answer.

55

Are we pro-shunning or against it?

by Simon in

just to continue my theme about religious freedom and how we approach criticizing the wts, i've also been thinking about 'shunning'.. i think shunning is the most unifying complaint that most ex-members of religious groups that practice it have in common.

it is the layer that runs under every other complaint - whatever the reason for leaving it seems "... and i was shunned" can be added to it as the final rap on the charge sheet.. of course it seems like a no-brainer to many of us and we hardly ever stop to really think about it - shunning is bad, the watchtower believes in shunning therefore the watchtower is bad.

they need to stop it.

Marvin Shilmer

They didn't have libel / slander laws back in those days.

Laws haven't bothered Watchtower when it wants to practice something. Watchtower just does what it wants under a banner of freedom of religion and asserts it as a theological position untouchable by courts in lands that embrace religious freedom as an inalienable right.

Watchtower does this with military induction. If a JW wants to join the military Watchtower has local elders treat the person as disassociated. But at least everyone knows why the person is, in effect, disfellowshipped. Watchtower does the exact same thing with JWs who conscientiously accept transfusion of blood.

If Watchtower wanted to do this with other "sins" it could. But it does not want to enable this level of transparency across the board because it would let elders reveal to everyone that Johnny disassociated because he was demanding answers to questions that deserved answers.

And, by the way, the slander/libel law in ancient times was that community leadership would stone you to death if they didn't like what you were saying.

55

Are we pro-shunning or against it?

by Simon in

just to continue my theme about religious freedom and how we approach criticizing the wts, i've also been thinking about 'shunning'.. i think shunning is the most unifying complaint that most ex-members of religious groups that practice it have in common.

it is the layer that runs under every other complaint - whatever the reason for leaving it seems "... and i was shunned" can be added to it as the final rap on the charge sheet.. of course it seems like a no-brainer to many of us and we hardly ever stop to really think about it - shunning is bad, the watchtower believes in shunning therefore the watchtower is bad.

they need to stop it.

Marvin Shilmer

I think the average ex-JW or JW who dislikes Watchtower's shunning program is not because either objects to the notion of shunning but, rather, because the method used by Watchtower lacks transparency and employs star-chamber tactics.

By comparison, the biblical instance where Paul supposedly recommended a congregation shun an individual he went on to tell everyone the precise reason for his recommendation. Supposedly the man was immorally living with his own father's wife. Okay. So now members of that congregation knew the issue and could therefore decide whether they would shun the individual. Watchtower's program does not do this. The supposed "sin" for which a JW might be shunned for could be a completely moral act of demanding answer to a question that deserves an answer. On top of this we have the problem of star-chamber tactics.