beauroberts

It's a shame this user never returned to the forum; as a JW he briefly brought a refreshingly honest perspective which you will immediately notice in quick scan through his posts. I suspect he was "shut down". He's still at RHP though.

@beauroberts

Originally posted by divegeester
It's a shame this user never returned to the forum; as a JW he briefly brought a refreshingly honest perspective which you will immediately notice in quick scan through his posts. I suspect he was "shut down". He's still at RHP though.

@beauroberts

Yes ... I hope he is well after his op.

I too have missed posting in the forums.

My surgery was a successful one though it was filled with many more complications than we anticipated. Essentially I went in for a vasectomy as a responsible measure to assure my wife and I do not have any more children.

While under the knife they found several masses which they elected to remove albeit without my consent. This in turn led to further infection and a diagnosis of testicular cancer. I have been absent from RHP until just this past week because I have been dealing with many health issues including exhaustion from radiation and chemo along with spending quality time with my wife and three children. I am still not entirely well, but I do feel well enough to finally make a return to the site albeit after my rating took a 700 point hit :{

In a way you are correct about being shutdown. During one of my several surgeries I required several units of blood as a necessary medical procedure. Because I did not take the time to inform the surgeon of the JW's belief on blood and because I received it, I was in turn disfellowshipped from the Jehovah Witness Congregation...until I am willing to sit and be counseled on the error of my ways.

I may be returning to the spirituality forums to continue our discussions really soon. But I wanted to make it clear that though we may share alot of the same views, I cannot and donot speak for Jehovah Witnesses as a whole.

Thanks again for your encouraging thoughts and well wishes. I am glad to be back and look forward to our future games and discussions.

Best,

Beau

Originally posted by beauroberts
I too have missed posting in the forums.

My surgery was a successful one though it was filled with many more complications than we anticipated. Essentially I went in for a vasectomy as a responsible measure to assure my wife and I do not have any more children.

While under the knife they found several masses which they elected to remove albeit wit ...[text shortened]... hes. I am glad to be back and look forward to our future games and discussions.

Best,

Beau

Welcome back; I'm sure everyone here wishes you a full and speedy recovery from what sounds like a very traumatic period.

The subject of blood transfusions has been hotly debated in the forum many times over the years and the regular Jehovah's Witness posters seem to have been of the opinion that receiving blood was, as one termed it, "a matter of personal conscience", although this point of view was not expressed unilaterally nor in fact consistently. To ostracise you at your time of greatest need is very sad but indicative of the cult's legalistic mentality. It is a control mechanism, bullying basically. You probably feel very hurt but try not to take it too personally as you are not alone in this experience.

Best wishes.

Many of the views in the JW doctrine I very much believe in although as you know I try to be as open minded as possible and look to see all sides and points of view and try to think before I post.

The blood issue was another issue that I disagreed with JW's on and an issue that I stood apart. I made that clear and they also made it clear.

One of the rules of JW disfellowship is you are not to interact with others that have been disfellowshipped until they are counseled and welcomed back. My wife refused to not talk to me and refused to essentially move her and the kids into a sisters house and so my wife was also disfellowshipped.

Despite this we continue our search for truth and understanding together and try not to hold any grudges or resentments...though at times it is tough.

Beau

Originally posted by beauroberts
Many of the views in the JW doctrine I very much believe in although as you know I try to be as open minded as possible and look to see all sides and points of view and try to think before I post.

The blood issue was another issue that I disagreed with JW's on and an issue that I stood apart. I made that clear and they also made it clear.

One of t ...[text shortened]... g together and try not to hold any grudges or resentments...though at times it is tough.

Beau

Christianity is a religion of love. And from my non-Christian perspective you are a Christian. All the best to you and your family.

Originally posted by caissad4
Christianity is a religion of love. And from my non-Christian perspective you are a Christian. All the best to you and your family.

Thank you so much for your kind words. Many religions are based in love. It is my hope that my search for truth allows me to examine a much broader open view.

Beau

Originally posted by beauroberts
One of the rules of JW disfellowship is you are not to interact with others that have been disfellowshipped until they are counseled and welcomed back.

What are your views on disfellowshiping in general? Do you think it is a good thing? Would you support the disfellowshiping of another member in certain circumstances?

Originally posted by twhitehead
What are your views on disfellowshiping in general? Do you think it is a good thing? Would you support the disfellowshiping of another member in certain circumstances?

Well, we 'disfellowship' criminals by putting them in prison for years, that is pretty clear. But should the same kind of thing happen when religious rules are violated? My feeling is the rules themselves should be examined VERY closely and most of these so-called rules be made optional.
This religious based rule of no blood transfusion is similar to Jewish rules on eating pork, but at least ATT eating pork could result in death, so it was encoded in Jewish law. Like I said, these rules should be re-evaluated in light of modern science which now knows in the case of pork the problem was caused by a parasite and we have taken care of that problem basically once and for all.

In the case of blood transfusion, JW's may have some kind of superstitious feeling about blood from another person somehow invading the spirit of the person receiving the blood, I would imagine.

Therefore that rule needs to be re-evaluated because there is no word from a deity on that issue, just some suppositions of the early JW church.

Originally posted by sonhouse
In the case of blood transfusion, JW's may have some kind of superstitious feeling about blood from another person somehow invading the spirit of the person receiving the blood, I would imagine.

Although robbie carrobie and Galveston75 have tried in this forum to position the doctrine as being one of contemporary medicine (as does the JW corporation these days), what the JW historically teaches about blood transfusions is quite creepy and very occultist:

A 1961 Watchtower quoted Brazilian surgeon Dr Américo Valério as saying transfusions were often followed by "moral insanity, sexual perversions, repression, inferiority complexes, petty crimes" and Dr Alonzo Jay Shadman claiming that a person's blood "contains all the peculiarities of the individual ... [including] hereditary taints, disease susceptibilities, poisons due to personal living, eating and drinking habits ... The poisons that produce the impulse to commit suicide, murder, or steal are in the blood."[91]

A 1969 Awake! reported on a man named Robert Khoury, who, after receiving a blood transfusion said, "When I recovered I found I had a terrible desire to steal."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah%27s_Witnesses_and_blood_transfusions

Originally posted by beauroberts
I too have missed posting in the forums.

My surgery was a successful one though it was filled with many more complications than we anticipated. Essentially I went in for a vasectomy as a responsible measure to assure my wife and I do not have any more children.

While under the knife they found several masses which they elected to remove albeit wit ...[text shortened]... hes. I am glad to be back and look forward to our future games and discussions.

Best,

Beau

If there is a single thing that is sacred, it is Life. Life rules, and it is stronger than any kind of beliefs. Congrats for killing that Crab, do enjoy Life and the ones you love to the hilt. And welcome back.
May All Beings Be Happy!
😵

Originally posted by sonhouse
Well, we 'disfellowship' criminals by putting them in prison for years, that is pretty clear. But should the same kind of thing happen when religious rules are violated? My feeling is the rules themselves should be examined VERY closely and most of these so-called rules be made optional.
This religious based rule of no blood transfusion is similar to Jewis ...[text shortened]... ause there is no word from a deity on that issue, just some suppositions of the early JW church.

If you are a Christian and believe in the Bible, Acts 15:20, 29 states very clearly God's viewpoint on the subject of blood.

Originally posted by roigam
If you are a Christian and believe in the Bible, Acts 15:20, 29 states very clearly God's viewpoint on the subject of blood.

In another thread I asked you if you were a Jehovah's Witness but you didn't reply. Are you, or have you ever been?

Originally posted by roigam
If you are a Christian and believe in the Bible, Acts 15:20, 29 states very clearly God's viewpoint on the subject of blood.

This has cropped up several times on this forum and the proponents of the 'no blood transfusions' have failed every time to make the case based on the Bible text. They have been able to make a case for not consuming animal blood and engaging in animal sacrifice rituals and the like, but they have always been unable to argue that the scripture forbids life saving blood transfusions.

Originally quoted by divegeester
A 1961 Watchtower quoted Brazilian surgeon Dr Américo Valério as saying transfusions were often followed by "moral insanity, sexual perversions, repression, inferiority complexes, petty crimes" and Dr Alonzo Jay Shadman claiming that a person's blood "contains all the peculiarities of the individual ... [including] hereditary taints, disease susceptibili ...[text shortened]... ... The poisons that produce the impulse to commit suicide, murder, or steal are in the blood."

Sounds like some kind of hodge podge of pagan mysticism and astrology-level superstition.