left biblioblography: SO NOW THE JEHOVAH'S WITLESS ARE IN THE NEWS

Thursday, February 01, 2007

SO NOW THE JEHOVAH'S WITLESS ARE IN THE NEWS

Canada parents fight for babies

"A Canadian couple is protesting in court after officials briefly took custody of three premature babies in order to give them blood transfusions.

The babies were part of a group of sextuplets born 15 weeks prematurely to parents who are Jehovah's Witnesses.

The couple, who have not been identified, say their religion forbids blood transfusions. They are seeking alternative treatment for the infants. "

Six babies might die, thanks to some religious wackjobs. Nice.

Italy in Jehovah's Witnesses row

"A Catholic priest in Italy has denied a church funeral to a man he believed had links to the Jehovah's Witnesses.

"Marino Tiberi Vipraio, 52, who lived in the central Abruzzo region of Italy, died on Wednesday of a heart attack.

"He was buried without religious rights, despite a desperate appeal from his family to the local bishop.

"Italy's 400,000 Jehovah's Witnesses have had legal recognition since 1976, but the Catholic Church has always opposed their teachings.

"This may appear on the surface to be a local story of a row between a parish priest and members of his congregation, but it underlines real tensions that exist in Italy between the Catholic Church and the Jehovah's Witnesses. "

Let's hear again, how religion unites people.

Moscow bans Jehovah's Witnesses

"A Russian court has barred Jehovah's Witnesses from operating in the capital, Moscow.

"The court ruled that group's practices broke up families, encouraged suicide and threatened its members' health by not allowing blood transfusions.

"Lawyers for the group said the ruling was a step back for democracy and was reminiscent of Soviet rule. "

I must admit, I somewhat ambivalent about this one. On one hand, they're one more loony-toon cult with dangerous practices, on the other, I'm an avid opponent of thought police.

Further on this:

Jehovah's Witnesses avoid Moscow ban

"A court in Moscow has refused to ban the local activities of the Jehovah's Witnesses, in a case presented by the religious community as a test of Russia's treatment of religious minorities.

"Freedom of belief still exists in Russia

Jehovah's Witnesses spokesman

"The community had been accused of breaking up families, encouraging suicide and threatening the health of its members by not allowing blood transfusions.

"But the Jehovah's Witnesses argued that Russia's religious law was being used to restrict religious organizations other than the long-established faiths of Orthodox Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Islam.

"A spokesman for the community welcomed the decision, saying that religious freedom had been preserved in Russia despite "pressure" from the Orthodox Church.

"Despite all the efforts of the prosecutor, justice was victorious," Yaroslav Sivulsky told Reuters news agency. "

I guess no one heard about this:

Jehovah's Witnesses drop transfusion ban

"Leaders of the Jehovah's Witnesses movement have revoked a strict ruling that their members automatically face ex-communication if they accept blood transfusions.

"They took the controversial decision at a secret meeting in New York, following years of recrimination from ex-members and non-Jehovah's Witnesses over the ban.

"The religious community insists that receiving blood is still wrong.

"But under the changes, transfusions have been relegated to "non-disfellowshipping events" - in other words you will not be thrown out of the religion if you have one.

"That may come as cold comfort to many who have watched loved ones die because they refused blood. "

Welcome to the 21st century, you Luddites.

I keep finding evidence that the wholly bibble is a second-rate Necronomicon: it gives poor and alternately confusing advice about topics as perceived by a tribe that was lacking in technology and in some cases, anything resembling general knowledge of the world they lived in, let alone the one we live in now.

We need as a local as well as a global society, to disregard this piece of trash. It's not scientific in any sense of the word - hell, it's not even historically accurate. It's a piss-poor compilation of oral tradition (read: anecdotal crap) that leads the myopically-minded down phantasmagorical bunny trails.

I could care less how much influence it's had over the centuries (the large bulk of it was legislated anyhow) - or how it's 'enriched' people's lives (that's entirely subjective anyways: I've heard anecdotal 'evidence' from all sorts, from Gnostic nutjobs to Buddhist buttheads, about how a particular belief system has 'changed their world(s)'; the placebo effect writ large).

If you want to hinge your entire existence on a fantasy, go to, I say, go to.

You just leave me and mine outta your little departures from reality.

Now excuse me: the real world awaits.

Till the next post, then.

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14 comments:

Aaron Kinney said...

Oh, its so amusing when state collectivism and religious collectivism clash. And its much more fun (perhaps morbidly so) to watch them clash than cooperate.

I wonder what these babies would think when they become adults about the fact that their parents would rather they die than receive medical care?

Thanx mom!!!! And praise Jesus!

beepbeepitsme said...

Were the 6 babies conceived through an IVF program? Six babies would be most unusual to be conceived naturally. And if they were, why is it ok for JWs to participate in IVF and not blood transfusions?

Too weird. Too scary. Too mind-bogglingly stupid.

Krystalline Apostate said...

Aaron:
Yeah, I'd think that discovering mom 'n pop's willingness to let them croak would be...slightly traumatic.
BBIM:
That's a good question. Guessing from their ass-backwards take on transfusion, I'd wager the answer is no.
Blogger's having major problems today.

Anonymous said...

I am so glad that someone is talking about this. It's been on the Canadian news since their birth.

Yes BBIM they were conceived through invitro! I know!! The parents were advised to abort at least two but they refused. Life is sacred don't-cha-know. One died shortly after birth. I can't remember the exact weight of these babies but it was around ONE Pound each. The parents are suing Family Services for taking three of them away and giving two blood transfusions.

A brief passage in the babble is enough to risk all 6!

Krystalline Apostate said...

remy - the article cited didn't tell about the IVF. So they were, huh? Interesting. That's not in the babble (as we all know).

Anonymous said...

Sorry, I shouda oughta read the article you provided. Just too excited I guess; premature blogulation.

The news did mention a passage from Acts (sorry again, can't recall the chpr&vrs). It did mention that they should "abstain" form blood. Really, this is all they needed to allow their chidren to die.

I'd try to look it up but it's almost 2am and I'm lazy.

Krystalline Apostate said...

Premature blogulation? LMAO!
I can check on it, so no worries. Get some sleep, mi amigo.

Anonymous said...

Wait...
Using in vitro to make the babies is OK, but giving blood to save the babies is not?
There's an olympiad of mental gymnastics involved in that, methinks.

Premature blogulation? LMAO!

LMAO also! But don't fret remy, it happens to everyone!

Krystalline Apostate said...

Hi Karen. No, there's no IVF linkup that I can see.

Anonymous said...

I just couldn't leave it alone.

I was wrong. It isn't just one brief passage, it's two.

Acts 15 19-20: abstain from pollutions of idols and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
Sounds purdy definitive to me;)

Leviticus 17 10-14: (Too long for this inemppt typist, but sufice-aroni); if you eatest blood an invisible being will "even set [his] face" against you.

Turns out that there is no problem with vaccines, some of which contain blood. Oh the humaninanity.

Anonymous said...

Oh, and Karen, regarding my issue, (perhaps that's the wrong word)I am seeking professional assistance, but they are very expensive.

Krystalline Apostate said...

Hey remy - it looks like you may need a new keyboard(?).
So if you eat any kind of blood, hmmmm?
I guess there's a few Icelandic folk'll who have an invisible spirit set against 'em.

Baconeater said...

They are allowed to have organ transplants but not anything where whole blood just replaces the blood or lack of blood in the body for the sake of doing replacing the blood in the body.

I had to post about this situation too.

Krystalline Apostate said...

BEAJ - yeah, they're getting dragged 'n kicking into the 21st CE (finally!).