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<strong>Title: </strong> <a href="/link.php?id=20740" target="_blank">Jehovah’s Witnesses take on government</a> (click to view)

<strong>Category:</strong> <a href="/news/topic/14-misc-cdn" target="_blank">Misc CDN</a>
<strong>Posted By: </strong> <a href="/modules.php?name=Your_Account&op=userinfo&username=Hyack" target="_blank">Hyack</a>
<strong>Date: </strong> 2007-04-16 14:30:11
<strong>Canadian</strong>

[TheQuietKidd]

Ummm... Don't the Jehovas's Witnessess consider themselves citizens of only God's Kingdom and not recognize established governments of nations? If they don't want to be "citizens" of Canada, they can take their claims to some other "divine" court and leave ours open for cases where people were actually hurt. Wait, people were hurt, and died because they refused to allow the transfusions. Why aren't they up for Infanticide?

[BartSimpson]

The J-Dubs, as we call them down here, are certifiable nutbags. This insanity comes up from time to time down here, too. Usually the courts tell them to get bent and the children get their needed medical help.

[Donny_Brasco]

I was wondering - usually multipul births like this are the result of some sort of medical assistance.

Does anyone know if this is the case here. Because if so it would seem to me that these people are a little hypocritical.

Odds of natural sextuplets: Sextuplets - 1 in 4,704,270,176 live births (4.7 billion).

Next time the watchtower folks show up at my door I'm going to be a little less nice. This is just sick.

[Scrappy]

Freedom of religion can be a scary thing for cults like the JWs, the welfare of the children come first in Canada because the parents 'Chose" to practice their religion the children have no power to consent thus they are protected under Canada's child welfare laws.

[Oreo]

I have to agree that the welfare of the child or person should come before any kind of religous belief.
What parent would not what their child to live....especially if it only means being given blood.

And Donny has another good point. How did she end up pregnant with sextuplets????? If this was due to drugs or artificial means, then they dont have a leg to stand on as far as I am concerened.

[sandorski]

JW's don't object to Medicine, just Blood Transfusions. So they have committed no hypocrisy in that respect.

I'm always torn on these Blood transfusion/Children cases. Though I believe the JW's are wrong in these cases, by forcing them to take Blood Transfusions the Courts always infringe on Religious Freedom at the same time. It's a tricky balancing act.

[xerxes]

True, but when the child's' life is a t risk, then the law trumps the religious freedom.

Just like the polygamist town in BC (Bountiful), the government has every right to shut that place down, but doesn't.

[Mr_Canada old]

*slams head on desk*

Religious *slam* Nutcase *slam* Assholes....

[Oreo]

xerxes xerxes:

True, but when the child's' life is a t risk, then the law trumps the religious freedom.

Just like the polygamist town in BC (Bountiful), the government has every right to shut that place down, but doesn't.

Ok so here is a question. If little Holly from the town of Bountiful (lets say she is 14 for argument sake) decided that Dad and Mom(s) were a bunch of nut cases and that life was not for her. Do you think the police or gov. have the right to remove her from there if she goes to them for help. Or does it fall back on the case of if the parents are doing the child any actual harm? And of course harm, not just being physical, but mental as well.

[G-prime]

Not taking action is not taking action. How is not letting them get blood transfusions any different than not stopping them from drinking draino. The freedom to believe what you want is a beautiful thing, but when people can die, the law steps in. It doesnt matter WHY, religion or apathy, neglect is neglect.

[Oreo]

But because we now know that they are against the giving of blood, and the courts ruled against them....we let them take the babies home. What if they get sick. Do you think that for fear of another transfusion they might keep the babies at home or take them to some wack job of a doctor.................

I would not of let them take the babies

[G-prime]

I'd at least have a worker check in on them every other week. Did you know scientology is very similar? People have actually died because they had to go to a scientologist doctor that was like 120 km away instead of the closer one. Not to mention all the people that stop taking their medications (cause psychology and pills for mental health aren’t allowed) for depression and end up killing themselves.

Religion makes no sense to me...I remember being asked what "faith" means...

Faith: The belief in someone despite logic or reason.

[Oreo]

But what makes people choose a religon over the will to live?

I thought we as man have an instinct for self preservatioin, unless protecting a loved one or the young?

I know we are civilized, but I think we let go the best part of our instincts to survive.

[Brenda]

I agree with you G-prime. Religion makes no sense to me. Don't be offended, anybody, it is just what I think.

But, playing devil's advocate now:

Let me tell you a story... A friend of mine, who happens to be a Jehova's Witness (yes, i can be friends with them ) had a baby, 4 years ago. And she got pre-eclampsia. So she was hospitalized. No problem so far. She went to Amsterdam instead of Beverwijk (where she lives) because the doctors in Amsterdam would respect her religion. She needed a blood transfusion, according to the doctors, but was not given one, at her request, and she survived. She feels she stayed clean, and will still go to heaven. If she had had that bloodtransfusion, she would not go to heaven, so there would be no more reason for her to be here anyway. If she had died, she would have gone to heaven...

For the kids, it is the same. They think their kids will not go to heaven when the die, because the blood they received, hasn't been flowing all the time. So in their minds, those kids who had the transfusion, are "not clean" anymore, and will probably (well, very likely) be treated differently. They became "second rank" kids with that transfusion...

They just don't live for this life. They live their lifes with the afterlife in their whole being.

They don't celebrate the same days as we do. No birthdays, but a swim-diploma day. No tree with Christmas, no Halloween. No sex before marriage. But is that so much different from other religions? Why is Christianity the only "good" religion?

Now, please, don't attack the messenger, just the message