Any Jehovah's Witnesses here? A question I've always had about JW ethics

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Jehovah’s Witnesses are not allowed to receive blood transfusions, based on their interpretation of the Bible. Presumably they believe that blood transfusions are wrong for other people, as well as for themselves. (Or do they? I’d be interested if there are reasons why not)

At the same time, Jehovah’s Witnesses aren’t against science and medicine, and will consult doctors in the normal way. My question is:
a) Does the Jehovah’s Witness faith have any moral problem with one of its members training to be a doctor?
b) Would a Jehovah’s Witness doctor have to refuse, on grounds of conscience, to carry out blood transfusions?
c) If so, would that make it impossible, in practice, for a Jehovah’s Witness to train to be a doctor?

Catholic doctors must refuse to carry out abortions, and some Catholic doctors and pharmacists will refuse to prescribe contraceptives on grounds of conscience. Usually, when this happens, patients are entitled to seek a second opinion from elsewhere. Abortion and contraception are rarely urgent matters requiring instant action, so the patient’s health and rights are not compromised.

On the other hand, it would be difficult for a JW doctor working in an Emergency Room to refuse to give transfusions, as urgent decisions would need to be taken, which would not always allow time for one doctor to stop treating and another to be brought in to continue treatment. Medical students have to undertake placements in a range of specialisms, including in surgery where blood transfusions are essential. Would a JW student be exempt from these on grounds of conscience? Would they be competent as a doctor without this range of experiences?

If the Jehovah’s Witness church’s doctrines make it immoral or impractical for them to work in the medical professions, is it immoral for them to seek to benefit from the expertise of those professions?
 
I’m not now, nor have I ever been a JW, but I have studied the cult for many years. I can answer some of your questions.

a. As a general rule, the JWs are very negative on education past High School. A JW going to a 2 year community college would be in for trouble with the organization, going for an advanced degree would very likely result in excommunication.

b. See a. above. There are probably very few if any active JW medical doctors. If an MD joined (converted) to the organization, maybe, otherwise it would be very difficult. Based on my understanding of the JWs, the organization would not allow an MD to perform a transfusion of whole blood but might allow transfusion of some blood products.

c. see a. and b. above. The cult of the JWs is very controling of it’s members. The blood issue is minor compared to other things however the blood issue is the one that the public knows about. The policy on blood transfusions has changed many times over the years. At the present time, in theory a JW can have a blood transfusion, the official policy allows the member to exercise “conscience” but in practice a transfusion will get you in a heap of trouble. A JW may have blood products (called “fractions”). By the way, a JW cannot give blood so any JW receiving blood fractions must rely on worldy non-JWs to supply donations. It is speculated by watchtower watchers that once synthetic blood becomes available, the JWs will be encouraged to get transfusions.

A really good internet forum made up of mainly ex-JWs is jehovahs-witness.net/ there you could get better answers than what I can offer of what the organization teaches however you will not get much debate since most members are ex-JWs. The study of this cult is fascinating. A must read book for those who want to know life as a JW was written by an ex-JW governing board member, Raymond Franz, titled Crisis of Conscience, check your local library-good read.
 
Jon_Hus said:
I’m not now, nor have I ever been a JW, but I have studied the cult for many years. I can answer some of your questions.

a. As a general rule, the JWs are very negative on education past High School. A JW going to a 2 year community college would be in for trouble with the organization, going for an advanced degree would very likely result in excommunication.

Maybe not disfellowshipped for the education, per se; but the shunning within the congregation would be severe. I was going for just my bachelors and I was slowly not invited to gathers and the like despite being an aux pioneer (60hrs/month field service) Being ostrasized by your ‘brothers’ might led to you to do disfellowhipping offenses, like smoking or celebrating Christmas

b. See a. above. There are probably very few if any active JW medical doctors. If an MD joined (converted) to the organization, maybe, otherwise it would be very difficult. Based on my understanding of the JWs, the organization would not allow an MD to perform a transfusion of whole blood but might allow transfusion of some blood products.

c. see a. and b. above. The cult of the JWs is very controling of it’s members. The blood issue is minor compared to other things however the blood issue is the one that the public knows about. The policy on blood transfusions has changed many times over the years. At the present time, in theory a JW can have a blood transfusion, the official policy allows the member to exercise “conscience” but in practice a transfusion will get you in a heap of trouble. A JW may have blood products (called “fractions”). By the way, a JW cannot give blood so any JW receiving blood fractions must rely on worldy non-JWs to supply donations. It is speculated by watchtower watchers that once synthetic blood becomes available, the JWs will be encouraged to get transfusions.

**In my day anything but saline was disfellowishable. I carried a no-blood or blood products card. Still have it! not valid of course 🙂 **

A really good internet forum made up of mainly ex-JWs is jehovahs-witness.net/ there you could get better answers than what I can offer of what the organization teaches however you will not get much debate since most members are ex-JWs. The study of this cult is fascinating. A must read book for those who want to know life as a JW was written by an ex-JW governing board member, Raymond Franz, titled Crisis of Conscience, check your local library-good read.
Big fan of “V” Watchtower studies 😛
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I have a long term co-worker who is a JW and we go out to lunch (3 or 4 of us) every day. Several things, 1st is he always makes sure that we notice his “No Blood Products” key chain, I mean every day it is so obvious. 2nd He always drives, so I think he counts the time as field service, 3rd he never debates me on the Bible but my friends say that on days when I’m not there he talks Bible all during lunch. 4th there are always WTs and Awakes on display in his car and on his desk at work.

They just had their DC in Reading PA and he tells me that the city “loves” the JWs because they do soo much to (name removed by moderator)rove the city ie: clean up after themselves. He also just spent a week doing field service in rural West Virginia. He is past retirement age but cannot retire because he has not prepared to it financially. This person is not on speaking terms with his wife and kids due to the shunning of the JWs.
 
This person is not on speaking terms with his wife and kids due to the shunning of the JWs.
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I don’t understand what you mean, could you explain? Who is being shunned and why?

P.S. You will not find any JWs on forums as it is forbidden to be exposed to “lies”. The handful that have come here stayed only a few hours then left never to return.
 
ricko said:
I don’t understand what you mean, could you explain? Who is being shunned and why?

P.S. You will not find any JWs on forums as it is forbidden to be exposed to “lies”. The handful that have come here stayed only a few hours then left never to return.
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Actually, Regardless is a Jehovah’s Witness, and he has been posting on these forums for a while now…
 
Jon_Hus said:
a. As a general rule, the JWs are very negative on education past High School. A JW going to a 2 year community college would be in for trouble with the organization, going for an advanced degree would very likely result in excommunication.
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Now I understand why my best friend in jr. high would never talk to me about college plans. Her dad would always say, “She doesn’t need to worry about college. At 18 she’s out of the house and has to get a job.” I always felt badly for her. Her life now is very rough not being educated. She wanted to be a mortician but never went to school for it. I tried to encourage her but she never went. I was frustrated and could not understand why her parents wouldn’t want her to get an education to get a good paying job. (Although, as we know, education now is no longer a guarantee of a job, but it does help.)
 
GodIsGracious said:
Now I understand why my best friend in jr. high would never talk to me about college plans. Her dad would always say, “She doesn’t need to worry about college. At 18 she’s out of the house and has to get a job.” I always felt badly for her. Her life now is very rough not being educated. She wanted to be a mortician but never went to school for it. I tried to encourage her but she never went. I was frustrated and could not understand why her parents wouldn’t want her to get an education to get a good paying job. (Although, as we know, education now is no longer a guarantee of a job, but it does help.)
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JW’s think Armegdon (sp) is just around the corner so that by the time you finish college and try to get that job --the world as we know it will be over. Your time is better spent knocking on doors warning your neighbors that Jehovah is coming for justice instead of with your head in a worldly book that might teach you something the Watchtower doesn’t want you to know.

Unfortunately those who listened to this message over the decades have not prepared for ‘this system of things’ to last as long as it has. Talk to those who worked as volunteers in exchange for room and board at Bethel (headquarters and printers for Watchtower) for decades who are now forced into ‘retirement’ yet have no health benefits or pensions.

JWs don’t think about tomorrow because for them it won’t be there…
 
jw2lds2catholic said:
JWs don’t think about tomorrow because for them it won’t be there…
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Isn’t this also the way we should be as Catholics:

“Be not therefore solicitous for to morrow; for the morrow will be solicitous for itself. Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof.” Matthew 6:34

Not that tomorrow won’t be there, but rather that we shouldn’t be trying to plan for it, but trusting in God to provide.
 
jw2lds2catholic said:
JW’s think Armegdon (sp) is just around the corner so that by the time you finish college and try to get that job --the world as we know it will be over. Your time is better spent knocking on doors warning your neighbors that Jehovah is coming for justice instead of with your head in a worldly book that might teach you something the Watchtower doesn’t want you to know.

Unfortunately those who listened to this message over the decades have not prepared for ‘this system of things’ to last as long as it has. Talk to those who worked as volunteers in exchange for room and board at Bethel (headquarters and printers for Watchtower) for decades who are now forced into ‘retirement’ yet have no health benefits or pensions.

JWs don’t think about tomorrow because for them it won’t be there…
Click to expand...
Interesting. Thank you for your post.
 
DL82 said:
Isn’t this also the way we should be as Catholics:

“Be not therefore solicitous for to morrow; for the morrow will be solicitous for itself. Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof.” Matthew 6:34

Not that tomorrow won’t be there, but rather that we shouldn’t be trying to plan for it, but trusting in God to provide.
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To an extent…

I think that some preparation is required on our part: getting an education to support oneself and one’s future family and saving for retirement is prudent.

JW’s don’t advocate either because the sinful world as we know it will disapear. It’s not trusting in God to provide but rather looking forward the destruction of this system of things. Persons who didn’t prepare decades ago are now paying the price.
 
This sounds like a good Jw.
The bible say’s in the OT not to
eat blood, then again it says in acts to obstain from blood.

The question for a Jw is what dose
obstain mean? no transfusion?

They take the scripture to mean
that blood is not to be taken into the body period.
 
excaliber said:
This sounds like a good Jw.
The bible say’s in the OT not to
eat blood, then again it says in acts to obstain from blood.

The question for a Jw is what dose
obstain mean? no transfusion?

They take the scripture to mean
that blood is not to be taken into the body period.
Click to expand...
They misunderstand scripture. Many places in the NT we see that (in food and drink) that “Everything created by God is good and nothing is forbidden”. Since scripture does not conflict with scripture they take Acts 15 out of context. The drinking of blood in Acts 15 is forbidden only in a few locations, is not a commandment of God and since it was to placate some Jews is no longer binding at all.
 
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