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The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society has long forbidden blood transfusions for Jehovah’s Witnesses. The issue is so serious, in fact, that Witnesses believe a blood transfusion "may result in the immediate and very temporary prolongation of life, but at the cost of eternal life for a dedicated Christian" (Blood, Medicine, and the Law of God, p. 55; emphasis added). [...] On March 9, 1998, the European Commission of Human Rights accepted a settlement between the government of Bulgaria and the Christian Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses in which Bulgaria, in exchange for a significant concession from the Witnesses, agreed to recognize the Witnesses as an official religious organization. [...] The compromise made by the Society is far more noteworthy. The Society agreed, regarding blood transfusions, that “members should have free choice in the matter for themselves and their children, without any control or sanction on the part of the association” (Ibid.; emphases added).
Cultic Characteristics
The Files of Jehovah´s Witnesses"Jehovah´s Witnesses came into the limelight of Danish media when the organisation's secret registration of the sins of the followers was revealed by an ordinary burglary", by Søren Bo Henriksen Understanding Watchtower Phobias How and Why the Watchtower Uses Fear to Control Its Members The Watchtower Indoctrination Process A psychological and sociological Examination. Formerly entitled, "How and Why Someone Becomes a Jehovah's Witness." By Jamie Boyden
A review of scientific literature shows that the rate of mental illness among Jehovah’s Witnesses is considerably above average. Statistical information varies partly because the extant research has been conducted on different populations at different time periods. Several major factors stand out as harmful to Witness mental health. Not only do persons with emotional problems tend to join the Witnesses, but also the Watchtower teachings and its subculture adversely affect the mental health of those involved.
Subject: Jehovah's Witnesses : The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society
First posted: Oct. 2, 1996
Last Updated: Jul. 8, 2004
Editor: Anton Hein
Copyright: Apologetics Index
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