Watchtower — fixing blame?

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Addressing the suffering of humans, the Watchtower organization teaches it is important to fix in mind where blame primarily rests.[1]

Jehovah’s Witnesses are a sub-component of the larger community of humanity. By means of its teachings the Watchtower organization is, for this social sphere, a primary point of origin for a wide array of beliefs. Moreover, by means of its enforcement policies the Watchtower organization has compelled individuals in the Witness community to either obey its teachings or else!



Some of these teachings, along with the subsequent belief and/or imposed compliance, have led to severe suffering, up to and including premature death. Just a couple of such teachings include:

● Watchtower’s teaching that organ transplantation is the grave sin of cannibalism.[2]



● Watchtower’s teaching that accepting transfusion of products fractionated from blood, such as albumin and cryosupernatant, is grave sin.[3-4]

In each case these teachings have been rescinded by Watchtower[5], and in each case morbidity and premature death has resulted from these teachings.



If, as Watchtower elsewhere teaches, it is important to fix in mind where blame for suffering primarily rests, then my question directed toward Watchtower looks like this[6]:

Yeah, Watchtower. This question is asked of you!



Do you take your own advice? Do you do as you would have others do? If so, where precisely have you censured yourself for all the suffering and death associated with your teachings?[7]

Marvin Shilmer

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References



1. Is There a Creator Who Cares About You?, published by Watchtower, 2006, p. 169.



2. Awake!, published by Watchtower, June 8, 1968, p. 21.

3. Outrageous Omission – Blood



4. Awake!, published by Watchtower, September 8, 1956, p. 20.

5. Watchtower no longer teaches that transplantation of human organs is necessarily cannibalism, and Watchtower no longer teaches that accepting transfusion of blood products such as albumin is necessarily part of what it terms “the Scriptural ban”.



6. Awake!, published by Watchtower, December 8, 1960, p. 3.



7. Ibid, p. 3.



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