Much of the world was saddened last week by the death of Michael Jackson, famous pop star known and loved by millions. It will be helpful to many to read a quick review of comments and anecdotes about Michael's religious beliefs and his upbringing in the Jehovah's Witness sect, and how it influenced his life and his dreams, and perhaps even his ultimate demise.
Lee Elder, Director Associated Jehovah's Witnesses for Reform on Blood, 2008
Jehovah's Witnesses are known for refusing blood transfusions even if that means suffering premature death. This stance comes from the religion's leadership teaching that accepting transfusion of blood is a mortal sin. Former leadership of Jehovah's Witnesses initiated the religion's blood doctrine on a central premise that contemporary leadership of the religion arguably no longer believes, yet the doctrine is still enforced by the religion under pain of extreme communal shunning.
John 17:. 3 This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ. Jehovah's Witnesses are taught repeatedly that the means of everlasting life is the "taking in" of knowledge. However, this verse is very badly (purposefully or otherwise) translated from the original Greek.
What medical professionals need to realize is that Jehovah’s Witness blood policy is both complex and ever-changing. What is allowed or forbidden is difficult for everyone, including followers, to understand.
My personal impressions of Michael Jackson have only changed over the years because of his obsessions and because of the molestation accusations. But Michael was a real genius artist and a one-of-a-kind. It's kind of a sad story, really, because all the time as a Jehovah's Witness I could see how he would be miserable - being brought to fame instantly, having to grow up without a childhood, and being haunted by that very deprivation the rest of his life… to the point of consuming him completely in seeking his lost childhood.
Michael Jackson the former Jehovah's Witnesses has died of cardiac arrest it has been reported in Los Angeles today, Thursday 25th June. The reclusive star was reported to have had issues with prescription drugs during the buildup to a 50 date London tour. Firefighters arrived to a 911 call to his Bel Air home after he had collapsed and took him to UCLA Medical Center.
There are two accounts in the Bible centered around Jesus that were a great help to me as I was leaving the control of the Watch Tower Society. To me, the Watch Tower Society, with it's Governing Body and local representatives, the elders, were my religious leaders. I was, in all truth, a religious person. I did not have the freedom described in Jeremiah 31 that comes to those who are part of the New Covenant. Rather, my life was shaped and controlled by religion.
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I can relate to all of what is discussed in this article quite intimately. I have PTSD. In the past, I failed to connect my 30+ years of association with Jehovah’s Witnesses as a factor in this. Indeed, an experience of ongoing stress from being involved in a highly controlling sect or cult can be one of many factors that cause a person to develop PTSD, or even a less severe anxiety disorder. But, from my own ongoing therapy and reading, I have finally made that connection.
My experiences at Bethel are in line with what Ray Franz explained in his book Crisis of Conscience that it was the “other sheep” who, over the years, did the bulk of the writing for Watch Tower literature. Of course, when Ray was in the Writing Department there were men who professed to be of the “anointed" who were doing writing. He was one of them along with Karl Klein, Lloyd Barry and Fred Franz. I don’t know if Dunlap or Reinhart Lingstat, both who collaborated on the Aid book, were of the anointed.
My personal impressions of Michael Jackson have only changed over the years because of his obsessions and because of the molestation accusations. But Michael was a real genius artist and a one-of-a-kind. It's kind of a sad story, really, because all the time as a Jehovah's Witness I could see how he would be miserable - being brought to fame instantly, having to grow up without a childhood, and being haunted by that very deprivation the rest of his life… to the point of consuming him completely in seeking his lost childhood. .jpg)
Michael Jackson the former Jehovah's Witnesses has died of cardiac arrest it has been reported in Los Angeles today, Thursday 25th June. The reclusive star was reported to have had issues with prescription drugs during the buildup to a 50 date London tour. Firefighters arrived to a 911 call to his Bel Air home after he had collapsed and took him to UCLA Medical Center.
My experiences at Bethel are in line with what Ray Franz explained in his book