Christianity question, page-37

Yes, I pretty much agree with you there.

The dis-fellowshipping is one thing and there has to be some mechanism to safeguard the religion from serious breaks with the convention of their religion, questioning an interpretation is not one of them. The result can be brutally catastrophic, all out of love, of course, the loss of family, or excommunication from family is no small thing. It's hard to get your head around a religious belief that smashes families.

The blood-transfusion thing is I believe a model to show just how faithful and dedicated the followers are to the elders. In the olden days there were lions, Roman soldiers, death in the colosseum, etc to show how dedicated to Christ you were. The blood transfusion rule is an opportunity for Jehovah Witness to die again for God and Christ. Sadly, God hasn't got a clue just what the hell they're doing because He sent a divine message to a group of doctors so they could come up with the blood transfusion which has literally saved 100s of millions of lives.

As for Xmas and birthdays, well it's those puritanical roots again. America is a land of great contrast, excess and puritanism, Kardashians and Rosa Parks or Harriet Tubman. Joy for the puritan is a hair shirt, a good self flogging and no birthdays or Xmas for children. It has never been the act that is wrong, but attachment to the act. There is no greater attachment that absolute abolition of something.  

I'd like to suggest that their treatment of children harmed by pedophiles within their ranks is as nasty, mindless and soulless as any fun-loving Bible thumping group has ever managed. This is not a benign religion. There has been considerable damage done, but they are a very closed book and it's not so easy to get over their high fences to see their dirty laundry.

Then there are those intelligent JW youth held back from tertiary education, plus a lack of free association in an attempt to hold them in a narrow-minded straitjacket of fundamentalism.

I agree with their stance on government. I have absolutely nothing to do with any political parties and mostly write something obscene on my informal vote, but I vote because it is a law of the land and voting itself is a very hard won right we must hold onto at all costs, because who knows, one day we might get a democratic system instead of a two party oligarchy?

Some I see them as not nearly as benign as you do and yet I still admire there wasted dedication to a manmade religion.