Oh LOTS of shit. That's a specific feature of their religion. See, the Jehovah's Witnesses are a doomsday cult. Their doomsday came and went like a century ago. So in order to keep the grift going, they do this thing called "Progressive Revelation." Turns out God's all-seeing all-knowing all-powerful word needs occasional updates, a bit like Microsoft Windows. They even alter their bibles every so often, the covers are version color-coded.
oh.. did they finally witness some medical science?
edit: direct-blood transfusions have saved countless lives for well over a century. religious zealots (whose zealotry has cost countless lives due to indoctrinated ignorance and fear) suddenly accepting 100+ years'-worth of facts - for whatever reason - don't suddenly get a gold star just for catching up to the rest of us. noteworthy, yes. congratulatory? no.
they're not some infant who just learned to walk. they're your neo-nazi KKK MAGA uncle that just now figured out that Trump isn't their bff after his Mexican wife and kids got deported by ICE as he screamed from the back of his Cybertruck, "But she's one of 'the good ones'!" Every other fucked up belief? They still adhere to them— it’s just this one they are selectively changing because they are forced to as it is personally affecting them at the moment, and they can no longer ignore it.
Just how Dick Cheney suddenly became OK with LGBTQ people the instant his daughter came out as a lesbian.
I wonder if the change is retroactive. I know JW’s think only the top 144,000 make it into heaven, but like if I accepted a blood product in 1952 that is acceptable under the new policy, did I just jump a whole bunch up the power rankings?
Kinda like how Mormons received the revelation that God doesn't like polygamy when the government threatened to actually come in and make them obey the law.
I remember back when I was in college (don't ask how long ago 👴) they used to have the blood donation bus park next to the student union. They didn't push beyond that. They just made the bus available for students who wanted to donate blood.
And on days when that happened, the Jehova's Witnesses also proselytized. Handed out flyers and stuff. I didn't make the connection that they were there because of the blood donation bus until the second time I witnessed it.
That's super shitty of them. But it's compatible with their fucked up ideology, I guess.
I dunno, if nothing else, I always hold some admiration for people that live and die by their beliefs, no matter how misguided that may be. It's such dedication and consistency until the very end, sometimes even across generations. Maybe dumb, but impressive.
But you know, stories like this? Kinda nullifies that, and instantly makes all the previous suffering and death maximally pointless. If you can just change the belief whenever, what value is there in following it in the first place?
Religion in general is weird, because it is self-invalidating. If imperfect humans can't comprehend "Gods Plan™", by what logic are they qualified at all to interpret the word or will, let alone relay or inflict it upon others?
19 Comments
Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world · 24 pts · 1d
Whenever something like this happens I want to ask them: If you got this part wrong, what else did you get wrong?
captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works · 8 pts · 1d
Oh LOTS of shit. That's a specific feature of their religion. See, the Jehovah's Witnesses are a doomsday cult. Their doomsday came and went like a century ago. So in order to keep the grift going, they do this thing called "Progressive Revelation." Turns out God's all-seeing all-knowing all-powerful word needs occasional updates, a bit like Microsoft Windows. They even alter their bibles every so often, the covers are version color-coded.
Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1d
If they’d admit that we’d be figuring things out until the heavens opened and god his damn self told hs the truth it would at least feel honest.
But “I’m right forever until I decide I’m wrong” is some bullshit
kibblebits@quokk.au · 18 pts · 1d
You can’t change your dumb fuck religion or it proves it’s fake.
Edit: all religions are dumb I don’t mean just them
eurodyne@piefed.world · 10 pts · 1d
oh.. did they finally witness some medical science?
edit: direct-blood transfusions have saved countless lives for well over a century. religious zealots (whose zealotry has cost countless lives due to indoctrinated ignorance and fear) suddenly accepting 100+ years'-worth of facts - for whatever reason - don't suddenly get a gold star just for catching up to the rest of us. noteworthy, yes. congratulatory? no.
they're not some infant who just learned to walk. they're your neo-nazi KKK MAGA uncle that just now figured out that Trump isn't their bff after his Mexican wife and kids got deported by ICE as he screamed from the back of his Cybertruck, "But she's one of 'the good ones'!" Every other fucked up belief? They still adhere to them— it’s just this one they are selectively changing because they are forced to as it is personally affecting them at the moment, and they can no longer ignore it.
Just how Dick Cheney suddenly became OK with LGBTQ people the instant his daughter came out as a lesbian.
CombatWombat@feddit.online · 8 pts · 1d
I wonder if the change is retroactive. I know JW’s think only the top 144,000 make it into heaven, but like if I accepted a blood product in 1952 that is acceptable under the new policy, did I just jump a whole bunch up the power rankings?
Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 8 pts · 1d
Asking those kind of questions isn’t how you make it to the top 144k!
Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 1d
Kinda like how Mormons received the revelation that God doesn't like polygamy when the government threatened to actually come in and make them obey the law.
TootSweet@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 1d
I remember back when I was in college (don't ask how long ago 👴) they used to have the blood donation bus park next to the student union. They didn't push beyond that. They just made the bus available for students who wanted to donate blood.
And on days when that happened, the Jehova's Witnesses also proselytized. Handed out flyers and stuff. I didn't make the connection that they were there because of the blood donation bus until the second time I witnessed it.
That's super shitty of them. But it's compatible with their fucked up ideology, I guess.
MrsDoyle@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 23h
"Medical use..." What other use is there for donated blood?
0x0@infosec.pub · 2 pts · 19h
You'll have to be lvl 33 or higher to learn that.
dust_accelerator@discuss.tchncs.de · 3 pts · 1d
I dunno, if nothing else, I always hold some admiration for people that live and die by their beliefs, no matter how misguided that may be. It's such dedication and consistency until the very end, sometimes even across generations. Maybe dumb, but impressive.
But you know, stories like this? Kinda nullifies that, and instantly makes all the previous suffering and death maximally pointless. If you can just change the belief whenever, what value is there in following it in the first place?
Religion in general is weird, because it is self-invalidating. If imperfect humans can't comprehend "Gods Plan™", by what logic are they qualified at all to interpret the word or will, let alone relay or inflict it upon others?
HAL_9_TRILLION@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1d
Do you also hold admiration for their children, who also live and die by their beliefs? Such dedication! Dumb, but impressive!
Your grudging respect is misplaced.
dust_accelerator@discuss.tchncs.de · 1 pts · 1d
What? Not so much "grudging respect", but more grotesque, dark recognition.
Of course children are the victims and don't deserve to be subjected to parents stupidity.
But that's not how the world works, not now, not ever.
Extreme all or nothing takes will definitely convince the religious nuts to rethink their beliefs, though!
corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 18h
No! That's the bed you chose to lay in. Stick to your principles!
Warl0k3@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1d
Oh shit, that's awesome. I wonder what happened to prompt this departure from previous doctrine.
RickyRigatoni@piefed.zip · 7 pts · 1d
someone actually important in their heirarchy needed a blood transfusion, probably
JillSteinsPuckeredAnus@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1d
Darwin Wept.
jdr@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 1d
That's it, I'm converting to Christian Science. At least they know that all medicine is bad.