From: david gobel (davegobel@erols.com)
Date: Wed Jan 20 1999 - 12:49:58 MST
Hi...I'm the one -
>there was a comment by a jehovahs witness i saw yesterday.
>that group also has the notion of soul sleep, but are less open
>to medical technology methinks. witness, are you still out there?
>comments? spike
Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe the Bible teaches the existence of an
immaterial/immortal soul. We believe that we are entirely composed of
material found on Earth (adham=Earthling-clay-human in hebrew), and when
(sadly) we die, we are recycled to dirt. Jehovah's Witnesses' position on
life is that we want to prolong it because it is a really cool gift. Kinda
necessary in fact. We want to live forever. We believe that was the original
intention. We will accept any medical procedure or method which has proven
to be beneficial in double blind studies with ONE well publicized exception.
We don't smoke. We don't take non-prescription addictive or hallucinogenic
drugs. We are sexually monagamous. We may drink alcholic beverages in
moderation. We drink coffee. I eat meat in small quantities - personal
choice. I avoid saturated fat -personal choice. I practice CRAN to the
degree my will power allows. I take low dose melatonin, anti-oxidants, and
vitamins/minerals etc. Currently I avoid HG and DHEA because I feel that
more research on dosing/periodicity needs to be done. I exercise both my
body and mind, pursue that which in the long term helps me be happy, and
drop that which makes me unhappy. Jehovah's Witnesses interestingly are a
historical descendant of the Adventist movement. We have not done
statistical studies on mortality within our community. Yet I personally know
very many who have made it well past 90...my wife's grandmother just died at
the age of 94 - many of her relatives of that generation are still alive AND
active. Generally, we take responsibility for those who are aged among us,
and therefore if the aged do go to nursing homes it is because the family is
medically unable to care for their needs properly.
The only currently practiced medical procedure we avoid is blood
transfusion. I do not desire to get into a flame war on this subject. Please
however, do not presume my reasons are apriori irrational. I'm not sensitive
on the subject, I just don't want to be seen to be the cause of controvery
outside the boundary of the discussion space of this list.
Dave Gobel
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