Faith can kill but God heals

Siliguri – Faith can move mountains but faith can take a life too! As it was found recently, when the father of a critically ill baby girl took her away from the Siliguri Sadar Hospital to avoid a blood transfusion as it was against his faith. But God intervened as he was persuaded by the authorities and brought to his senses that it was necessary to save the child's life.

The two and a half years old baby girl, Manorama Lakra, suffering from acute anemia diarrhoea, was admitted to the Sadar Hospital recently, according to the Darjeeling Superintendent of Police, Rajiv Mishra.

The baby's father, Sanjay Lakra, a member of Jehovah's Witness, refused when doctors told him that she needed a blood transfusion to save her life saying it was against his faith. He then ran away with his baby girl, Mishra said.

The Jehovah's Witness is a Christian sect that denies many traditional Christian doctrines and preaches the Second Coming.

Sanjay, a resident of Labour Bustee of the Bagdogra Tea Garden, and his daughter were traced by the authorities that same evening and persuaded to return to the hospital, Mishra said, where Manorama was given a transfusion.

She was given a second blood transfusion, Dr A K Saha, under whom she was admitted said, adding that the baby girl's condition had improved.

The blood was provided by the North Bengal Voluntary Blood Donors Forum, said its Secretary Pijush Kanti Ray who together with the police superintendent were instrumental in convincing the father and bringing the baby back to the hospital.

Jehovah’s Witness (Watchtower Bible and Tract Society) was started by Charles Taze Russell (1852–1916), later Joseph F. Rutherford in Brooklyn, New York. Some of the controversial beliefs followed by Jehovah’s Witnesses are:

1. There is one–person God, called Jehovah. There is no Trinity. Jesus is the first thing Jehovah created.
2. Jesus is not God. Before he lived on earth, he was Michael, the archangel. Jehovah made the universe through him. On earth he was a man who lived a perfect life. After dying on a stake (not a cross!) he was resurrected as a spirit; his body was destroyed. According to them, Jesus is not coming again and he ‘returned’ briefly and invisibly in spirit in 1914. Very soon he and the angels will destroy all non–Jehovah Witnesses.
3. The impersonal Holy Spirit is not God, but rather an invisible, active force from Jehovah.
4. Salvation can be achieved by being baptized as Jehovah’s Witnesses. Most followers must earn everlasting life on earth by ‘door–to–door’ work. Salvation in heaven is limited to 144,000 ‘anointed ones.’ This number is already reached, according to them.
5. The 144,000 live as spirits in heaven. The rest of the righteous, ‘the great crowd,’ live on earth, and must obey God perfectly for 1000 years or be annihilated.
6. Known as the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, the believers meet on Sundays in ‘Kingdom Halls.’ Active members are encouraged to distribute literature door–to–door. Once a year, lord’ Evening Meal is prepared where only the ‘anointed’ ones may partake. Do not observe holidays or birthdays. Do not vote, salute the flag, work in the military, or accept blood transfusions. They believe Armageddon will occur soon.

William Martin’s popular book, The Kingdom of the Cults, devotes one whole chapter to Jehovah’s Witnesses sect.