Question

[BloodStained]

My friends mom is a JW and she told me that if her mom needed to have a blood transtusion, she wouldn't take it. Why is that?:scratch:

[HisdaughterJen]

"5. Blood is also sacred in God's eyes. God says that the soul, or life, is in the blood. So it is wrong to eat blood. It is also wrong to eat the meat of an animal that has not been properly bled. If an animal is strangled or dies in a trap, it should not be eaten. If it is speared or shot, it must be bled quickly if it is to be eaten.—Genesis 9:3, 4 (javascript:showCitedScripture('Ge','9','3-4');); Leviticus 17:13, 14 (javascript:showCitedScripture('Le','17','13-14');); Acts 15:28, 29 (javascript:showCitedScripture('Ac','15','28-29');). 6. Is it wrong to accept a blood transfusion? Remember, Jehovah requires that we abstain from blood. This means that we must not take into our bodies in any way at all other people's blood or even our own blood that has been stored. (Acts 21:25 (javascript:showCitedScripture('Ac','21','25');)) So true Christians will not accept a blood transfusion. They will accept other kinds of medical treatment, such as transfusion of nonblood products. They want to live, but they will not try to save their life by breaking God's laws.—Matthew 16:25 (javascript:showCitedScripture('Mt','16','25');)."


The above is from the Jehovah's Witnesses offical website.
http://www.watchtower.org/e/rq/article_12.htm

[BloodStained]

so if one of your kids was going to die you still wouldn't let them do it?

[HisdaughterJen]

so if one of your kids was going to die you still wouldn't let them do it?
I was raised as a Witness but left when I was 18 1/2. It is expected that JW's let their children die if they need a blood transfusion. My brother was in the hospital for 2 weeks when he was 10 with a disease from a mosquito bite that could've taken his life. Even though he never needed blood, that question was raised. My dad basically told the elders to get lost. He would've given my brother blood straight from his own arm if he had to.

My grandma died instead of undergoing surgery that would've required blood. Her eldest son, an elder, told her she was choosing the right thing, in obedience to Jehovah, and that she'd just "fall asleep" and wake up in a Paradise earth in the future. She'd never know she was dead.

So, yeah, in order to please Jehovah, you do not take blood or allow your children to do so. Now, they've lessened the strict requirements on that to include certain blood components. Too bad for all those people who chose to die in years past, huh?

Personally, I've learned that unless you are eating Kosher meat, you are eating meat with the blood still in it which is directly forbidden in the Bible. There's nothing about blood transfusions...blood to blood vessels...instead of blood to your stomach as sustainence or fulfilling a fleshly craving which is what was forbidden. If my kids needed blood, I'd give it to them from my own body.

[joyusdays]

Can a JW answer how this can be that they don't accept a blood transfusion, but will eat meat? This seems confusing?

[woden]

so if one of your kids was going to die you still wouldn't let them do it?
Don't you believe in a resurrection?

[woden]

Can a JW answer how this can be that they don't accept a blood transfusion, but will eat meat? This seems confusing?
Raw or cooked? There is some difference. If God said something was wrong and man said it was OK, who would you believe? If God said life was priceless but man said it wasn't, who would you believe? If you read of a directive from God in Scripture, backed by several Scriptures and not by one alone would you follow that directive? But if man said don't do it, where would you're allegiance be?

All you will hear is negative thoughts about blood transfusions. Tragedies do still happen, but there are positives too. I don't like figures but over 100,000 doctors in 150 countries are willing to perform bloodless surgery on people. The advantages are cost effective treatment and quicker recovery rates. If you put two people together who were going to have an identical type of surgery but one was going to have blood and the other wasn't, who would go home first? The one who didn't have blood. So from a medical and a Scriptual standing refusing blood is not a decision taken by some fanactical group but by religious life-loving people who want to please their Creator well. And the Creator comes first.

[HisdaughterJen]

Raw or cooked? There is some difference. If God said something was wrong and man said it was OK, who would you believe? If God said life was priceless but man said it wasn't, who would you believe? If you read of a directive from God in Scripture, backed by several Scriptures and not by one alone would you follow that directive? But if man said don't do it, where would you're allegiance be?

All you will hear is negative thoughts about blood transfusions. Tragedies do still happen, but there are positives too. I don't like figures but over 100,000 doctors in 150 countries are willing to perform bloodless surgery on people. The advantages are cost effective treatment and quicker recovery rates. If you put two people together who were going to have an identical type of surgery but one was going to have blood and the other wasn't, who would go home first? The one who didn't have blood. So from a medical and a Scriptual standing refusing blood is not a decision taken by some fanactical group but by religious life-loving people who want to please their Creator well. And the Creator comes first.
What, are you saying that you can cook blood out of meat?

Lev 19:26 (http://cf.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Lev&c=19&v=26&t=NIV#26)" 'Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it. " 'Do not practice divination or sorcery.

1Sa 14:34 (http://cf.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=1Sa&c=14&v=34&t=NIV#34)Then he said, "Go out among the men and tell them, 'Each of you bring me your cattle and sheep, and slaughter them here and eat them. Do not sin against the Lord by eating meat with blood still in it.' " So everyone brought his ox that night and slaughtered it there.

Are you suggesting that in Biblical times, they would eat a cow without cooking it?....a kind of cow-sushi?

That's nonsense.

If God said, "DO NOT EAT ANY MEAT WITH THE BLOOD STILL IN IT", would you? YOU ARE if you are not eating KOSHER meat.

If God said,: Mat 28:18 (http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/tools/printer-friendly.pl?book=Mat&chapter=28&version=NIV#) Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Mat 28:19 (http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/tools/printer-friendly.pl?book=Mat&chapter=28&version=NIV#) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Mat 28:20 (http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/tools/printer-friendly.pl?book=Mat&chapter=28&version=NIV#) and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Act 2:38 (http://cf.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Act&c=2&v=38&t=NIV#38)Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Act 10:48 (http://cf.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Act&c=10&v=48&t=NIV#48)So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

Then, why don't you? Why instead do people have to answer the following two questions:

On the basis of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, have you repented of your sins and dedicated yourself to Jehovah to do his will?
The second is:
Do you understand that your dedication and baptism identify you as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in association with God's spirit-directed organization?

(This is more of an oath to an organization)


SO, I ask you your own question:
If you read of a directive from God in Scripture, backed by several Scriptures and not by one alone would you follow that directive? But if man said don't do it, where would you're allegiance be?

[woden]

What, are you saying that you can cook blood out of meat?

Lev 19:26 (http://cf.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Lev&c=19&v=26&t=NIV#26)" 'Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it. " 'Do not practice divination or sorcery.

1Sa 14:34 (http://cf.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=1Sa&c=14&v=34&t=NIV#34)Then he said, "Go out among the men and tell them, 'Each of you bring me your cattle and sheep, and slaughter them here and eat them. Do not sin against the Lord by eating meat with blood still in it.' " So everyone brought his ox that night and slaughtered it there.

Are you suggesting that in Biblical times, they would eat a cow without cooking it?....a kind of cow-sushi?

That's nonsense.

If God said, "DO NOT EAT ANY MEAT WITH THE BLOOD STILL IN IT", would you? YOU ARE if you are not eating KOSHER meat.

If God said,: Mat 28:18 (http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/tools/printer-friendly.pl?book=Mat&chapter=28&version=NIV#) Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Mat 28:19 (http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/tools/printer-friendly.pl?book=Mat&chapter=28&version=NIV#) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Mat 28:20 (http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/tools/printer-friendly.pl?book=Mat&chapter=28&version=NIV#) and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Act 2:38 (http://cf.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Act&c=2&v=38&t=NIV#38)Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Act 10:48 (http://cf.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Act&c=10&v=48&t=NIV#48)So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

Then, why don't you? Why instead do people have to answer the following two questions:

On the basis of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, have you repented of your sins and dedicated yourself to Jehovah to do his will?
The second is:
Do you understand that your dedication and baptism identify you as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in association with God's spirit-directed organization?

(This is more of an oath to an organization)


SO, I ask you your own question:
If you read of a directive from God in Scripture, backed by several Scriptures and not by one alone would you follow that directive? But if man said don't do it, where would you're allegiance be?

It's odd but you missed the point, again, of the original question posed and answered and try to move on to a totally different point, again. No acceptence of the hard work that Jehovah's Witnesses have done, with God's Spirit, in helping make operations and procedures safer for everyone, Witness and non-Witness alike. Is it so hard to accept and acknowledge something like this? The advances in medical science have been boosted in some areas by the stand taken by Jehovah's Witnesses in that non-invasive procedures have been honed, new surgical procedures have been adapted to reduce blood loss and the associated trauma and so on. If it were some other faith leading the way in this field I wonder what would of been said?
Jehovah's Witnesses are loathed by some and hated by others, and respected by a few. Those who claim to be Christian and yet hate Jehovah's Witnesses cannot claim to be Christian themselves, for Christianity is founded on the teachings of Jesus and which includes the principle of love. That means if someone shares a different faith and hope for the future, a Christian cannot hate them. Otherwise they could become bloodguilty in God's eyes. And after the Great Tribulation, all who are on God's side will be clearly identified. They will have followed the teachings and footstepes of the Master closely, not have got bogged down in Grecian trinitarian doctrine, but followed the Bible's counsel in every way which incudes the proper respect for blood and life.

[The Gregorian]

OK hold up, back up... step back for a second from the propaganda.

A: The bible DOES say we are to abstain from blood. The apostles discussed this in acts... I forget the chapter. This means we are to abstain from it with due dilligence... we are to "do our best to avoid it." ... we should not eat meat with blood purposefully left in... but all meat will have SOME blood... if we purposefully TRY to not avoid the blood, that's offensive to God, according to the apostles.

B: However, this topic is a matter of individual conscience for each person. Every time it's discussed in a JW church, it's CLEARLY stated, that this is up to each individual person to pray about, and act according to their own morals. SOME JWs have no problem taking blood. SOME JWs will not take any transfusion ever, no matter what. These are two extremes.

MOST will take a transfusion, as long as it's not straight blood... Starches, and salines can restore volume as well as any blood transfusion, and are safer, and often less expensive. These have no part of blood, therefore I don't know of any JW who object to such non-blood products.

Albumin is made FROM blood, but does not carry other's DNA. It's been broken down to a point where MOST people would be fine taking such blood fractions.

Many (not most) JWs are even willing to take straight blood if it's -necessary- and they've made an HONEST effort to try to avoid straight blood...

Of course 80% of blood transfusions are single unit transfers... i.e. they only give you about a pint... These are NOT life saving amounts. But, they come with the same risk. While it IS rare, people STILL contract HIV every year from blood transfusions (yes, in the united states). About 10,000 people a year contract Hepititis. People can have allergic reactions, could be given the wrong blood type, etc. Taking blood comes with medical risk... usually quite minor... but POTENTIALLY fatal... even if they just gave you a single unit "just to be safe"... as is usually the case.

meanwhile, products like starches, salines, and certain blood fractions cannot support viruses, are not rejected by the body, do not cause allergic reaction, etc.

Your friend's mom MAY be an extreme... she may even reject ALL transfusions no matter what... This isn't "encouraged" by JWs in general. The only thing the JWs suggest is that we "abstain from blood with due diligence" ... what defines "due diligence" is between you and God. Pray about it.

[The Gregorian]

Btw, wodon, I see where you're coming from in your responses... but I think you're skipping ahead. No, it's not OK to offend God in order to live this life a bit longer... THIS world is not really "the point." However, this life is NOT something we have the right to throw away. We both know that's not what JWs do... but I suggest against you focusing on why we "don't take blood" and focus on "why we do take blood alternatives."

Talking about "not taking blood" usually makes people think we just "let people die" ... and that's NOT the case... we just demand treatment that's not offensive to God.