why dont jehovahs witnesses accept blood transfusions?

Answer 1

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the scriptures demonstrate a clear pattern indicating the sacredness with which Jehovah God (and thus god-fearing humankind) views all creature blood.


Predates Mosaic Law.
For example, over a thousand years before the birth of Moses, the pre-Israel, pre-Jewish, pre-Hebrew man Noah received what the scriptures record as only the second restrictive command on humans (after Garden of Eden's tree):

"Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. For your lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning; of every beast I will require it [that is, lifeblood] and of man" (Genesis 9:3-5)


Jewish Law.
Later, God's feeling regarding blood was codified into the Mosaic Law. This part of the Law dealing with blood was unique in that it applied, not just to Israel, but also to non-Jewish foreigners among them. It's also interesting that besides forbidding the consumption of blood, the Law also mandated that it be 'poured out on the ground', not used for any purpose.

"No person among you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger who sojourns among you eat blood. Any man also of the people of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, who takes in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten shall pour out its blood and cover it with dust." (Lev 17:12,13)

By comparison, it's significant that the Law also forbid the consumption of ceremonial animal fat, but that didn't apply to non-Jewish foreigners and it DID allow the fat to be used for other purposes.

"The LORD said to Moses, "Say to the people of Israel, You shall eat no fat, of ox, or sheep, or goat. The fat of an animal that dies of itself, and the fat of one that is torn by beasts, may be put to any other use" (Lev 7:22-24)


Early Christian era.
The Christian era ended the validity of the Mosaic Law, but remember that the restriction on eating blood preceded the Mosaic Law by over a thousand years. Still, does the New Testament indicate that Jehovah God changed his view of blood's sacredness?

"[God] freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses" (Eph 1:6,7)

"[God's] beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins... and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood" (Colossians 1:13-20)

"we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the pollutions of idols and from unchastity and from what is strangled and from blood." (Acts 15:19,20)

"For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from unchastity." Acts 15:28,29


Modern times
Some will claim that the bible's command to "abstain" from blood only applies to eating it, and does not apply to the use of blood for other purpose. If that form of respect for blood were common among Christendom, one might wonder then why so many (who ostensibly follow the book of Acts) so happily eat their blood sausage and blood pudding if they truly respect blood according to some limited understanding of Acts 15:20,29. In fact, respect for blood and for Acts and for the Scriptures themselves is too rare among even supposedly god-fearing persons.

An honest review of the Scriptural pattern over the millenia from Noah to the Apostle Paul teaches humans that blood is to be used for a single purpose: acknowledging the Almighty. Otherwise, for centuries the instruction was to simply dispose of it; 'poor it upon the ground'. When Jehovah's Witnesses pursue non-blood medical management, they are working to honor and obey their Creator.


Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/library/hb/index.htm
http://watchtower.org/library/vcnb/article_01.htm

Answer 2

With all this AIDS and Hepatitis floating around, I know some people that lie and say they are Jehovah's Witness when they go in the hospital just to get out of a blood transfusion if they're condition isn't too serious. But they just interpret everything "their way" and that's another one of their strict rules. They down other Witnesses that get blood transfusions, sometimes if you're unconscious and can't speak for yourself, the hospital will not let you die, they will take any measure to save your life so how do you explain that if you're a Witness? They even have a special Liason committee that will come visit the hospital and talk to the doctors in other Witnesses defense. They would rather die and let their children die than to save them. They even carry around a card in their wallets that says "No Blood".

Answer 3

Jehovah's Witnesses strictly follow what the bible, gods word, says and the scriptures clearly tell us to "abstain from blood". You can find this in the bible book of acts chapter 15 verse 20 and chapter 15 verse 29. Jehovah's Witnesses want to please God and accepting blood transfusions is not a practice that God would approve of.

Answer 4

Yeah, I tried offering them one when they came knocking at my door, and I was blown away that they wouldn't accept my donation...

On a more serious note, Wikipedia has an excellent section about their beliefs on blood transfussions. Basically, this belief is based on their understanding of Acts 15:28, 29 that talks about "keep abstaining from blood". They believe that the Bible prohibits the consumption, storage, and transfusion of blood.

Answer 5

because of a mis-interpreted passage in the old testament forbidding the consuming of blood.

Acts 15:28,29
28For the holy spirit and we ourselves have favored adding no further burden to YOU, except these necessary things, 29 to keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication. If YOU carefully keep yourselves from these things, YOU will prosper. Good health to YOU!


The way I read it, this means drinking blood. They interpret it as bringing blood into the body in any way.

Answer 6

I read that they believe our spirits reside in our blood. They believe if the donate blood they're sending away part of their soul. If they take blood they're getting part of someone else's soul. I don't know this for a fact, but that's what I read somewhere.

Answer 7

Because like every other religion it's their interpretation of the Bible. This interpretation just goes against more people beliefs than others. So other "Christians" can be smug and say they're crazy.

***I believe all organized religions are crazy for this reason....interpretation is all up to who's interpreting.

Answer 8

Because blood that leaves the body is unclean.

They can't even remove and store their own blood for the same reasons.

Think it's wacky? It's just an interpretation of scripture. Lots of other folks think your interpretations are just as wacky.

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"One man's religion, is another man's belly laugh"-Robert Heinlein

Answer 9

Basically it's because in Genesis 9, God told Noah that he could eat meat but to drain the blood out of the animal first and not to eat the blood because the life or soul is in the blood. Obviously he was not speaking literally; this was a symbolic gesture to acknowledge that life is sacred. Jehovah's Witnesses take a very lliteral view of this Scripture and extend this principle to respect for human life. The same principle does apply to humans, of course, but since we are not allowed to kill and eat humans, we logically can't apply it in the same manner. JW's try to. They fail to discern that

1. The blood is the symbol; the reality - the life - is the more important of the two.

2. In the case of a slaughtered animal, the pouring out of the blood represents the life going back to God. Does this apply in the case of humans? No, we aren't allowed to kill and eat humans, therefore there isn't any blood to pour out. And if there is no life forfeited, there is no need of a symbolic gesture to "return" it to God. A blood transfusion does not require the forfeiting of a life.

3. When God gave the simple command to not eat animal blood, or to kill another human, that was a far cry from saying "If your child must have a blood transfusion or die, I want you to let him die because I want you to honor the literal blood more than you honor the life itself."

4. Although the 10 commandments embody this principle of respect for life in "Thou shalt not murder", there is no mention of not eating blood in the ten commandments. The Sabbath also predated the Law and it WAS included in the 10 commandments. But JW's elevate the "don't eat blood" law to their highest priority.

5. Although it was right and proper to pour out animal blood on the ground, pouring out human blood (murder) was forbidden. Yet JW's think that He wants human blood also to be poured on the ground.

There are so many inconsistencies in their complicated blood policy that most Witnesses are clueless as to what they really are allowed to have in the way of medical treatments that involve blood or blood products. It would seem that if you want to serve God properly, you need a medical degree or you'd better have someone handy to instruct you in case of an emergency. JW's are not even permitted to store their own blood in case of emergency when having surgery. I guess they consider that "suicide" since you would be taking your own blood. Supposedly this is the individual's own personal choice, Just as it is a priest's "personal choice" to remain celibate. It is a choice that is virtually forced upon them unless they are willing to accept the consequences.

The bottom line, though, is that they don't accept blood transfusions because their governing body who have given themselves the title of "The Faithful and Discreet Slave" tells them it's wrong and if they do, they will be excommunicated and shunned even by their own families unless they "repent" of their sin. But if the "slave" votes to change that rule and make it a matter of conscience, then no doubt many would suddenly view the Scriptures in a whole different light. In the past, the "slave" said that organ transplants were the same as cannibalism; then after making it a matter of "conscience", objections to organ transplants seems to have disappeared. At one time they also considered vaccines to be a sin, but at that time it wasn't an offense that merited excommunication. (Now they're OK).

Many people are initially reluctant to accept the no blood transfusion doctrine and find it very hard to accept because it goes against their common sense and sense of decency, but once accepting that the "slave" is their only means of salvation, they learn to accept it and embrace it as if it were written in their conscience with a branding iron, even if it means they may have to sacrifice their life or the life of their child in order to comply with the "slave's" ever-changing interpretation of Scripture

Answer 10

i dont know but when my friend told me that she cant take any blood transfusios i thought that was crazy!

Answer 11

Because they are complete arseholes