jehovah's. you would let your child die instead of giving them blood to live?

Question

wow, i could not do that, i would do eveerything to help my child. why dont you people have your own blood stored then?
just dont get it. my childs life means everything and if god really wanted them then he would not of made it so easy to help them. or give man the power to learn and make progress to help eachother.

Answer 1

Good point.

Answer 2

As was mentioned by some of the other answers, we love our children and make sure they have the best medical care available. It is amazing to me how many people still believe that blood transfusions are somehow life saving. Many doctors believe that a blood transfusion is one of the most dangerous medical practices there is. Not only is there the danger of diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis, there is also the danger of receiving the wrong type of blood. A person who receives a blood transfusion faces risks essentially similar to someone who gets an organ transplant. Blood transfusions can cause immunosuppression. Now I just read about a new threat:TRALI (transfusion-related acute lung injury). It is a life-threatening immune reaction following a blood transfusion. One report states that TRALI is now near the top of the list for causes of transfusion-related deaths in the US and Britain, making it "a bigger problem for blood banks than HIV."

Because of Jehovah's Witnesses, many doctors have come to realize that bloodless medicine is the highest quality of care there is. Many hospitals offer "bloodless" surgery programs because they have discovered numerous benefits to the patients when implementing strategies that curtail the use of blood transfusions.

Please, take a few moments and look at the following information. If nothing else, for the benefit of your children whom you obviously love very much also.
http://www.watchtower.org/library/hb/index.htm?article=article_02.htm
I am also including a link to a short film that discusses the medical alternatives that doctors now offer. It is important to be informed. It is your health and your safety.
http://www.watchtower.org/library/vcnb/article_01.htm

Answer 3

The choice of whether or not to accept a blood transfusion in a life threatening situation is an agonizing decision for Jehovah's Witnesses to make because they have been instructed by men who have as much authority among JW's as the Pope has among Catholics, that it's a sin to do so. So believing that they're following God's requirements, most would let their children die rather than take a blood transfusion. Of course, the Bible doesn't specifically address this issue of blood transfusion and so humans must apply human reasoning to the matter. Obviously it is not a black and white situation, since applying different scriptures and different reasonings lead to different conclusions. However, the men who call themselves the "faithful and discreet slave" often take it upon themselves to go beyond the scriptures, and develop hard and fast rules when in many cases, individual conscience should be the guide.

As an example, for many years young male Jehovah's Witnesses were told that to accept alternative civilian service in place of conscripted military service, would be a sin against God and if they were to accept such service, even though they could do so with a free conscience, they would be excommunicated and shunned even by close family members. So they were forced into going to prison or else be disfellowshipped. They were told that this was a black and white issue....to accept any service that was merely a SUBSTITUTE for military service would be just as objectionable as the military service itself. Then in 1998, these men changed their mind...thankfully...and have since allowed the individual involved to follow his conscience.

This same type of blind "black and white" thinking applies to the Watchtower's stand on blood transfusions. There are different lines of reasoning which might allow some Witnesses to conscientiously accept a blood transfusion in a life-threatening situation. There are probably close to 100% of Jehovah's Witnesses who would see nothing wrong with having their own blood stored in case of emergency, when having elective surgery. But as long as the Society insists that it's "black and white", Witnesses, like obedient sheep, will follow these blind guides as far as sacrificing their children's lives.

If the Society had applied the very same reasoning they applied to the alternative service, that blood substitutes are "just as objectionable for Jehovah's Witnesses" as taking the blood itself, then Witnesses would blindly accept that, too.

The ironic part is that if the Witnesses themselves were to make known their feelings in sufficient numbers that for example they saw nothing wrong with transfusing one's OWN blood, the Society would very possibly yield to their feelings, since the rule was made by them and is not really required by the Bible. They could easily make it a matter of conscience, saying that the Bible doesn't say anything specific on the matter and that "some" Witnesses have reasoned this way or that way, thus feeling it would not be improper as long as they did not take the blood of another person into their body. But for a Witness to express an opinion that is not sanctioned by the Society, is almost unheard of. Very much frowned on, lest someone think that they are 'rebellious'.

Pastor Russell, the founder of Jehovah's Witnesses, would probably be appalled to know that the organization he founded has now become like the papacy, which he called "an undue respect for the opinions of mere men."

Answer 4

Christians are told to abstain from blood. It is a command from God himself. If an alcoholic is told to abstain from alcohol, does thiat mean he can take it through his veins and that would be okay? Life is in the blood and we have no right to put anothers persons life force into our bodies. Our lives belong to God and he has the right to tell us what to do with it. If we stubbornly refuse to disregard his law on blood, then we risk losing our right ro live forever. Is taking a blood transfusion and ignoring a direct command from God worth it just to maybe prolong your life for a few more years? Some take blood and die anyway, from hepatitus and AIDS they get from bad blood. Because of our faith in obeying Jehovah's law on blood, doctors are now able to perform bloodless surgery on patients and not just on Witnesses. We have faith also, that if we die, Jehovah God will resurrect us back to life. God's laws are not to be taken lightly or ignored. They are for our protection and they insure us of a better future as long as we obey them.

Answer 5

First of all, NOT having a blood transfusion has NEVER killed anyone. To believe that is faulty reasoning.

There is no guarantee that a blood tranfusion will save your life. Tranfusions are far more dangerous than most people realize. Many people actually die as a direct result of tranfusions.
Jehovah's Witnesses refusal to accept blood has led to many far safer alternatives to transfusions that now benefit everyone, not just Jehovah's Witnesses. Many also do not realize that there are a great number of non-Witness doctors who refuse blood for themselves and there families due to these very dangers.

We have been led to believe that blood is neccessary for many operations. This is because blood is BIG business. Millions are made selling and exchanging blood every year. These are just the non-religious reasons.

You want religious? The original command to abstain from blood was given to Noah (the ancestor of all of us) and his family. The penalty for eating it was death in Isreal. Abstaining from blood was also clearly spelled out in the early Christian church by Paul.

So if we stick it in our viens we are not drinking it? Do that with a bottle of liquor and then go to AA and tell them you aren't drinking.

Eating or ingesting blood in any way shape or form has clearly been spelled out to the pre-Jewish world, the Jewish world and the Christian world. NO it is NOT okay to violate God's laws to save our own skin OR anyone else's. If your child is starving and you steal food to feed him, you still expect to pay the penalty of law don't you? And that's just man's law.

Fortunately, in the case of blood transfusions, the refusal of Witnesses to have them has led to many much safer alternatives. Jehovah's Witnesses do NOT refuse medical treatment. Only blood.

You want sources? Google it. They are out there, and a great deal of them are medical sources. If you really want to know the truth, you will investigate it.

Answer 6

Because they believe it is wrong. They don't want to do something that their god says they shouldn't do. If they do, then they and their children won't all end up in paradise together, which is (they believe) for eternity.

Would you risk your child's and your own eternity?

If your really want to understand this, get the next ones who come to your house to explain it all to you. They'll be happy to do so.

People do a lot of seemingly insane things because they believe that's what their god wants them to do.

Answer 7

That is the first thing my mom always mentions when they come to the door. My mom has had a transfusion that saved her life and she is not taking any bull from a JW.

Answer 8

I'm not a witness myself but i have a collegue who is and they don't let their kids die its the hospitals who won't give them an alternative for blood cos its too expensive. i wouldn't want to have somebody elses blood in my body.euh!

Answer 9

It is sad when a religion goes so far as to telling someone not to take donated blood...

Answer 10

They don't even believe in putting their own blood back in their own body. So they won't even recycle their own blood either !!! Strange people huh ???

Answer 11

Wow, I didn't know this! Learn something new everyday! That is barbaric tho, how could they allow that?