Question about Jehova's Witnesses?

Question

I read in the Guinness Book of Records how some girl had a liver transplant without any blood transfusion taking place as, being a Jehova's Witness it is 'against her religion to receive someone else's blood'! But its ok for her to receive someone else's LIVER???? If anyone understands this please explain it to me!

Answer 1

Jehovah's Witnesses believe and do anything they are told by their Governing Body, a small group of men who rule with the same authority as the Pope over Catholics.

These men decided several decades ago that a blood transfusion would violate God's law about not eating unbled meat. For several years, they also did not approve of organ transplants because they called it cannibalism. About 1980, they decided to let Witnesses decide for themselves whether or not to have an organ transplant while still forbidding blood transfusions. Now it is rare to see a JW who objects to organ transplant even though it isn't possible to transplant a liver without some of the person's blood also being transferred.

It's useless to get into the specifics about why Witnesses don't take transfusions - the only important reason is that the Governing Body won't let them. If at some point they decide to let their members make their own choice, then no doubt many would decide differently.

It's unlikely that such a change will occur any time soon, though, since such a reversal in viewpoint would most likely result in lawsuits broguht about by relatives of Witnesses who died in obedience to their man-made rules.

Answer 2

Wester I was going to say something to you but...(Prov 9: 7-9)
I want to clear up a few things first. JWs can drink alcohol if they are legally allowed to do so. Overdrinking is what is condemned in the Bible; not drinking itself.
Dessy Jehovah's Witnesses do not steal. I don't know where you are getting your information from. Now individually, someone might because no one is perfect, but it certainly isn't condoned.
There is no safety net or opt out clause.
The governing body does not wield the authority the pope does. The pope is one person with absolute supremacy over all catholics and cannot be questioned; he is viewed as Jesus on earth. He gets a procession wherever he goes and looks more like a rock star to me than a religious figure (or what a religious figure should look like.) The governing body has the same makeup as those in the first century who had a meeting to see what to do about the issue of some of the commandments of the mosaic law - including blood. The governing body is a group of people who can check each other; there is no one authority figure. Oh, and they can be questioned. That is why there has been so many changes. We don't have an unquestioned human ruler. What's more, the vast majority of witnesses, including me, couldn't tell you the name of just one of the members of the (dirt poor) governing body, whereas pretty much worldwide everyone knows the name of the (filthy rich) pope.
Blood is specifically mentioned in the Bible to Noah before the mosaic law (Gen 9: 3-65) the Israelites in the mosaic law (Lev. 17: 10-14) and it among the apostles and the older men (governing body) in early christian times (Acts 15: 22-29, Acts 21: 25).
If your doctor told you not to drink alcohol, would you inject it into your veins? Of course not. It would still have the same effect on you. Although the scriptures were talking about eating blood, it seems pretty obvious that we wouldn't want to take it into our bodies through another avenue.
Organs are not specifically mentioned. So as to not to seem to authoritative, the governing body only has a stance on what is specifically mentioned in the Bible. (Funny how some people ridicule us for refusing blood in the first place, then turn around and ridicule us for accepting alternatives and not being dogmatic about everything.)
***Side point: blood transfusions have proven to be a very dangerous solution. I'm sorry I don't remember where I found this, but 85% of doctors would not accept a blood transfusioin for themselves or a family member. There is no sure fire way to make sure it is safe. It is just like taking oil from an old car and putting it in another old car. Except worse, because it is your much more complex and much more important body and life. There are much safer alternatives to blood transfusions; Jehovah was looking out for our safety before we even knew about it.
***For everyone reading this, if you have a JW question, please ask a JW. Others will misinform you.

Answer 3

Jehovah’s Witnesses have long refused blood transfusions, not primarily because of the health dangers, but because of obedience to God’s law on blood. (Acts 15:28, 29)
Yet, skilled doctors have successfully cared for Witness patients without using blood, with its attendant risks. As just one among many examples reported in medical literature, Archives of Surgery (November 1990) discussed heart transplantation on Witness patients whose consciences permitted such a procedure without the administering of blood. The report said: “More than 25 years of experience performing heart surgery on Jehovah’s Witnesses has culminated in successful cardiac transplantation without administering blood products . . . No perioperative deaths occurred, and early follow-up studies have shown that these patients have not been more susceptible to higher graft rejection rates.”

The conscience of some Witnesses permits them to accept organ transplants if done without blood. A report of 13 kidney transplants concluded: “The overall results suggest that renal transplantation can be safely and efficaciously applied to most Jehovah’s Witnesses.” (Transplantation, June 1988) Likewise, refusal of blood has not stood in the way even of successful heart transplants.

(holly_angelica is wrong - JW's do not accept blood transfusions at all, not even from family members)

Answer 4

That don't make any sence to me either surely that if they cant receive blood it would be imoral to receive someone else's liver,

Religion is such a strange thing!

Answer 5

i think that jehova's witnesses are allowed blood transfusions as long as it's a close family member , i know quite a few jehova's witnesses, and their religion is quite intense, there are a lot of things they are not supposed to do, like: drink ANY alcohol, watch sexual or yiolent films, they are only allowed to marry other jehovas witnesses...the list goes on!!

Answer 6

I don't under stand it my self its like having the liver and no onions. the best thing to do is when you see one pull them and ask

Answer 7

If it's necessary to save a person's life, it is permissible. All religions have a safety net or opt out clause. For instance, if eating pork will keep a Muslim or Jew from starving to death or they are forced to eat that meat, they won't go to hell over it.

Answer 8

Like so many of these religious people, they all talk big until it comes to the crunch, then everything changes so that it suits THEM.
By the way, next time you get a couple of religious maniacs - sorry - I mean "The Lords' Representatives" call at your door just as you're serving up the dinner, invite them in, and as soon as they get inside the front door say "Oh, by the way, we're all naturists in this house, so would you mind removing all your clothes first please?" and see what happens. AT WORST, it could turn out to be a fun evening.......

Answer 9

see the answer by achtung heiss above, this explains it very well.

Answer 10

They are using the religion to deceive people. they told you not to steal and they steal (Romans 2:21-23). Only God knows who serve him best.