why do Jehovah witnesses not believe in Blood transfusions (receiving)???

Answer 1

SOURCES ARE LISTED BELOW:

The Jehovah's Witnesses urges its members to refuse to accept blood transfusions and to not allow them to be given to their children. This is based upon four passages in the Bible which they interpret as prohibiting the consuming of blood:
Genesis 9:4 "But flesh (meat) with...blood...ye shall not eat"
Leviticus 17:12-14 "...No soul of you shall eat blood...whosoever eateth it shall be cut off"
Acts 15:29 "That ye abstain...from blood..."
Acts 21:25 "...Gentiles...keep themselves from things offered to idols and from blood..."

The faith group once interpreted "eating" of blood in its most general form to include accepting "transfusion of whole blood, packed [red blood cells] RBCs, and plasma, as well as [white blood cells] WBC and platelet administration."

L.C. Cotton, associate director of Jehovah's Witnesses hospital information services, said: "We feel that the Bible clearly indicates that blood is sacred and it is not to be used for human consumption. Though it doesn't discuss it in medical terms, Jehovah's Witnesses feel that would preclude the acceptance of it in a blood transfusion." 1 All or essentially all other Christian and Jewish faith groups interpret these same passages as referring to dietary laws; i.e. to the actual eating of meat containing blood.

Witnesses are also urged to "discontinue their chemotherapy treatments when platelet transfusions are needed." 2 Because Witnesses believe that any blood that leaves the body must be destroyed, they do not approve of an individual storing his own blood for a later auto-transfusion. 2

There appears to be a significant movement within the medical community to minimize or eliminate blood transfusions during surgery.

Reform group:
The "Associated Jehovah's Witnesses for Reform on Blood" [AJWRB] describes themselves as
"a diverse group of Witnesses from many countries, including elders and other organization officials, Hospital Liaison Committee members, Doctors, and members of the general public who have volunteered their time and energies in an effort to bring about an end to a tragic and misguided policy that has claimed thousands of lives, many of them children. promoting change within the WTS on the topic of blood transfusions."

The AJWRB notes that, over time, the Jehovah's Witnesses "has gradually permitted each component [of blood] to be used, first globulin, then the clotting factors, plasma proteins." 2 Hemoglobin was finally allowed in 2000-JUN when the leadership of the group modified:

"...the prohibition on transfusions by deeming that God had revealed to them that transfusions of some blood components might be acceptable, providing there was later repentance, has come too late for many hundreds of followers known to have died because they refused blood." 7

As of 2002-JAN, Jehovah's Witnesses were urged to not accept whole blood transfusions. However, according to the AJWRB:

"...if you discount the membranes of the red cells, white cells and platelets, they are allowing somewhere between 97 and 98% of the blood. However, the membrane is stroma (protein/enzyme) and as a fraction it too would be permitted. So technically the WTS permits 100% of the blood in fractionated form." 8

Transfusions of PolyHeme®:
Northfield Laboratories, Inc. produce a material called PolyHeme®. 9 It:

"is a human hemoglobin-based temporary oxygen-carrying red blood cell substitute in development for the treatment of life-threatening blood loss when an oxygen-carrying fluid is required and red blood cells are not available."

PolyHeme is not whole blood, but is derived from it. Some Jehovah's Witnesses have accepted it. L.C. Cotton indicates that members must decide for themselves whether to accept this product. He said:

"When blood is fractionated beyond those primary components and other blood derivatives, we feel that it is an individual decision. If an individual's conscience will allow him to accept the product, then that would be up to that individual. That is between himself and his God...The understanding is that each person stands before God and is judged according to his own conscience. The other Witnesses would not criticize any decisions he makes." 1

The 2006-AUG issue of Awake! magazine contained an article on the value of blood, with a sidebar on hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers [HBOC]. The article states, in part that Jehovah's Witnesses:

"...reject all transfusions involving whole blood or the four primary blood components - read cells, plasma, white cells, and platelets. As for the various fractions derived from those components - and products that contain such fractions - the Bible does not comment on these. Therefore, each Witness makes his own personal decision on such matters." 10

The sidebar states:

"Regarding this [HBOC] and similar products, then, Christians face a very serious decision. They must carefully and prayerfully meditate on Bible principles concerning the sacredness of blood. With a keen desire to maintain a good relationship with Jehovah,
each must be guided by his Bible-trained conscience." 11

The sidebar contains a citation of Galatians 6:5. This and the previous verse are translated:

"But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden." King James Version.

"But let him prove what his own work is, and then he will have cause for exultation in regard to himself alone, and not in comparison with the other person. For each one will carry his own load." New World Translation.

Answer 2

Question: "Why do Jehovah's Witnesses refuse blood transfusions?"



Answer: Acts 15:19-21,28 is the Scripture Jehovah's Witnesses typically point to as the reason they refuse to accept blood donations. Acts 15:20 says, "Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood." It is clear from the context that the instructions were against eating / drinking blood, not blood transfusions. Blood transfusions were not even possible in Bible times, so there is no possibility that this Scripture could be referring to blood transfusions. There were many pagan religious practices that involved eating and drinking blood and/or strangling an animal to keep more of its blood in its meat. This is what the Bible speaks against, not blood transfusions.



Is it acceptable for a Christian to receive or give a blood transfusion? Since the Bible does not explicitly say, a decision of this nature can only be made between a person and God. A person should carefully and prayerfully consider what God would have them to do in regards to receiving / giving a blood transfusion. There is no command either way in Scripture. Blood transfusions are therefore a matter of conscience.

Recommended Resource: Reasoning from the Scriptures with the Jehovah's Witnesses by Ron Rhodes.



For more information, we recommend - http://www.witforjesus.org/jehovahs_witness/questionsforjws/blood.php

Answer 3

I am a Jehovah's Witness, and I think I can answer, but can't give you a complete detailed answer. The reason why I think why they don't believe in blood transfusions is for the main reason is because your blood belongs to you, and even though some people have the same blood type, it is still different in a way. My mother is not a Jehovah's Witness, even though she reads the magazines, but she will not get a blood transfusion either. If you need more information,, I recommend that you go to http://www.watchtower.org/ and the website can give you more information. OR you can call the Kingdom hall in your area and ask why.

Answer 4

This question is getting old, only 10% of those refusing blood are witnesses.

As for people claiming that abstaining (Acts 15:20) only refers to eating, does that mean that only oral sex is bad and that all other forms of fornication are okay?

UCLA now performs bloodless transplants. Google “Bloodless Surgery” and you will find 150 hospitals now offer bloodless options to all their patients.

There is so much in the Bible that they could not have understood the science behind why something should or should not be done. In our modern times, we are learning just how the science fits. A good example was when God instructed his people to no longer allow marriages between close relatives. They didn’t understand what genetics was, or why for 2000 years it was okay, and than it wasn’t. Now, we know why.

There is no safe blood transfusion, even if there is no infectious agent present in it. Every transfusion lowers the body's immunal response in the exact same manner as AIDS does. There may or may not be any connection, but the fact is it leaves you open very RARE, not regular diseases, just like AIDS. It still requires coming into contact with the disease for it to become a problem.

That aside, there is the growing problems with contamination of the blood supply.

I'm a taxi cab driver in Kansas City. Ask most any cab driver or taxi passenger in the area who Papa Bear is and they will tell you.

Last Spring, there was a conference here of reps of Blood Services, from all over the world. They were here to learn a new labeling system. Up until this year, there was no uniform labeling system for blood, causing mismatches and other problems.

I had some passengers from London and I asked them about an article I read that England was importing thousands of pinks of blood a year from the U.S. because of contamination of their local supply by Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (Mad Cow). They said they were, but the practice has been discontinued, as the U.S. supply was no longer considered safe within the parameters they set, in other words, what is an allowable percentage of contamination.

They now get it from Australia. Apparently, Canadian is also not considered safe. She said we are fooling ourselves if we think our supply was anywhere near being safe. There are no tests for Mad Cow that can be done on blood. It can only be confirmed after death. There has also been an increasing rate of viral zoonotic (Rabies).

The sale of blood and blood products is big money, to where there is a growing problem with over bleeding of those who donate or sell their blood. When you over bleed, the immune system gets activated, causing a production of chemicals to create clots. That can be a problem for those receiving the blood, to suddenly get a blockage in a vein.

It should also be noted that strict Judaism also believes the blood is the soul, which is why when there is terrorist bombing, they clean up every last bit of blood to be buried, even chipping up the roads.

The fact is that what the Jws have done for over 50 years has made the care of patients safer. It is why you must give permission to have your child treated. There is also one benefit of their work for those who do take transfusions. It had driven down the cost of blood as corporations compete to get hospitals to buy from them.

So, if people want to hide their heads and think their safe, go right ahead, but I'll stay with the 90% of non-JWs who are also refusing blood.

Quality Alternatives to Transfusion
http://www.watchtower.org/e/hb/index.htm?article=article_03.htm

Answer 5

Dear Friend,

The Scripture concerned is:
Acts 15:29You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell

Also

Deuteronomy 12:23 But be sure you do not eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.

The same principal applies to a witness, whether mediaum rare steak or a transfusion.

God Bless

Answer 6

Jehovah's Witnesses are not anti-medicine or anti-technology, and they do not have superstitious ideas about some immortal "soul" literally encapsulated in blood. Instead, as Christians, the Witnesses seek to obey the very plain language of the bible regarding blood.

As Christians, they are bound by the bible's words in "the Apostolic Decree". This decree was the first official decision communicated to the various congregations by the twelve faithful apostles (and a handful of other "older men" which the apostles had chosen to add to the first century Christian governing body in Jerusalem). The decree helps demonstrate that the first century Christian congregation was highly organized, and that the holy spirit actively assists those "taking the lead" to make correct decisions.

Here is what the "Apostolic Decree" said, which few self-described Christians obey or even respect:

(Acts 15:20) Write them [the various Christian congregations] to abstain from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood.

(Acts 15:28-29) For 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.


Quite explicitly, the Apostolic Decree quite plainly forbids the misuse of blood by Christians (despite the fact that nearly every other provision of former Jewish Mosaic Law was recognized as unnecessary). It seems odd therefore, that literally one Christian religion continues to teach that humans must not use blood for any purpose other than honoring Almighty God.

A better question would ask: How can other self-described Christian religions justify the fact that they don't even care if their adherents drink blood and eat blood products?


Jehovah's Witnesses recognize the repeated bible teaching that blood is specially "owned" by God, and must not be used for any human purpose. Witnesses do not have any superstitious aversion to testing or respectfully handling blood, and Witnesses certainly do not believe that any blame belonging to knowing or unknowing sinners could be somehow transferred to unconscious or unwilling victims.

Answer 7

even if I was not a Jehovah Witness I would never take of blood. we are not stupid. and no we don't want to die either. I have a brother who just had a heart operation and did not take of blood and he is doing fine at home. acts 15 verse 28 and 29. remember Jehovah told Adam and Eve not to eat from the forbidden fruit. after the flood of Noah's day God again set out one prohibition for mankind. this time it involved blood. so the real question is? Do we have faith in God? if we obey him, we have before us the prospect of eternal life in perfection under the kingdom. Even if we should die, he assures us of a Resurrection. if you want more information about Jehovah Witnesses please see our website at www.watchtower.org

Answer 8

Our primary reason is because God said blood is holy and not to use it as sustanance or in some cases as food. There are differant interpretations of this, but basically because God said in his word "Don't do it"
Facts prove among those who do that he is right since blood transfusions often bring disease to those who didn't have it.
Here also is a link to follow that can say it far better than I can....God bless

Answer 9

Scripture says we should not eat blood. They understand a transfusion to be blood going into a person, and thus prohibited under that scripture.

Answer 10

The Bible says not to eat or drink blood, so that's the easy answer.

Here's the more theological reason:

Since JW's don't believe that people have "spirits" (when your body is alive, your body is also your "soul", when it's dead, you don't exist anymore in any spiritual form unless God and Christ decide to resurrect you, at which point you re-exist.), blood is seen as the distinguishing factor of a 'living soul'. In other words, by putting someone else's blood into your body, it's almost as if you're taking in part of another person's 'soul'.

It's kind of a crazy doctrine, one that has some string of a connection to scripture somewhere, but that has been taken extremely far out of context.

Answer 11

I don't understand how a person can misinterpret abstain from blood. It even says it in the popular KJV Bible at Acts 15: 29That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well

To abstain means to stay away from or to do without. As regards eating it in meat, that's why the verse includes "from things strangled" cause they can't be bled properly. The main purpose of blood in the Bible is for the use of sacrifice, and thats why it's considered so sacred, especially the blood of Jesus that results in forgiveness of sins.

Many people even today, think that blood saves lives, but it's well known that it 's very dangerous. I worked at a hospital and anything dealing with blood or had blood on it was thrown in biohazard material, those red bags and containers with the warning on them. Many people have caught HIV or had adverse reactions after getting transfusions.

Jehovah's witnesses accept many forms of treatment including blood expanders and other forms of surgery that allow their own blood to be recirculated to them. Bloodless surgery is considered one of the skillfulest forms of care and has been accomplished manytimes. I knew a man that was in a serious accident, and his hemoglobin count was so low they tried to force blood on him, but even in his weakened state, he told them no. Today, he's so well healed u couldn't tell that he almost died.