Why Bible say 'Keep abstaining from BLOOD'..good health to you?Acts 15:29?

Question

Many Jehovah's Witnesses get better results from other transfusions, than people do from blood transfusions.

Jesse, hospitals provide other transfusions, like saline solutions. Ususally the purpose of a transfusion is to keep open the veins.

If a doctor forbids a diabetic to eat sugar, inb other words to abstain from sugar, would that include eating by transfusions?

Isn't eating that which feeds the blood, be it through the mouth or the IV?

Thank you izofblue for the illustration of sugar.

Leviticus 3:17b You must not eat any fat or blood at all.

So the apostles, by Holy Spirit repeated the command on blood, but did not continue the rule about fat for Christians.

Answer 1

As God's spokesman and as Head of the Christian congregation, Jesus Christ made certain that the early congregation reiterated, recorded, and communicated renewed Christian restrictions against the misuse of blood. It seems no accident that the bible uses the term "abstain" with regard to respecting blood.

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". Ironically, 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). God and Christ apparently felt (and feel) that respect for blood is quite important.

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 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 believe these Scriptures apply to blood and the four primary components which approximate "blood". An individual Jehovah's Witness is likely to accept a targeted treatment for a targeted need, including a treatment which includes a minor fraction derived from plasma, platelets, and/or red/white blood cells.

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

Answer 2

Do not drink blood, or eat it in any form. As for the transfusions, my mother and sis are JW's and I know their believes about blood transfusions. I don't agree with it, but, I have seen how blood transfusions can be more harmful than help. Not because of aids or anything like that. Some people just don't react well with them. My aunt had a severe reaction from a transfusion which nearly killed her. What do you mean by other transfusions? As far as I know, mom and sis won't take any type of blood.

Answer 3

The Greek word there translated "blood" is most often translated as "bloodshed" in other Bible verses and in non-Biblical Greek literature. The verse is not prohibiting blood transfusions, as the JWs claims. Rather it is a law against bloodshed, or murder and violence.

In Acts 15, the church leaders are laying out the most important rules to govern Christian conduct for the next 2000+ years. This is the "10 Commandmants" of the New Testament in a way. Does it really make sense to prohibit blood transfusions in that list? They did not exist at the time when this was written, and would not for anothe 1900 years.

Bloodshed - violence - did exist, and unfortunately has been a sad part of church history from that time forward. There has been too much bloodshed done in the name of God and Christ. And it is that the leaders in Acts were speaking against, not blood transfusions.

Obeying the law against bloodshed would have made major changes in the history of the world. Obeying a law against transfusions might make a difference in a handful of lives in the last centuries. But the impact is nothing compared to the law against bloodshed.

Answer 4

The word "abstain" means "to hold oneself back voluntarily, esp. from something regarded as improper or unhealthy " Many are saying it just means not to "eat" blood. Back in Bible times, people would eat blood, today people also eat blood, but abstaining involves so much more than that! If you were diabetic and a Doctor told you to abstain from sweets, would it be wise to transfuse them? Abstain would include avoiding them completely, as is the case with blood.

I found many of the answers that you have received so far regarding blood transfusions to be archaic. There are so many medical advancements out there that are so much safer than blood transfusions. As you mentioned, Jehovah's Witnesses get better results from these alternatives. For this very reason, many doctors who have done "bloodless surgeries" on Jehovah's Witnesses now do the same proceedures on all of their other patients.
Doctors have learned that they can do open heart surgery, hip replacement surgery, even brain surgery without blood. And the patients have much shorter recovery times because of no blood. There are many hospitals throughout the US and the world that have "Bloodless surgery wings".

There are so many alternatives to blood transfusions today, and there are more developed every year. Some examples are hemodilution, cell salvage, fibrin glue patches, lactated Ringer's solution, Laparoscopic surgeries, cauterizing tools, and the list goes on.
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3689/is_200406/ai_n9434243
However, the list of diseases that people can get from blood transfusions is also growing. There is HIV, Hepatitis A,B,C,D, and E (I wonder how many more letters will follow that one) now there is also TRALI, which many people have never even heard of. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRALI

Thanks to the willingness of Jehovah's Witnesses to undergo 'experimental' bloodless surgeries, inorder to obey God's command at Acts 15:29, there are so many medical advancements being made.

Answer 5

Interesting that a general practitioner could avert one. There are many that experience come to that end or even transformed their evaluations approximately Jehovah's WItnesses. Naturally, JW's wish to are living and don't refuse clinical remedy like Christian Scientist. However, if a remedy (corresponding to blood transfusions) conflicts with God's legislation, they obey God over guy. (Acts five:29) Yes, this does take religion however suppose approximately it; ONLY God can deliver any one lifestyles. AND that's permanent lifestyles. (Romans 6:23)

Answer 6

Yes, it was meant to not eat the blood, and keep Kosher with laws. Also, Satanic rituals involve drinking blood, so there is a spiritual connection there.
But I believe blood transfusions are good, and I see no law against that. There are times when the Bible calls for us to put the Spirit of the law ABOVE the law--giving blood to save a life, and like during WW2, lying about hiding Jews to save their life.

Answer 7

Act15:29 ..You must abstain from eating food offered to idols, from consuming blood or eating the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality......Can not see anything about blood transfusions in this verse. It is about eating blood. God Bless

Answer 8

Why is this such an issue for people? It is not as if refusing blood transfusions is harmful when there are better alternatives.

Answer 9

Itmeans not to eat blood-ie. animals...it was a health message and how true these days with the diseases with animal food.

Not blood tranfusions...don't misinterpret the bible. Let the scriptures interpret the sriptures.
It is ok to have blood transfusions.

Answer 10

I would say to you that this refers to the drinking of blood and not the transfusion of blood.

This is where the J.W's have made a critical error and thus condemning millions of of their congregation to death.

According to Science you can only get transfused with blood.