Honest question for JWs on blood transfusions. . . ?

Question

Why is a blood transfusion considered to violate the Mosaic Law's prohibition on "eating" blood, since the blood is entering the body via the circulatory system and not via the digestive system?

Also, why are JWs required to keep this part of the Mosaic Law and not others? I know there is a passage in the NT that the WT says restates this rule for Christians, but I forgot where it is?

Please note: This is a serious inquiry. I really just want to know what this doctrine is based upon. (Not being an a troll or anything like that.)

Thanks, JWs who provided the reference in Acts. Still looks to me like Paul's talking about blood eaten in meat, though.

Thanks, our Jewish sister: You are 100% right--Gentile Christians were NEVER under Jewish law--unless Jews before converersion. Paul's entire letter to the Galatians is about just that: counsel to Gentile Christians not to listen to the Judaizers who were trying to make them come under a law that they were never under in the first place. Very good point. I appreciate your perspective. Peace & blessings.

Thanks to those of you who gave the analogy to alcohol injection. Now that you mention it, I do remember hearing that years ago. I personally find the comparison to be rather silly, but, you are right that it has been used by the WT.

Ray: the other Mosaic Laws I am talking about are all those that we don't keep (ie. sacrifices, festivals, cleansing rituals, etc.)

Actung: where is it, prior to the Mosaic Law?

Thanks as always, Danny!

Ok. I did remember that God gave this command to Noah when he stepped of the ark and gave people permission, from then on, to use animals for food. But, again, He speaks of eating blood inside the meat. Same as Paul later commands to not eat meat that has been strangled. I honestly don't see the connection.

As far as intervenious feeding comparisons, although the body does get sustainance from that practice, it is still not "eating" in the truest sense. It is still not going thru the digestive system. If we are going to use the alcohol injection example, then why can't I eat a pizza interveinously. Either case, seems equally ridiculous to me.

It's not that I'm trying to argue. It's just that I don't find the WT response to satisfy the questions completely.

However, I will say that, thanks to the WT's encouragement of the medical profession to seek alternatives, I'm sure other people will be able to benefit from this in the future. So that part has been helpful.

Answer 1

It's a total misinterpretation of Jewish law, that never applied to non-Jews in the first place. None of the laws in the Torah ever applied to non-Jews except the 7 Noahide Laws, anyway.

I don't care if Christians scream bloody murder that they were once under the law - they only believe this because their churches incorrectly tell them so. WE know they never were, it's OUR laws, and it's OUR book, and we know exactly who was under our laws and who wasn't. Non Jews never were.

Jesus didn't free Christians from anything in the Torah - because people cannot be freed from something they were never bound by in the first place - it doesn't exist!

As for the 7 Noahide Laws, Jesus didn't free non-Jews from that either. For Christians who say he did, I'd say, well, go on out and murder someone then, and see how far you get.

So for these JW's to be following a law they:
1. Obviously have no understanding of
2. Were never under in the first place
means that they are basically just blinded by the incorrect information that their church teaches them. Not an uncommon thing for churches to teach total inaccuracies about the Torah and it's meanings. It's pretty much the rule rather than the exception.

Source: Me, Jewish

Answer 2

Not only the Mosaic law but its in the New Testament also as someone mentioned Acts 15:28,29. I dont know what other laws you are talking about since you didnt specify which ones but anyway. lets see how to answer the circulatory , digestive question,
well if an elderly person is in the nursing home, or if a very sick person, or unconscious person thats in a COMA how could they eat they couldnt eat by mouth so how do they feed the person??

intraveinously (IV'S) therefore its the same thing.

If you eat food by mouth where is the nutrients absorbed to? the blood.. same thing.

if you are sick whether its something you ate and tell no one what you ate and you go to the doctor whats the first thing they're gonna do? blood work to tell what levels certain gluclose, sugars and all depending on your diet (the things you ate in some cases but not all. )
same thing.
Also the things you eat how do they check your cholesterol?
by blood work. same thing
animals are even tested by blood at vets to see what kind of worms they have by their environment and also what they ate. Some doctors now argree that patients who have the alternative medicines fair
better than ones who've had transfusions , there were 2 individuals in the same hostpital that had operations that required blood transfusions (whole blood) one took the transfusion the other didnt, and did research and took the alternative medicine like medical use of their own blood like cell salvage, Hemodilution, Dialysis, or even fractions which are of personal choice. Even doctors agree, the person who took the transfusion lived but took ALOT longer to recover than the one that didnt take the transfusion and also still LIVED....
Jehovah blesses efforts and even if one does die the ressurection is assured. ACTS 24:15.
There are ALOT of people who died that still took the transfusions so thats not a guarantee of life, I know people now that will not take blood and are NOT witnesses.
Complications can still come about if you did take blood your body may fight it and so on...
There are a lot of things wrong with blood, diseases, hepititas b, and c, and sure they're suppose to filter these things but would you accept a filtered blood trans fusion from a bank that had your blood type and they didnt know which bag had aids or hiv, but it was filtered they just didnt know which bag had the virus? hey its your call but im looking and preparing ahead of time in the ALTERNATIVES other than blood transfusions not only to OBEY the command but also to live a long Healthy life. Because what ever goes IN your body whether digestive or veins its still IN your body and to me thats THE SAME THING......

Answer 3

what's the ingredient? i will asses that maximum hospitals do no longer use entire blood with the aid of fact it is not needed with blood circulate equipment. to assert a well being facility is chilly is out of context, to assert they do no longer use blood with the aid of fact it is not needed would be extra ideal. Blood isn't required for the duration of surgical operation purely with the aid of fact the sufferers very own entire blood is used, till that is an emergency it is not had to apply entire blood. what's the real documentation on "mad cow" ailment, what may be the end results of a guy or woman getting this if given entire blood. So, what's the ingredient. Bye the way, blood isn't an organ. There are purely some tests that infectious ailments can ruin out with nowdays. In an extreme emergancy blood is given yet, purely while needed.

Answer 4

It's a matter of interperetation, I suppose. Eating blood is taboo because of the "sacred" nature of blood. I imagine they consider blood to be also too sacred to be used for any purpose other than within the body from which it came. I doubt you'll find JW's who have "blood brothers" in their childhood- although this practice is increasingly rare in almost all american subcultures.

As to why the JW's keep this part of Mosaic law but not others... well I'm not really sure. I've wondered about that myself- especially the Sabbath law. Did Jesus ever say "Now go work on the Sabbath 'cause I said it's okay"? Hrm... I don't remember anything like that.

As I see it, christians should be observing the Sabbath, avoiding sex during mensturation, and refusing to eat pork.

Answer 5

The Watchtower cares more about lawsuits than life.

It is the Watchtower that has heaped controversy on itself with it's arbitrary flip-flopping decisions on what "parts" aka fractions of Blood are allowed and disallowed.

If you go by the old testament it says to pour ALL the blood onto the ground as dust as it is ALL sacred to God.So,where does the Watchtower get the authority to decide what "parts" of something that is sacred can be used??

Moreover,no question it's more healthy not to put another persons blood or any body parts into your body if you don't need it.In cases of emergency trauma such as in a car crash if I lose 3-4 pints of blood I will die without an emergency transfusion there is no time for fancy modern gadgets or vitamin supplements to 'build up my blood'.

Case in point,I had a 'totalproctocolectomy' major surgery and did all the things you JW's suggest to build up and prep my body for surgery and had two pints of my own blood (forbidden by the WT) on standby that my skilled surgeon did not have to use.BUT I had 3 months to prepare for that surgery.

Some cases need immediate life-saving emergency blood transfusions and the watchtower's doctrine Say's NO.

Too, common sense says in cases where someone is gushing blood there isn’t time to slowly try to bring up blood volume with expanders etc.

Moreover,the Watchtower condemns using (your OWN stored) autologous blood!

The Watchtower WILL excommunicate you if they find out a baptized JW has had a transfusion.To deny this and say it's a "personal conscience matter" is a lie.

It is predicted that in possibly 10-20 years an "artificial souless blood" will be available for everybody putting an end to Red Cross collections and the blood transfusion controversy.

(Some educational links provided below:)

http://www.ajwrb.org/ Jehovah Witness blood policy reform site

http://www.towertotruth.net/Articles/blood_transfusions.htm Will you die for a lie?

(Jehovah's Witnesses do use many products that are derived from blood banks (so called blood 'fractions') but they themselves won't donate a drop)

One Truth Exposes a Thousand Lies
The Watchtower is a truly Orwellian world.
http://www.freeminds.org

http://jehovahwitness.blogstream.com/
http://www.blogigo.co.uk/JEHOVAHWITNESS

Answer 6

Their line of reasoning goes like this: If a doctor told you to abstain from consuming alcohol (as the Apostle Paul seems to be saying when he said "abstain from blood and things sacrificed to idols" (Acts 15:20, 29) then it would not be OK to inject it directly into your veins.

I don't agree with it, but that's how they think.

Answer 7

It's a command given to Christians in Acts 15:28 &29.

Answer 8

The premise of this question is false, in that God's commands regarding blood both preceded the birth of Moses by a thousand years, and were reiterated by the holy spirit after the establishment of Christianity.

(Acts 15:20,28,29) Write them [the various Christian congregations] to abstain from things polluted by idols [which likely was not bled properly] and from fornication and from what is strangled [the meat of which would contain blood] and from blood. ...For the holy spirit and we ourselves have favored adding no further burden to you, except these necessary things, to keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols [which likely was not bled properly] and from blood and from things strangled [the meat of which would contain blood] and from fornication. If you carefully keep yourselves from these things, you will prosper.

Jehovah's Witnesses have sometimes used the illustration that a patient who is told to abstain from alcohol could not simply avoid eating or drinking it, but must also abstain from injecting it into his veins. But there is nothing about the bible prohibition regarding blood that restricts itself to ingestion. For centuries, true worshippers were required to "pour blood out on the ground", that is, not use it for any purpose.

Learn more:
http://watchtower.co.uk/e/hb/

Answer 9

I was wondering the same thing as it has never made sense to me. They don't celebrate Christmas, Easter or their own birthdays!!

Answer 10

I'm not a JW, but since you aren't, also, why don't you ask a JW minister, if you're interested in joining JW, and if you aren't why argue with them over their doctrine with your sugar-sweet barbed barbie questions?