Are Jehovah's Witnesses required to keep the Old Testament dietary laws?

Question

Why, or why not?

God is Love (great screen name):
My point is asking a question. Do Witnesses keep the old testament dietary laws? I don't know the answer, so I asked.

Consider this:
Consider these examples: "It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither fat nor blood" (Lev. 3:17). "The Lord said to Moses, ‘Say to the people of Israel, You shall eat no fat, of ox, or sheep, or goat. The fat of an animal that dies of itself, and the fat of one that is torn by beasts, may be put to any other use, but on no account shall you eat it. For every person who eats of the fat of an animal of which an offering by fire is made to the Lord shall be cut off from his people. Moreover you shall eat no blood whatever, whether of fowl or of animal, in any of your dwellings. Whoever eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people’" (Lev 7:22–27).

Eating blood was part of the Old testament dietary law. If it was done away with, then why the continued ban on blood transfusions?

Answer 1

No.

Observance of the Mosaic Law is not a requirement for Christians. Ephesians 2:15, 16 says, "By means of his flesh he abolished the enmity, the Law of commandments consisting in decrees, that he might create the two peoples in union with himself into one new man and make peace; and that he might fully reconcile both peoples in one body to God through the torture stake, because he had killed off the enmity by means of himself."

However, God's command to abstain from blood predates the Mosaic Law. At Genesis 9:4, Jehovah told Noah : "Only flesh with its soul—its blood—you must not eat."

And the divine command to abstain from blood was repeated to Christians. Acts 15:19, 20 says, "Hence my decision is not to trouble those from the nations who are turning to God, but to write them to abstain from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood."

Answer 2

If the idea that the commands concerning blood was ONLY meant for the Mosaic law (in the Old Testament), then why was there a reminder of it in the New Testament in Acts 15:29?

"For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these ESSENTIALS ['these NECESSARY things' - RSV]: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell." -Acts 15:28, 29 (NASB)

The wording of the scriptures here in the NEW TESTAMENT does not indicate that this is a relatively unimportant commandment. It says it is "ESSENTIAL".


For a source about this commandment about blood superceding even the fulfillment of the Mosaic law, one is welcome to read the below quote:

"This law was ancienter than the days of Moses, being given to NOAH and his sons, LONG BEFORE the days of Abraham: and therefore when the Apostles and Elders in the Council at Jerusalem declared that the Gentiles were not obliged to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses, they excepted this law of abstaining from blood, and things strangled, AS BEING AN EARLIER LAW OF GOD, IMPOSED NOT ON THE SONS OF ABRAHAM ONLY, BUT ON ALL NATIONS." -The Chronology of Antient Kingdoms Amended, by Sir Isaac Newton (Dublin, 1728, p. 184)

Answer 3

Jehovah's Witnesses's live by the Bible however the dietary laws for the Jews were done away with With the death of Jesus
(Romans 10:4) . . .For Christ is the end of the Law, so that everyone exercising faith may have righteousness.

(Colossians 2:13-14) . . . He kindly forgave us all our trespasses 14 and blotted out the handwritten document against us, which consisted of decrees and which was in opposition to us; and He has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the torture stake.

(Galatians 2:15-16) 15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners from the nations, 16 knowing as we do that a man is declared righteous, not due to works of law, but only through faith toward Christ Jesus, even we have put our faith in Christ Jesus, that we may be declared righteous due to faith toward Christ, and not due to works of law, because due to works of law no flesh will be declared righteous.

(Daniel 9:27) . . .“And he must keep [the] covenant in force for the many for one week; and at the half of the week he will cause sacrifice and gift offering to cease.. . .

there are other texts that prove this see Acts ch 10, but since the law is done away with does not mean that we can do as we please, the principals of the law still apply. Its still wrong to murder, steal, fornicate, etc

Answer 4

The command to abstain from blood, pre-dates the law given to the nation of Israel or the Mosaic Law Covenant.

It is the law given to Moses that was done away with.

It is the dietary laws given to Moses that aren't binding on Christians today.

The command to abstain from blood was to given to all mankind through our mutual father Noah.

Gen 9:3"Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant.

4"Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. "



and before you claim transfusions is not the same as eating,

My nephew just spent the last 6 months being fed by transfusion of liquids because of tears in his stomach, and could not eat for this period of time.

======================

(your last question, what if: before you accuse me of ignoring context, get your facts straight)

John 10:30 -36.

The Father and I are one (What?).

Context, Context, Context:

vs 25 Jesus tells us about the works he and the Father are doing.

vs 30 the Father and Jesus are united, one. One what? The Greek word ‘one’ (hen literally means ‘one thing’ or ‘in unity’ and not heis “one masculine”)

vs 32 Which works are you stoning me for?

vs 33 – 35 Jesus tells us he is equal to the human gods of Ps 82:6.

vs 36 Jesus identifies himself not as his Father but as his Father’s Son (John 8:42-45),

Jesus is the Son, not part of the Son, Jesus is the Christ, not part of the Christ.

vs 37 believe the works.

The context to John 10:30 shows: I and my Father are one (united in works).

This agrees with John 17:11, 20 – 22;

The Father is in Jesus, Jesus is in his Father, Jesus and his Father are in Christians.

We are all separate persons, but united in purpose, but not equal.

Context of John chapter 14 & 15 'greater than I am'

"He that does not love me does not observe my words; and the word that YOU are hearing is not mine, but belongs to the Father who sent me."

"that I am going my way to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am."

"even as the Father has given me commandment [to do], so I am doing."

"If YOU observe my commandments, YOU will remain in my love, just as I have observed the commandments of the Father and remain in his love."

The things Jesus teach are not his but his Father's.
The Father commands Jesus, and he obeys
The Father and is greater than Jesus.
Jesus remains in his Father's love by being obedient.
The converse would be true, Jesus could lose his Father's love if he was disobedient.


I can go on if you wish.
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Answer 5

No. They are only required to keep two laws. Love God and love your neighbor.

Answer 6

No.

The Christian Scriptures plainly indicate that Christ's sacrifice ended the requirements that were unique to the Jewish Mosaic Law.

(Colossians 2:13-17) [God] kindly forgave us all our trespasses and blotted out the handwritten document against us [the former Jewish Mosaic Law], which consisted of decrees and which was in opposition to us [that is, the Law exposed the sinful imperfection of mankind]; and He has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the torture stake. ...Therefore let no man judge you [by requiring Jewish kosher laws] in eating and drinking or in respect of a festival or of an observance of the new moon or of a sabbath; for those things are a shadow of the things to come, but the reality belongs to the Christ.

(Ephesians 2:15) By means of his flesh [Christ] abolished the enmity, the Law of commandments consisting in decrees, that he might create the two peoples [Jews and Gentiles] in union with himself

(Galatians 3:19-25) Why, then, the ["Old Testament"] Law? It was added to make transgressions manifest, until the seed [Jesus] should arrive to whom the promise had been made... 21 Is the Law, therefore, against the promises of God? May that never happen! For if a law had been given that was able to give life, righteousness would actually have been by means of law. 22 But the Scripture delivered up all things together to the custody of sin, that the promise resulting from faith toward Jesus Christ might be given to those exercising faith. 23 However, before the faith arrived, we were being guarded under law, being delivered up together into custody, looking to the faith that was destined to be revealed. 24 Consequently the Law has become our tutor leading to Christ, that we might be declared righteous due to faith. 25 But now that the faith has arrived, we are no longer under a tutor.


Of course, commands against such sins as murder, stealing, fornication, and misuse of blood were not unique to the Mosaic Law. Thus, the elimination of the Mosaic Law did not institute anarchy into the Christian congregation. When a law was important to God, that law is repeated in the Christian Scriptures so that anyone who respects the Christian Scriptures can choose to live by God's laws or ignore them "with his eyes open", as it were.

(Romans 13:9-10) For the law code, “You must not commit adultery, You must not murder, You must not steal, You must not covet,” and whatever other commandment there is, is summed up in this word, namely, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does not work evil to one’s neighbor

(Acts 15:20,28,29) Write them [the various Christian congregations] to abstain from things polluted by idols [the meat of which is likely to contain blood] and from fornication and from what is strangled [the meat of which is likely to 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 [the meat of which is likely to contain blood] and from blood and from things strangled [the meat of which is likely to contain blood] and from fornication. If you carefully keep yourselves from these things, you will prosper.


It seems rather obvious that God has certain laws that transcend the mere Mosaic Law. For example, Cain was judged for his murder even though there was not necessarily a specific law against it at the time. Joseph refused to have relations with Potiphar's wife even though there was no explicit law against fornication at the time. Ironically, the second restrictive law recorded in the bible (after not eating from that tree in Eden) was to abstain from blood! Noah was told thusly, a thousand years before the birth of Moses and the Mosaic Law:

(Genesis 9:3-4) Every moving animal that is alive may serve as food for you. ...I do give it all to you. Only flesh with its soul—its blood—you must not eat.

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/hb/index.htm?article=article_07.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/vcnb/article_01.htm

Answer 7

Gagging on a nat. We swallow a whole fly.