Question On Jehova Religion?

Question

I have several friends who Jehova Witness.

And I know that they will not allow a blood transfusion because of this.

This week it was in the news where a married couple who are Jehovas had twins. But the mother lost so much blood because of the birth she died from this.

Why don't these people allow blood transfusions in the case of a life threatening emergency?

Because of this two twin babies are without a mother.
Where is the sense in that?

(**I am not making any points for or against this religion**)

Thanks

Answer 1

There is some scripture about not drinking blood. They have chosen to interpret this very broadly to include blood transfusions. It shows how very strict they are, without taking common sense into consideration.

Answer 2

If you had of read the whole BBC news article it said that a blood transfusion would not have saved her life anyway.

This means that the whole issue is mute.

Of course that wont stop the ones sensationalizing the whole thing and trying to hang the blame on the Jehovah Witnesses.

The fact is (and ALL people that have an operation must face) that sometimes things go wrong , and when they go wrong , there is often nothing that can be done.

Additionally it must also be recognized that Jehovah's Witnesses have fought hard for the medical rights and freedom that YOU yourself enjoy today.

Answer 3

There are a few references in the 'old testament' which do caution against eating blood [Note: capitalised YOU refers to plural case]:

Genesis 9:4 Only flesh with its soul - its blood - YOU must not eat

Leviticus 7:26-27 And YOU must not eat any blood in any places where YOU dwell, whether that of fowl or that of beast. Any soul that eats any blood, that soul must be cut off from his people.

Leviticus 17:14 For the soul of every sort of flesh is its blood by the soul in it. Consequently I said to the sons of Israel: "YOU must not eat the blood of any sort of flesh, because the soul of every sort of flesh is its blood. Anyone eating it will be cut off."

For Jehovah's Witnesses, however, the scripture they rely on is this:

Acts 15:19-20 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.

It's this last scripture which they interpret to mean refraining from accepting blood transfusions.

Answer 4

We as muslim ppl have a Blood bank which give ppl the blood in any serious circmastances. What a sad story is which awtin will live without a mother

Answer 5

Jehovah's Witnesses believe the bible to teach that blood is sacred (see Acts 15:28-29).

This tragedy occurred nearly two weeks ago, on October 25, 2007. Despite what pro-blood activists and anti-Witness critics might pretend, her doctors informed the family that Mrs. Gough would have died even if she had received blood transfusions.

That's little consolation, but it is unsurprising.

During a hemorrhagic event, artificial expanders almost always work better than blood itself at keeping veins and arteries from collapsing. In addition, targeted treatment of specific blood fractions is considered preferable to old-fashioned "throw everything at it and see what sticks" thinking of whole blood transfusions. Of course, Jehovah's Witnesses generally accept artificial products and fractions derived from plasma, platelets, and red/white cells.

Since Jehovah's Witnesses only refuse whole blood and its four major components, doctors still have many many proven products and techniques. In fact, many or most doctors have come to prefer these products and techniques for ALL their patients.


It is not Jehovah's Witnesses who decide that blood is sacred. It is Almighty God who declares it so, as the Divine Author of the Holy Bible!

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.

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

Answer 6

I can see what you are pointing out, but at the same timeI can see what God asks from us in (Acts15:20)20Instead 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. Now can I ask you if you were told by your doctor to abstain from say alcohol because it wil interfear with your medication, would that mean that you could not drink alcohol, but you can inject it? I think not! Blood transfusions do not always save lives! In fact they can and do kill a lot more than you will hear about, but that has nothing to do with our stand against having blood transfusions!
1. God forbids it!(God can and will restore lost life)
2.there are safe and acceptable alternatives
that I have used not on myself but on my dog when my dog was in an accident a car hit him the vet wantred to give him a blood transfusion and I told him of my stand on that and said no,but accepted in the end saying that my dog will be at risk of dying and that the saline solution blood expander would make the dog heal a lot slower and he could even die, he was not too happy about giving him the saline expander saying that a blood transfusion was much better for him but he respected my wishes and gave it to my dog,anyway the dog healed very well and very fast,and the vet was surprised but admitted that it was a good alternative after all and it probabli saved his life and the transfusion may not have. Now you may think me cruel for doing this to my dog but I have done the same when I was in hospital I signed all the wavers incase they wanted to give me blood,and I am still alive today to tell about it, yet I know of people who have died from it!I would rather die and be obedient to God who can resurrect me since he created me, than die from a blood transfusion being disobedient to God! But you\re right there are many stories about Witnesses refusing blood, and even being forced to have blood by their docvtors in the past, it has been in the papers on tv in magazines, yes there has been a lot of bad publicity about it and people frown on it but that does not make it right to disobey God, trying to save my life by disobeying God would be unthinkable for me nomatter what other humans may think /i wouuld rather gain life by obeying God!

Answer 7

That's a VERY sad story.

Answer 8

they misinterpret Scripture often, like most cults.