why do Jehovahs refuse real life-saving blood yet symbolically consume a dead man's blood and flesh...........

Question

I've always thought organised religion was overall a bad thing, but this is just insane!

They refuse life-saving blood transfusions, yet they symbolically consume the blood and flesh of a person who's been dead for 2000 years!

Sheer madness.

tabbyfur

It's Current Events. This is a current event. So button it.

lol

You're easily stirred - I was joking lol

Chris

Is your nose brown?

way2savo...

What do they do to remember Christ's death???

Answer 1

This is a misguided question, because Christ himself instituted The Last Supper to replace the Jewish Passover. Jesus retained the main emblems that the Jews already associated with Passover, but he redefined their meaning to Christians.

In a similar way, even before Jesus' ministry some Jews sought out water baptism by John the Baptist (and others apparently). That earlier form of baptism was intended to recognize the person's need to cleanse himself of his previous sin and resolve to do better in the future. By contrast, the Christian congregation uses baptism to represent one's figurative "dying" to one's former self-centered course (including "burial"/immersion below the surface) and subsequent "resurrection" to a life dedicated to God and Christ.

Would the questioner suggest that baptism teaches killing or suicide?

Incidentally, Jehovah's Witnesses quite uniquely accept the form of blood that really does save lives...
http://watchtower.org/e/hb/index.htm?article=article_05.htm

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/200608/article_03.htm

Answer 2

Actually, Jehovah's witnesses are Christians. Just another branch of Christianity.
They take the Bible a little more literally than other branches of Christianity,
In a passage where it says to abstain from things strangled and from blood, they take this to mean not ingesting blood in any form, whether by transfusion or eating.
My own opinion on this is that the law applied to the eating of things not bled correctly, a bit like the Jewish Kosher tradition and similar tradition with Muslims. In a transfusion, the blood is not being eaten, it is still doing the same job it did before in a different body. If it were eaten, it wouldn't be doing so. I think it's a shame the J'W's couldn't look at this again.

The symbolic eating of Christ's flesh is just that, symbolic. Unlike other Christian sects they don't believe it actually changes upon eating it.

I don't agree with their interpretation of the above passage (in the Bible), as regards transfusions, though I can see the point about eating a blood product.
This is common in a few religions that follow the old testament, as Noah and his sons were apparently also told not to eat the blood of animals. This is reinforced later in the book of Acts in the 'new' testament.
Personally, I don't think it allows for advances in technology, this law was aimed at a simpler society. We now know about blood groups, and can use blood in various forms, plasma etc.
It's a shame they have taken this passage so literally.

Having said that, other religions also take passages in their own holy books literally, with equally bad results.

Answer 3

First of all it's a comand in the bible not to ingest blood. If you were up on blood transfusions you would know theya are not safe and now most Doctors even agree it's better and safer not to use blood and symbolic well thats just what it is that means we use wine as blood and bread as the body. Jesus made the command to do this. Do some research and you will find it is not insane at all.

Answer 4

There was an article just recently stating that blood transfusions just might be dangerous. The discovery was made by scientists and based on facts that they gathered. You are also taking a chance on blood products as there are always going to be diseases not yet discovered that might have infected the blood supply that you are using. A good example of that is the fact that Hepatitis C was not tested for in blood before 1992 so anyone receiving blood or blood products before 1992 may very well have Hepatitis C.

So it is not so fool-hearted that Jehovah Witnesses have taken their stance that they will not receive blood from another human being.

As far as symbolism, you are talking about Jesus, the son of God, not you or I and it is just symbolism they are not actually drinking any blood. They are either drinking wine or grape juice.

Answer 5

You answered it with the work symbolically. And by the way when it comes down to it they do get blood transfusions and some of them keep an emergency supply of their own blood for this reason.

Answer 6

I have great repsect of others faith. JW'S get up early on their Saturday so they can share their faith with you ... to talk to you about how they love God ... To me all JW'S are Saints. By the way few if at all JW's can participate in "consuming blood and flesh" ... only a few.

Perhaps you need the facts before you start judging others faith and the way they love God.

Answer 7

Remember, "god" is nothing more than a nonsense word created by man to explain away all of the things we can't yet understand.Religion is a disease of the mind, born of fear, which has done nothing but bring untold misery down upon the human race.

Answer 8

Under the mental capacity act as long as she understood the implications (ie she would die without the transfusion and not see her babies grow up) then its her choice, hard though it may to accept.
Its very sad that the children have lost their mother but its her body her religion her choice. I wonder how they will feel about her decision when they are older?

Answer 9

first, they arent "jehovahs" they are Jehovah's witnesses( a form of christianity that doesnt believe that God, jesus and the holy ghost are one-the trinity) . that would be like calling Christians, Christs.


they dont symbolically eat anything. in the bible it says 144000 are going to be in heaven, those with no worldly desires. They believe that they are going to HEAVEN, not to be included on earth in everlasting life. Those who believe or have been deemed one of the 144,000 will partake in the crackers and wine.


hope that helps you understand more.


as far as not giving blood or having organ donations, that is a personal choice, not only to anyone who isnt a Jw, but to each JW who chooses to believe this.

___

To answer Kerry below me re: 144 thousand.

JW's believe hell is your grave, and then the dead's souls are in a form of sleep until judgement day. As for animals, the soul just returns to Jehovah. judgement day, either you are part of the 144000 to reside in heaven or you are to enjoy everlasting life on earth. or hell, which is your grave, eternally.

Answer 10

Well said Tabby. I posted a similar question there just a couple of hours ago.

Why would my nose be brown? 'cos I agreed with Tabby?

Get a life. I always disagree with her, but this time she is right.