What is the penalty for Jehovah's Witnesses if they choose to live rather than refuse the blood transfusion?

Question

I understand it is a sin. It is not sin against God. It is more of an organizational disobedience.

What is the penalty of this sin/ disobedience?

What is the penalty from the organization?

I meant to say, I understand it is for them. However, I do not see it as a Biblical sin.

Answer 1

Human sacrifce is an abomination to God Almighty. They sacrifice their infants and children. ABOMINATION.
Suicide is an abomination. They teach their members to "free will suicide". ABOMINATION.
If a person eats blood, they can be cleanse and be clean again with no sin on taking in blood. Just like other sins (except for blaspheme against the Holy Spirit) can be forgiven through repentance. They miss the WHOLE reason why Jesus came to earth as man and suffered and died for us. Jesus came as our "REDEEMER" that we can have the "FORGIVENESS" of SINS. Jesus REDEEMED us THROUGH HIS BLOOD, that we can gain everlasting life through him. Jesus is sad that this ones that calls themselves "witnesses" just don't get it!!!

Answer 2

Baptized Witnesses who violate the prohibition on blood are subject to organized communal shunning

The official teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses regards blood as sacred and rejects allogeneic and pre-operative autologous transfusions of whole blood, red cells, white cells, platelets or plasma. This is based on an understanding of the Biblical admonition to " abstain from ... blood," based on Acts 15:28, 29, and also on Leviticus 17:11,12, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood ... No soul of you shall eat blood," and of Genesis 9:3, 4, which they understand to be the first instance of "the Bible’s clear prohibition against taking blood into the body."

On a side note, a growing number of hospitals are offering bloodless techniques in medicine and surgery, with much of the credit going to Jehovah's Witnesses and their related organizations for their contribution to the dissemination of information regarding bloodless surgery techniques.

Answer 3

Sadly, anti-Witness critics ignore two facts.

1. Many MULTIPLES more have died as a result of a blood transfusion than have died from a conscientious decision to pursue other medical treatments.

2. Medical technologies exist to treat literally every illness and injury without resorting to the old-fashioned infusion of whole blood, plasma, platelets, or red/white blood cells.

Why should government or a handful of doctors insist that *IT* should have the only right to choose a course of treatment, especially when responsible parents are simply and thoughtfully requesting a different course of treatment? A Jehovah's Witness may accept all minor blood fractions, so if there is some targeted need then a Witness will accept a targeted treatment (the only objections are to those four components which approximate actual blood).


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 4

How can something be a "sin", yet not be a sin against God???

We do not accept blood transfusions because GOD requires us to avoid them, not some humans.

Acts 15:28,29- 28 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 and FROM BLOOD and from things strangled and from fornication. If you carefully keep yourselves from these things, you will prosper. Good health to you!”

Answer 5

If they choose to live and accept the transfusion, then they live longer to win more souls for God and do more work for God. Which is the only logical thing to do. Refusing means cutting everything short.

Answer 6

no,
it is a direct sin against God.

god tells us to abstain 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. Good health to YOU!”

you are being disloyal to jehvoah god if you do this.
and selfish.. chosing your own life over god.

Answer 7

They have to live longer being a Jehovah's Witness. That is punishment enough.

Answer 8

Most JW's seem to use scripture to justify the wasting of a life for the sake of religion.

Exactly how do JW's decide which parts of the "Good Book" they interpret as literal truths?

Obviously not all of it as I havent heard of too many JW adulterers or wayward children being stoned to death recently as commanded in the bible.

Clearly they are able to adapt their interpretation of the bible to fit with the modern age if they have to. Its staggering and its a disgrace that in the 21st century we have people voluntarily killing themselves because of irrational supernatural mumbo jumbo.

Answer 9

they do not really get a penalty simply they just get a bad look from one or two people thats all

Answer 10

The punishment of a longer life. Wow, pretty bad, isn't it?