Jehovah's Witnesses: Why do you eat meat?

Question

Even when well bled, almost all meat contains blood. Cut up a raw beef roast or some chicken legs and you will be guaranteed to find blood.
If 'abstaining from blood' is so crucial that you would refuse a potentiality lifesaving blood transfusion or medicines containing blood (i.e. some antivenins for snake bite) and choose to die instead, then why eat meat?
Ask any butcher and they will tell you most if not all meat contains some amount of blood.

I'm not 'stupid' and I am not engaging in 'ridicule'. I am asking a logical question.

If you eat meat, it is highly likely you would consume more blood over a life time or even several years than you would receive in a transfusion.

Answer 1

Interestingly, the conscience of a sincere Christian may move him to choose a vegetarian diet primarily because of the trace quantities of blood that find their way into meat (and milk for that matter).

A conscientious Christian certainly does not eat meat (or drink milk) with the intent to capture the tiny quantities of blood that are incidental to the main food product. And, it seems impossible to ignore that Almighty God (the Creator) quite explicitly and plainly authorizes meat-eating by humans. This strongly implies that such trace amounts (incidental to the main product) are tolerated by Jehovah God.

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

(James 4:17) If one knows how to do what is right and yet does not do it, it is a sin for him.

(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.


Incidentally, God's seeming tolerance of traces of blood
seems quite reasonable. Another example might note that a person with blood on his toothbrush almost certainly swallows some, but he does not brush his teeth in order to extract blood from his gums.

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

Answer 2

My girl friend is a vegetarian and I am working towards that goal. But the bible did show Peter all the animals and said they were now clean. In some areas to prohibit the eating of meat could mean a life and death situation. They all have to be properly bleed. Nothing strangled. But given the other admonition that we should be kind to animals and the brochures about the slaughter houses is anything but humane.
Knowing it was never God's purpose for us to eat the animals in the first place. In God's new world to come we will not be eating the animals for food. There will be harmony between man and the animals. Many of the witnesses do not eat meat. There is more all the time. also another factor to consider is that animals are fed blood meal.
Also, many are over weight and that is just plain unhealthy.
My girl friend is very thin and she eats soy milk and soy cheese and oatmeal that no preservatives have been added.
Huge salads, beans, corn bread and at taco bell she gets bean burritos and she asked the company they do not use lard in their refried beans. So it is possible to live without eating the animals. She has hamburgers made from morningstar farms grillers, artificial meat.
But that is a decision each one has to make for himself.

Answer 3

I eat meat because it tastes good.

As you may be aware, it was the Most High God who instructed that meat be bled before eating. Since Jehovah is the Most High God, patently he knew there would be some small amount of blood remaining. Yet he did not command his human creation not to eat meat. Neither did he demand that they go through extraordinary measures to remove the blood. He was satisfied with the reasonable bleeding of the meat before eating. Since he is satisfied, why wouldn't I be?

Again, the issue here is not our lives. The issue is obedience. Repeatedly many refer to the "potentially life-saving blood transfusion" as if our lives were the most important thing. Our lives are of secondary issue. Obedience to God is the primary thing. Admittedly, many people profess to worship God so long as it is convenient and comfortable. But when a test comes along, they are perfectly willing to set aside God's commands and serve their own interests. Even Satan made that challenge. You may recall that from a reading of Job 2:4. "All that a man has he will give up in behalf of his life."

Jehovah's Witnesses are all for prolonging and protecting life – theirs and others. But they are not prepared to violate the laws of God to do it. The issue here is – and has always been – obedience and loyalty to God. This is a Biblical fact. And it is undisputed.

Hannah J Paul

Answer 4

God states that the soul (life) of the fleshly creature is in the blood. (Le 17:11-14)

Originally, vegetation and fruit, and not flesh, were given man as his diet. But after the Flood, God added animal flesh, commanding, however, that "flesh with its soul—its blood—you must not eat."—Ge 9:3, 4.

God commanded that, before eating the flesh of an animal, his people were to pour out its blood on the ground and cover it with dust, being careful not to eat the blood, on pain of death. (De 12:23-25; Le 7:27) The governing body of the early Christian congregation restated this prohibition, forbidding the eating of animals strangled or not drained of blood.

The eating of flesh by Christians is proper, but the apostle Paul pointed out that flesh is not absolutely essential to man as food when he said that if his eating of meat was a source of stumbling to other Christians, he would "never again eat flesh at all." -Ro 14:21; 1Co 8:13. -Insight, Vol.1

God Himself told us that we could eat meat from "every animal". "Every moving animal that is alive may serve as food for YOU." (Gen. 9:3)

So when someone carefully takes the strict precautions that God outlined by making sure that an animal is properly bled before consumption, how could they be breaking God's command of eating blood? Since God Himself has issued these directions, obviously, if properly done, God does not have a problem with eating the meat from "every animal".

Answer 5

The Bible teaches that after the flood, Jehovah geve Noah permission to start eating meat. That's why.

As for the blood, of course, not every drop is drained out. I'm sure Jehovah knew that would be the case when he told Noah to eat meat, but to drain the blood. The point is, it's not FULL of blood, and we do not drink the blood.

By the way, I DO eat my steak rare.

Answer 6

That is a good question. I for one don't think it is a good idea to eat meat. But it is supose to be that meat is bled out of all blood. but you are right it isn't entirely and it is dangerous and unhealthy. I find it difficult to believe that anyone would eat the putrid rotting flesh of a dead animal.
Hopefully your question will make people think.

Answer 7

Jehovah first gave permission to eat animal flesh to Noah after the flood, with one stipulation. Gen. 9:3, 4: “Every moving animal that is alive may serve as food for you. As in the case of green vegetation, I do give it all to you. Only flesh with its soul—its blood—you must not eat.”

Even in a properly bled carcass, a small amount of blood would remain in the meat, but nothing in the Bible suggests that every drop of blood be removed before consuming the flesh. What was required was that a reasonable attempt be made to get as much of the blood out of the meat before it could be eaten.

Did the ancient Israelites eat meat? Yes!

Answer 8

Hmm, do you suppose the Israelites got EVERY drop of blood out of the meat they ate?

Answer 9

That debated place in the Bible that gives them some kind of hint that they should not have a blood transfusion is actually talking about eating meat.

Answer 10

THE BIBLE GIVES THE INSTUCTIONS FOR BLEEDING MEAT, AND WE FOLLOW THAT AS WE FOLLOW THE INTIRE BIBLE THE BEST WE CAN AS INPERFECT HUMANS.(Deuteronomy 12:15-16) 15 “Only whenever your soul craves it you may slaughter, and you must eat meat according to the blessing of Jehovah your God that he has given you, inside all your gates. The unclean one and the clean one may eat it, like the gazelle and like the stag. 16 Only the blood YOU must not eat. On the earth you should pour it out as water.
AND I USE TO EAT MY STEAK RARE,TIL ECOLI HIT THE USA. DOCTORS SAY BLOOD IS THE MOST DANGEROUS
MEDICINE IN USE TODAY,DO SOME RESERCH AND FIND OUT HOW MORE PEOPLE DIE FROM BLOOD TRANFUSIONS THAN BLOOD REFUSAL.

YOU ADDIDITION IS NOT EVEN CLOSE TO THE TRUTH PLEASE DO SOME RESERCH