Jehovah's Witnesses: Would you answer this question about "pour its blood out and cover it with dust"?

Question

In another answer, two JW's said that the Bible commands that blood must be poured out on the ground. This is a command that God gave in Lev 17:13 to pour out an animal's blood.

1. Why do you think this specific command (notice this is NOT a principle, it is a direct command that is specific to animals only) - should be applied to humans?

2. Doesn't the Bible refer to the pouring out of human blood by another person, as murder?

3. So where is there a Scripture that says to "pour out" or spill another person's blood on the ground, either literally or figuratively?

These answers have nothing to do with the question I asked. Acts doesn't say anything at all about "pouring out" blood.

Gen 4:10, 11. Cain poured out Abel's blood onto the ground. God told Cain that Abel's blood cried out from the ground which opened its mouth to receive his blood. God was not pleased.

Gen 37:20-22. Reuben says "do not spill blood" to his brothers who want to kill Joseph.

On the other hand, Lev 17 says to pour out the blood of wild beasts and fowls on the ground. How can you say God makes no distinction between animal and human blood?

To answer your question, there isn't any Scripture that says it's OK to take a blood transfusion. Neither is there a scripture which mandates the pouring out of human blood on the ground, except for the unique circumstance of Jesus' sacrificial blood.

Tee M

I'm happy to point out that blood, both human and animal, represents life. No problem.
The sacredness of blood isn't because blood is intrinsically sacred - any more than literal fat was inherently sacred - it is the life it represents that's sacred. Unless you kill someone to obtain his blood for a transfusion, you don't violate the intent of the law, because you don't take his life. You only take his blood which is NOT sacred in this context, because it's only blood - it's not the lifeblood or the "soul". With humans, God asks back life, not LITERAL blood. On the other hand, in the context of eating an animal or committing murder - the blood is treated as sacred because it DOES represent the lifeblood or soul.

And even in cases of eating animal blood, circumstances are considered, but you never quote the next verse (Lev.17:15) which makes reasonable allowance even for the eating of animal blood.

Pouring out HUMAN blood is forbidden, not mandated.

Jill-Good answer. You actually addressed my questions which were NOT about eating blood, but about whether the Bible says that human blood must be "poured out". Thanks.

I would like to have stayed on that subject, but it seems everyone wants to talk about eating blood instead. So let me say that I totally agree that God didn't make an exception for eating human blood.

But common sense and consideration of context and circumstances are necessary in applying God's laws. Intent should be considered, and not just the "letter of the law". Thus I understand that your religion allows terminating a tubal pregnancy - the willful taking of a human life - but, in the eyes of any reasonable person, justifiable because it isn't a violation of the INTENT of the law.

You also stopped short of quoting Lev 17:15 where God makes allowance for eating unbled meat. By washing garments and bathing, one could comply with the INTENT of the law, though he violated it technically.

A really technical and strict interpretation of the Sabbath law would not even allow for the saving of a sheep's life on the Sabbath. But Jesus apparently had common sense. .

Trustdell, I had trouble following some of what you said, esp. about 'the woman".

However, your point about "underlying principles" hit home with me. In the whole "don't eat blood" law, I see the underlying principle as "life is sacred". Now, granted, if the underlying principle is that "blood is sacred", then I would have to do some re-thinking. But I don't see how blood can be MORE sacred than life. It seems to me that God asks back an animal's blood because he does NOT ask back their life - so the blood serves as a kind of "stand-in". With humans, the blood, while still a symbol of life, is not an acceptable stand-in. He didn't give permission for humans to take human life, so no stand-in is necessary or even acceptable. Thus "pouring out" human blood is a bad thing.

It amazes me that your religion allows a tubal pregnancy to be aborted. If your reasoning is applied, the woman should just take her chances and hope she doesn't die.

Answer 1

Jehovah's Witnesses agree with you that the scripture you quote: "pour its blood out and cover it with dust" is without question referring to animal blood. (The proper bleeding and disposal of the blood.)

We also agree that the "spilling of (human) blood" is referring to the killing of another human.

However, the scriptures clearly explain that God prohibits the eating (consuming, taking into our bodies) of "any manner (or sort) of blood." (Lev 7:26, 27)

Lev 17:10, 14:

"And whatsoever man [there be] of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth ANY manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people."

"For [it is] the life of ALL flesh; the blood of it [is] for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the BLOOD OF NO MANNER OF FLESH: for the life of all flesh [is] the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off."

"Any manner of blood" would unquestionably include human blood. So, the blood from "any sort of flesh," including both human and animal blood, would be disposed of and not used for any other purpose.

Answer 2

You said.

“Unless you kill someone to obtain his blood for a transfusion, you don't violate the intent of the law, because you don't take his life. “

Question for you, so is it okay for early Christians to drink the blood of let’s say a LIVING cow, and you don’t violate Acts 15 because you don’t take the life of that cow?

You misapplied (Matthew 12:9-17)
Did Jesus sin by performing good works in Sabbath? Jesus did not sin at all, so by helping a sheep on Sabbath, one is not violating Gods law. So it is wrong for one to say or imply that you can violate Gods law in order to save your life.

Making an implication that it is okay to disobey Gods law when life is involved or if you are in serious health is wrong. Question for you, is it okay to worship Satan if you know that someone will kill you if you don’t? Notice that the woman in Mark 5:25-34 showed great faith in Jesus. Aside from that, the Mosaic Law is going to end very soon so Jesus has showed compassion, and notice the woman trembled and got frightened, showing repentance and told Jesus the WHOLE truth. Definitely Jesus forgave her because the woman got healed. Today, most people who had blood transfusions do not show any signs of trembling and repentance eventhough the Bible clearly stated to abstain from blood. So remember obedience is better than sacrifice.

Lev 17:10 states “‘As for any man of the house of Israel or some alien resident who is residing as an alien in YOUR midst who eats any sort of blood”

Notice ANY SORT OF BLOOD, so no faithful follower of God, eats blood of any sorts, animal or human. That’s why humans cannot drink or eat animal or human blood.

If someone told you to DRINK human blood and give you a glass of it, and if you are not a cannival, then the main thing that you do is throw it, you can pour it in the ground. Do you need to find the explicit command in the Bible for you to throw the blood in the ground before you even do it?

Notice too that the Bible doesn’t say abstain from nuclear bombs nor abstain from cannibalism, but the underlying principles found in the Bible can help us determine that we have to abstain from those things.

==
edited :


Life and blood are both sacred. It’s not about which one is MORE sacred than the other.
It is about whether OBEDIENCE is better than sacrifice.

Jehovah God looks for people who do not DISOBEY him even when their LIVES are in jeopardy. We have a large cloud of witnesses (See Hebrews) who OBEYED God and even put their LIVES in danger in order to prove that Satan is a liar and that they Love Jehovah God.

Jesus DIED and LOST his earthly LIFE and remained OBEDIENT until death.

JWs do not support abortion of human life.

Answer 3

#1. There were only two approved uses of animal and in the case of Jesus Human blood.

a) offering in a sacrifice, Since these sacrifices pictured Jesus’ blood offering

b) being poured out on to the ground, to symbolize returning the life of the animal to God.


#2. Please show me the scripture you are getting this from?

#3. Jesus blood was poured out to give us life, but this is in the case of a sacrifice, one of the approved uses of blood.

You will notice that Jehovah didn’t distinguish any difference between animal’s blood and human’s blood, except to say that human blood was more precious.

My question to you is where does it say it is okay to place any blood (Human or animal) into our veins? Especially when God says "Abstain from Blood".


Edit: Thanks for the scriptures,

Yes, in the verses you used pouring out blood in these instances was referring to murder.

But please note Lev 17 comment about blood.


Lev 17:10'And any man from the house of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, who eats ANY BLOOD, I will set My face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. (CAPS BY ME)

11'For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.'

(The only approved use of blood is for the sacrifices to Jehovah)

13"So when any man from the sons of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, in hunting catches a beast or a bird which may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth.

(Even the pouring out of the blood of animals is liken to the causing of their death by hunting (a form of murder)

Thank you for helping to point out that animal and human blood both represent the Life of the creature, both are sacred to Jehovah.)

(P.S. Just because you didn't get the answer you want, doesn't mean the question wasn't answered correctly)
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Answer 4

I am no Jehovah's wittiness but They don't go to war or kill people and they don't eat people so getting the blood out would not be a issue, they do not do blood sacrifices (according to my mum)
So why is this an issue to you ?

Answer 5

A human is an animal specifically a primate no one denies that.

Answer 6

Have you read Acts 15:28,29? Does your Bible read ANIMAL or HUMAN blood? My versionS all say "blood".
Just that. Blood.

Answer 7

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the scriptures demonstrate a clear pattern indicating the sacredness with which Jehovah God (and thus god-fearing humankind) views all creature blood.


Predates Mosaic Law.
For example, over a thousand years before the birth of Moses, the pre-Israel, pre-Jewish, pre-Hebrew man Noah received what the scriptures record as only the second restrictive command on humans (after Garden of Eden's tree):

"Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. For your lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning; of every beast I will require it [that is, lifeblood] and of man" (Genesis 9:3-5)


Jewish Law.
Later, God's feeling regarding blood was codified into the Mosaic Law. This part of the Law dealing with blood was unique in that it applied, not just to Israel, but also to non-Jewish foreigners among them. It's also interesting that besides forbidding the consumption of blood, the Law also mandated that it be 'poured out on the ground', not used for any purpose.

"No person among you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger who sojourns among you eat blood. Any man also of the people of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, who takes in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten shall pour out its blood and cover it with dust." (Lev 17:12,13)

By comparison, it's significant that the Law also forbid the consumption of ceremonial animal fat, but that didn't apply to non-Jewish foreigners and it DID allow the fat to be used for other purposes.

"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" (Lev 7:22-24)


Early Christian era.
The Christian era ended the validity of the Mosaic Law, but remember that the restriction on eating blood preceded the Mosaic Law by over a thousand years. Still, does the New Testament indicate that Jehovah God changed his view of blood's sacredness?

"[God] freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses" (Eph 1:6,7)

"[God's] beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins... and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood" (Colossians 1:13-20)

"we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the pollutions of idols and from unchastity and from what is strangled and from blood." (Acts 15:19,20)

"For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from unchastity." Acts 15:28,29


Modern times
Some will claim that the bible's command to "abstain" from blood only applies to eating it, and does not apply to the use of blood for other purpose. If that form of respect for blood were common among Christendom, one might wonder then why so many (who ostensibly follow the book of Acts) so happily eat their blood sausage and blood pudding if they truly respect blood according to some limited understanding of Acts 15:20,29. In fact, respect for blood and for Acts and for the Scriptures themselves is too rare among even supposedly god-fearing persons.

An honest review of the Scriptural pattern over the millenia from Noah to the Apostle Paul teaches humans that blood is to be used for a single purpose: acknowledging the Almighty. Otherwise, for centuries the instruction was to simply dispose of it; 'poor it upon the ground'. When Jehovah's Witnesses pursue non-blood medical management, they are working to honor and obey their Creator.

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/hb/
http://watchtower.org/library/vcnb/article_01.htm