WatchTower Society Requirement: Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse blood transfusions
Filed under: News | By: Daniel
Posted on: November 5, 2007 | 54 Comments
Following on from the post earlier today about the Jehovah Witness “Emma Gough” who died after refusing a blood transfusion, we had a comment from Georgia which was very long and informative about The WatchTower Society Requirement and why Jehovah Witnesses refuse blood transfusions.
Here is Georgia’s comment:
This WatchTower Society requirement that Jehovah’s Witnesses must refuse to accept any blood transfusions dates back only to 1945. Misinterpreting the Old Testament prohibition against eating animal blood as a routine food item, the WatchTower Society began teaching in 1945 that receiving a blood transfusion was “eating human blood”. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that receiving an infusion of human blood into their body’s circulatory system is scientifically the exact same thing as eating or ingesting blood into their body’s digestive system.
“A patient in the hospital maybe fed through the mouth, through the nose, or through the veins. When sugar solutions are given intravenously it is called intravenous feeding. So the hospital’s own terminology recognizes as feeding the process of putting nutrition into one’s system via the veins. Hence the attendant administering the transfusion is feeding the patient through the veins, and the patient receiving it is eating through his veins.” — The WATCHTOWER magazine, July 1, 1951.
Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse to acknowledge that when human blood is transfused into their body’s circulatory system that the transfused human blood remains to be human blood and continues to function as human blood. Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse to acknowledge that if blood is eaten, then the ingested blood enters the body’s digestive system, where the blood would be treated by the body exactly the same as it would treat a hotdog, a potato chip, or any other food item. Ingested blood would be completely digested and broken down into proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and waste; which are then either assimilated or excreted by the body.
The WatchTower Society uses scriptures which speak about the blood of slaughtered animals to teach Jehovah’s Witnesses that blood is “sacred” because blood is the “symbol of life”. Then, the WatchTower Society turns around and requires Jehovah’s Witnesses to sacrifice their own “life” to maintain the alleged “sacredness” of a “symbol” of the very thing they are sacrificing — their life. Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse to acknowledge that the WatchTower doctrine on blood moronically places a higher value on the SYMBOL than it does on the THING SYMBOLIZED.
In fact, the Old Testament scriptures permitted the eating of unbled animal meat, which the Bible treats exactly the same as eating animal blood itself. In isolated occasions, when humans needed to eat unbled meat in order to sustain their own human life, the Mosaic Law permitted such, but then required the eaters to fulfill the requirements of being “unclean” for a few days. Thus, the Bible recognized that the sustaining of human life was more “sacred” than maintaining the sacredness of animal blood. To do otherwise would be doing exactly what the moronic WatchTower Society does. It would make the SYMBOL more SACRED than the THING SYMBOLIZED.
In fact, the WatchTower Society is leading Jehovah’s Witnesses to disobey GOD and violate the Holy Scriptures in one of the most serious ways possible. Because humans were created in GOD’s image, GOD considers human life sacred. A Jehovah’s Witness who sacrifices their SACRED LIFE in order to maintain the sacredness of a SYMBOL of that SACRED LIFE varies little from those who profane life by committing suicide. Those Jehovah’s Witness Elders who teach and police this moronic doctrine vary little from common accessories to murder. The Bible is fairly clear in how GOD views murder, and how He deals with Murderers.
This moronic twisting of scripture would be laughable if not for the fact that it has lead to the pointless deaths of numerous Jehovah’s Witnesses in the past, and it will continue to lead to the pointless deaths of many more Jehovah’s Witnesses in the future.
SUMMARIES OF 300 JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES LAWSUITS & COURT CASES
The following website summarizes over 315 U.S. court cases and lawsuits affecting children of Jehovah’s Witness Parents, including 200+ cases where the JW Parents refused to consent to life-saving blood transfusions for their dying children:
DIVORCE, BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS, AND OTHER LEGAL ISSUES AFFECTING CHILDREN OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES
http://jwdivorces.bravehost.com
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Jehovah’s Witnesses elders will investigate and disfellowship any Jehovah Witness who takes a blood transfusion,to say the issue is a ‘personal conscience matter’ is subterfuge to keep the Watchtower out of lawsuits.
Many Jehovah’s Witnesses men,women and children die every year worldwide due to blood transfusion ban.Rank & file Jehovah’s Witness are indoctrinated to be scared to death of blood.
FYI
1) JW’s DO USE many parts aka ‘fractions’ aka components of blood,so if it’s ’sacred’ to God why the hypocritical contradiction flip-flop?
2) They USE blood collections that are donated by Red cross and others but don’t donate back,more hypocrisy.
3) The Watchtower promotes and praises bloodless elective surgeries,this is a great advancement indeed.BUT it’s no good to me if I am bleeding to death from a car crash and lose half my blood volume and need EMERGENCY blood transfusion.
Know this,the reason that JW refuse blood is because of their spin on the 3000 year old Biblical old testament,modern medicine will eventually make blood donations and transfusions a thing of the past.When this technology happens it won’t vindicate the Jehovah’s Witnesses and all the deaths that have occured so far.
The Watchtower’s rules against blood transfusions will eventually be abolished (very gradually to reduce wrongful death lawsuit liability) even now most of the blood ‘components’ are allowed.
In 20 years there will be artificial blood and the Red Cross will go on with other noble deeds.
None of these changes will absolve the Watchtower leaders or vindicate their twisted doctrines
Are there dangers from blood?There are over 500 aspirin deaths in USA yearly.
—
Danny Haszard born 1957 3rd generation Jehovah’s Witness
Let it also be pointed out that the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society also at one time forbid organ transplants, calling them “cannibalism.” They reversed that position about thirty years ago and now permit organ transplants: those organs are filled with BLOOD.
Blood is a “liquid organ.” When will faithful JWs be permitted to receive a “blood organ” transplant without being expelled from their congregations, ostracized and shunned for their conscientious choice?
After so long I am sometimes still surprised at my emotional reaction to stories like this. All I can think of is that poor man and those two newborn babies having to deal with that loss. To top it off, this was a 22 year old woman with her whole life ahead of her. This is so tragic. What makes such cases even more tragic is that it simply does not have to happen! The prohibition against blood transfusion is man-made and not Biblical doctrine.
The Orwellian Watchtower world.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are brainwashed by watchtower cult indoctrination from 12 senile old men in New york city.
The problem is they are forbidden to use critical thinking skills.
Actually in this case it was the medical profession that slipped up. Emma had the twins and was sent home by doctors thinking everything was fine. She actually died because the doctors didn’t notice that she was bleeding internally, by the time they found out nothing would have saved her. And i know all this because i knew her.
The term “bloodless surgery” does not mean that a
surgical procedure can be performed without blood loss. It is in reference to finding ways to reduce the need for a blood components beginning weeks ahead of surgery and during the procedure itself. In the event of a trauma, blood may be necessary for survival. It amazes me that Jehovah’s Witnesses would die for a lie.
Jehovah’s Witnesses DO TAKE BLOOD products, yet claim they abstain from blood. They can take Hemoglobin, Albumin, cLotting Factors, Immunoglobulins, etc. In fact, these blood products, if added with water, with equal a whole unit of blood! see http://www.ajwrb.org
Jehovah’s Witnesses DO TAKE WHOLE BLOOD, yet they claim that blood which leaves the body is never to be reinjected. They approve of “current therapy” and “cell tagging”. These procedures require blood taken out of the body, mixed with chemicals, and retransfused back into the body.
Since Jehovah’s Witnesses take all blood products and allow blood therapies, they are not sincere in the belief that they “abstain from all blood.”
If all of blood, taken separately or as whole blood, can be used to save a life, why not a blood transfusion?
These were some of my questions.
I wrote a legal treatise, “Jehovah’s Witnesses, Blood Transfusions, and the Tort of Misrepresentation” in the Journal of Church & State from Baylor University. It details the hypocrisy within the Jehovah’s Witnesses own policies. It also details how the Watchtower Society distorts the medical facts by misquoting secular doctors, scientists, and historians.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are also under “coercion” when the make the blood decision. They fear: 1) exommunication & loss of family & business associates; 2) that other Jehovah’s Witnesses who work in the medical community will head the Watchtower’s advice to break man’s confidentiality laws & turn-in the sinning patient; 3) the Hospital Liasion Committee patrols the hospital’s hallways & sits bedside to ensure the patient remains strong; and 4) if a Watchtower lawyer is appointed for the patient - that the lawyer/elder will also break patient confidentiliaty in favor of church loyalty.
A Jehovah’s Witness elder recently compared the blood ban to Adam & Eve’s eating the forbidden fruit.
Were Adam & Even allowed to eat apple sauce, baked apples, apple cider, and apple pie made from the forbidden tree? Of course not.
As explained above, Jehovah’s Witnesses take a myriad of blood products and blood therapies. If blood is the forbidden fruit, then these items should likewise be forbidden
Someone died for something they truly believed in. A belief they held dear and true to them.
If on your death bed you can say that you stayed true to what you believed, despite the pressures and criticism of those around you, then you will know that you lived a life that meant something and was an inspiration to those who loved you.
Darrell Wood said:..”Someone died for something they truly believed in. A belief they held dear and true to them”.
Vinny replies:
That belief is WRONG! Just as the prohibition against vaccinations and organ transplants was wrong before!
Imagine how you would feel if your parent, spouse or child DIED rather than accept a new kidney as was the case (and JW laws) from 1967-1980. Only then to see that ban lifted completely without any apologies made.
Was Jehovah behind those bans only to then change his mind afterwards?
The fact is that a few old men sitting around in some Brooklyn office, thinking God has chosen them exclusively, erroneously made those policies and then forced them on all JW’s.
This is what has happened with blood today. People are dying NEEDLESSLY, due to following the demands of a few old men sitting around some Brooklyn office.
How sad to continue to read stories like this again and again.
The JW’s have been brainwashed to die without just reason.
This entire debacle was totally avoidable.
Who are Jehovah’s Witnesses?
Dissident Jehovah’s Witness speaks out.
No tolerance,the Jehovah’s Witnesses are a cult because they try to cut you off from others who do not have the same beliefs, including family. The Watchtower is an oppressive organization if there ever was one!
The ‘message’ is their false Gospel that Jesus had his second coming already in 1914.The problem with this,is it’s not just a cute fairy tale, Jesus warned of the false prophets who would claim “..look he is here in the wilderness,or see here he is at the temple”
The Watchtower’s Gospel “kingdom” is a man-made “different version”.(Gal.1:8)
The Watchtower is a truly Orwellian world.
—-
Danny Haszard Jehovah’s Witness X 33 years and 3rd generation