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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If you people hate the WT so much, why are you so concerned about those who choose to adhere to its doctrines? They’ve chosen this course. What do you care? So you hate the WT, but ‘love’ those who adhere to the doctrine enough to warn them to keep away?
Why?!
Heroin users make a choice every time they put the needle in. You might be more concerned about them (as well as everyone else who makes a choice to do something that harms or COULD harm their bodies –smokers, extreme sports enthusiasts, reckless drivers, etc.) than about your ‘WT people’.
Unless this is a vendetta.
But that still makes no sense. It is the equivalent of suing a cigarette company for the death of a loved one; or McDonald’s for keeping their coffee hot enough to burn you if you spill it on yourself. Your reasoning is specious; your fight is frivolous.
Adhere to the truth and live. Defy Jehovah and his word and your eventuality is sealed.
To answer jamph, I can only speak for myself. I hate the sociopathic teachings of the WTB&TS because they are FALSE.
To put it another way, “When persons are in great danger from a source that they do not suspect or are being misled by those they consider their friends, is it an unkindness to warn them? They may prefer not to believe the warning. They may even resent it. But does that free one from the moral responsibility to give that warning? - THE WATCHTOWER January 15,1974 “
Nobody need answer to ME, but you WILL speak for yourself.
“As for those intensely hating Jehovah, they will come cringing to him…” (Psalm 81:15)
As long as you continue down this path, the Creator of all things (the goodness that you claim to represent) HATES you for maligning His namesake organization.
Repent, beg the Almighty for forgiveness and worship him in spirit and truth.
[There will be no response]
Jamph, yes, there will be a response.
First you said that people hate JWs, and I corrected you, explaining that what I hate are the FALSE TEACHINGS of the WTB&TS.
So then you came back and accused me of hating Jehovah. Are Jehovah and the WTB&TS the same thing?
Are the teachings of the WTB&TS the same as the people who follow those teachings?
You seem confused, jamph. You do understand what IDOLATRY is, don’t you? One example of IDOLATRY would be directing your worship to a man-made organization instead of directing it to God.
I’m disappointed in you, jamph. I thought maybe you had a backbone and could debate the many errors and false teachings of the WTB&TS, but apparently you’re a weak sister who runs away when the going gets tough. The record will show that it was YOU who called it quits, not me.
Having no respect for a religious organizational policy and having no respect for those in a religion-2 separate issues.
Leaving the Jehovah’s Witnesses/WTS is a separate issue from leaving God.
Jehovah’s Witnesses need to learn the difference between the WTS and God. The first is not the same as the second. And hating our president doesn’t mean that a person hates all Americans. You leap so much I suspect you have toe shoes and deformed ballerina feet.
The JW’s cannot distinguish between the voice of God and the voices of the Governing Body of Jehovha’s Witnesses because they have been indoctrinated into believing that they are one and the same:
It is vital that we appreciate this fact and respond to the directions of the “slave” as we would to the voice of God, because it is His provision (June 15, 1957 Watchtower page 370 paragraph 7).
Similarly, we will be blessed if we recognize and obey the prophet greater than Moses, Jesus, as well as “the faithful and discreet slave” appointed by him (August 1, 2004 Watchtower page 11 paragraph 12).
They must be “in subjection to one another” and also to the Governing Body representing the faithful and discreet slave class, which, in turn, is accountable to Jesus, the enthroned King (December 1, 1993 Watchtower page 22 paragraph 12).
Jesus said that during his royal presence, he would identify a faithful body of followers, a “faithful and discreet slave,” and would appoint it over all his belongings. (Matthew 24:45-47; Isaiah 43:10) In 1919 that slave was identified as the remnant of anointed Christians. Since then, as represented by the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses, it has been the center of theocracy on earth (January 15, 1994 Watchtower pages 16-17 paragraph 5).
These poor misguided souls need our prayers. Their path is being lit by the strange fires of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society instead of the illuminating truth of God’s Word.
I was a Witness for many years and used to cringe when the blood issue came up at the doors.
Despite studying the WTB&T teaching I could never intelligently defend it from the Bible or using some short quotes from obscure medical people.
Now that JW’s are allowed to use nearly ALL the blood in fractionated form I’m more confused than ever!
I know a few brothers who have been completely thrown by this change in policy.
The only benefcial result of this horrific tragedy….is that this has been brought to public attention and more responsible people will be able to SEE what what the Watchtower teaches and realize just what a ludicrous teaching this is that Jehovah’s Witnesses must abide by.
jamph said: “If you people hate the WT so much, why are you so concerned about those who choose to adhere to its doctrines? They’ve chosen this course. What do you care? So you hate the WT, but ‘love’ those who adhere to the doctrine enough to warn them to keep away?”
I *CARE* because some of those people who “choose to adhere to its doctrines” are FAMILY members and close FRIENDS. I *CARE* because my mother too died when I was 3 years old mainly because of lack of a blood transfusion. I *CARE* because I do not wish anyone to go through the pain and suffering that I have experienced because of Watchtower doctrine. This is not a vendetta. This is an honest attempt at trying to make people think rationally, so that tragidies like that of poor Emma Gough do not ever happen again.
You also said…… “Adhere to the truth and live. Defy Jehovah and his word and your eventuality is sealed.”
This is an overdramatic, pseudo-biblical, apocalyptic catchphrase used by District Convention speakers to stir Watchtower memebers into an irrational emotional state. Think of how *YOU* would react if a Muslim said: “Adhere to the faith and live. Defy Allah and his word and your eventuality is sealed.”
Do you see now how irrational that statement was? As an advanced civilisation we should once and for all leave behind the kind of irrational thought that has lead to such needless tragidies and countless unecessary deaths over the centuries. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ blood policy is just another in a long line of policies based on dogmatism, fundamentalism and superstition that has caused so much suffering and death since the dawn of time.
Only through education and rationalism can we finally rid the world of the kind of dogmatism which produces religious policies like the blood policy which disrespects our life here and now, infavour of some kind of Paradise, afterlife, or Heaven. Only this way can be finally see the back of terrorist suicide bombers, an Africa riddled with AIDS due to anti-contraception initiatives, and organisations which encourage their members to ignore their own family members just because they have a different point of view to them. The situation really is so, so sad. Only genuine people can see the damage that religious dogmatism has done to the world. If poor Emma Gough had looked at her situation in a rational light…… What choices would she have made? Would she have put herself and her religion first, or would she have elevated her children and their future to first place?
Dear Kind Hearted Readers and seekers of truth,
Please condider the following and not people who have an agenda that they seem to profit from in some way:
For a more accurate understnding of all that is involved please examine thoroughly the following and use the first site for many different Bible versions:
http://www.geocities.com/onlinebibletranslations/?200720
http://www.watchtower.org/ & make good use of the search strip & index
http://www.watchtower.org/e/archives/index.htm
http://www.watchtower.org/e/20000108/article_01.htm & all links at left of articles.
http://www.watchtower.org/e/archives/index.htm#medical
http://www.watchtower.org/e/hb/article_02.htm
http://www.watchtower.org/e/19960122a/article_01.htm
http://www.watchtower.org/e/medical_care_and_blood.htm
1611 KJV Rom 12:-17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
1Tim2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
Warm Christian Love,
doofus hayhauler