I went into a restaurant once and they had a competition....they had a lot of steaks about 8 feet high balancing one on the other and asked each new customer if he would like to balance a steak on the others...if it stayed on without falling he got a free meal...if it brought all the steaks down he had to pay double for his meal and buy a drink for everybody in the restaurant....when I arrived he handed me a steak and asked if I would like to chance putting it on the stack of meat which by this time was around 11 feet.....I looked at it and declined his offer.....THE STEAKS WERE TOO HIGH....get it....eh? eh? eh?......ahem....I'll get my coat
Does eating a rare steak = eating blood?
by neverendingjourney 54 Replies latest jw friends
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lesterd
Of course not, the ACT of bleeding fullfills the command to pour the blood out on the ground, it's symbolic, showing you respect Gods law on blood.
When the preists sacrificed in the temple, not every drop of blood was removed from the animals and presented upon the alter. It was representive, symbolic, you dont have to lose it all to die. -
greendawn
The point is that not all blood can be drained from a slaughtered animal so the dubs will have to turn vegetarian to avoid eating blood something that most would hate to do. It goes to show that the blood law was meant to ensure that no animal was eaten alive by those under the law and that their blood policy is nonsense.
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tijkmo
w9210/15pp.30-31QuestionsFromReaders******
Questions
FromReadersHow
concernedshouldChristiansbethatbloodcomponents,suchasdriedplasma,mighthavebeenaddedtofoodproducts?If there is valid basis to believe that animal blood (or a component of it) is definitely being used locally in food products, Christians should exercise due caution. Still, it would be unwise to be upset by mere suspicion or live with unfounded worry.
Early in man’s history, our Creator ruled that humans should not eat blood. (Genesis 9:3, 4) He stated that blood represents life, which is a gift from him. Blood removed from a creature could be used only in sacrifice, such as on the altar. Otherwise, blood from a creature was to be poured on the ground, in a sense giving it back to God. His people were to avoid sustaining life by taking in blood. He decreed: "You must not eat the blood of any sort of flesh, because the soul of every sort of flesh is its blood. Anyone eating it will be cut off." (Leviticus 17:11-14) God’s prohibition on the eating of blood was repeated for Christians. (Acts 15:28, 29) So the early Christians needed to avoid food containing blood, such as meat from strangled animals or blood sausage.
In practical terms, though, how would those Christians act on their determination to ‘keep themselves from blood’? (Acts 21:25) Should they simply apply the apostle Paul’s words: "Everything that is sold in a meat market keep eating, making no inquiry on account of your conscience"?
No. Those words at 1 Corinthians 10:25 refer to meat that might have been from an animal sacrificed at an idol temple. Back then, excess meat from temples was disposed of by being sold to merchants, who might include it among their supply of meat for sale in their stores. Paul’s point was that meat from a temple was not intrinsically bad or contaminated. Evidently it was customary to drain and use on the pagan altars the blood of animals sacrificed there. So if some of the excess meat was sold in a market, with no obvious link to a temple or the misconceptions of pagans, Christians could simply buy it as commercial meat that was clean and that had been suitably drained of blood.
It would have to be different, however, if those Christians knew that meat from strangled animals (or blood sausage) was one of the choices at local shops. They would need to exercise care in choosing what meat to buy. They might be able to recognize the meat products that contained blood if such had a distinctive color (even as today blood sausage can usually be recognized in lands where it is common). Or Christians might inquire of a reputable butcher or meat merchant. If they had no reason to believe that certain meat contained blood, they could simply buy and eat.
Paul also wrote: "Let your reasonableness become known to all men." (Philippians 4:5) That could apply to the matter of buying meat. Neither Israel’s Law nor the decree of the first-century Christian governing body indicated that God’s people had to go to great lengths in inquiring about meat, even becoming vegetarians if there was the slightest doubt about blood being in available meat.
An Israelite hunter who killed an animal would drain its blood. (Compare Deuteronomy 12:15, 16.) If his family could not eat all the meat, he might sell some. Even in a properly bled carcass, a small amount of blood would remain in the meat, but nothing in the Bible suggests that a Jew buying meat needed to go to extremes in getting such facts as the number of minutes between killing and draining, which artery or vein was cut to let the blood flow, and how the animal was hung up and for how long. Furthermore, the governing body did not write that Christians had to take extraordinary precautions in this regard, as if they needed ultimate answers before eating any meat.
In many lands today, the law, custom, or religious practice is such that meat products (except for unusual items, such as blood sausage) are from animals that must be drained of blood when slaughtered. Thus, Christians in those areas normally need not be preoccupied with slaughtering or processing methods. In an extended sense, they may simply ‘keep eating commercial meat, making no inquiry,’ and they can have a clear conscience that they are abstaining from blood.
There have occasionally been technical reports, though, about commercial blood use that have disturbed certain Christians. Some in the meat-processing industry reason that large amounts of blood from slaughtered animals can be collected for practical applications and profit, such as in fertilizers or animal feed. Researchers have studied whether such blood (or components) might be used in processed meats. A few commercial plants have even turned out limited amounts of liquid, frozen, or powdered plasma (or decolorized red-cell material) that might be substituted for a small percentage of meat in sausagelike products or pâté. Other studies have centered on using powdered blood derivatives as a filler or to bind water and fat in ground meat, in baking products, or in other foods and drinks to add protein or iron.
It is worth noting, however, that such research has been going on for decades. Yet, it seems that use of such products has been very limited, or even nonexistent, in most lands. Some typical reports help to show why:
"Blood is a source of nutritional and functional proteins. However, beef blood has been used only in limited quantities for direct human consumption because of the intense color and characteristic taste."—JournalofFoodScience, Volume 55, Number 2, 1990.
"Blood plasma proteins have useful properties such as high solubility, emulsifying activity and hydrophobicity . . . and their use in food processing offers great advantages. However, no effective system to sanitize plasma, especially after dehydration, has been established in Japan."—JournalofFoodScience, Volume 56, Number 1, 1991.
Some Christians have occasionally checked the labels on packaged foods, since many governments require that ingredients be listed. And they may choose to do so regularly with any product that they have reason to believe might contain blood. It would be right, of course, to avoid products that listed things such as blood, blood plasma, plasma, globin (or globulin) protein, or hemoglobin (or globin) iron. Marketing information from one European company in this field acknowledged: "Information concerning the use of globin as an ingredient must be marked on the package of the food in such a way that the consumer is not misled as to the composition or value of the food."
However, even as to checking labels or making inquiry of butchers, reasonableness is needed. It is not as if every Christian worldwide must study the labels and ingredients on all packaged food or should interrogate employees at restaurants or food stores. A Christian might first ask himself, ‘Is there any verified evidence that blood and its derivatives are used in normal food products in this area or country?’ In most places the answer is no. Hence, many Christians have concluded that they personally will not divert a great deal of time and attention to checking on remote possibilities. A person who does not feel this way should act in accord with his conscience, without judging others who might resolve the matter otherwise but in good conscience before God.—Romans 14:2-4, 12.
Even if food products containing blood can be produced, it may well be that this is not widely done because of cost, legislation, or other factors. For example, FoodProcessing (September 1991) noted: "For those processors that have any problems with the less than 1% (in the finished meat patty) of hydrolyzed beef plasma in the blend, an alternate mix replaces it with whey protein concentrate and could be certified as Kosher."
It bears emphasizing that law, custom, or taste in many lands is such that blood is normally drained from slaughtered animals and that such blood is not used in other food products. If there is no substantial basis for thinking that the situation is different locally or that a major change has occurred recently, Christians should guard against becoming disturbed by mere possibility or rumor. When, though, it is certain or highly likely that blood is widely used—whether in food or in medical treatment—we should be determined to obey God’s command to abstain from blood.
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still_in74
still_in74 - Welcome. I only began posting two days ago, so I'm a newcomer myself. I was trying to convey the evolution of my views on the blood ban throughout my time in the org. Right after baptism, I was very green on things and equated red juice with blood. Of course, now I realize that what matters isn't how the meat is cooked, but how it's bled. But this realization led to some tough questions. If blood was still in the steak we were eating, why are we such sticklers about introducing blood into our bodies if we need a blood transfusion to save our life? Certainly Jehovah would know that there was still blood in the beef we ate, so do we really think he'd be okay with such a legalistic rule on blood transfusions. If Jehovah insisted on his "people" to abstain completely from blood he would have surely banned eating all type of meat in the first place. These were the kinds of questions that eventually led me to leave the org. Stick around. Read some of the discussions on here, both old and new. They've helped me put some things in perspective. I'm certain you and I are going through some of the same feelings and that we're asking similar questions. I look forward to hearing more from you
thanks Never, I must admit the change in view regarding blood fractions really started a ball rolling for me. I just couldnt believe this was permissable. I had towed the line for so long and this is a BIG deal. The further I go to answer questions the more I have. My biggest fear is my marriage, I love my wife so much and I know leaving would break her heart. I am so sick over this that I am literally sick, for months now I have stomach problems and I am certain its the stess of seeing everything I have ever believed go up in smoke. I feel myself sinking into depression over this. I have no idea what to do. I cant sleep, I cant focus at work, I'm falling apart............
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neverendingjourney
The further I go to answer questions the more I have. My biggest fear is my marriage, I love my wife so much and I know leaving would break her heart. I am so sick over this that I am literally sick, for months now I have stomach problems and I am certain its the stess of seeing everything I have ever believed go up in smoke. I feel myself sinking into depression over this. I have no idea what to do. I cant sleep, I cant focus at work, I'm falling apart............
I'm here for you. I can relate to a lot of what you're feeling, although I am very fortunate that I did not have a wife to complicate matters when I began to have doubts. I can't imagine what that must be like. My entire immediate family is still inside, and we have always been a tight-knit bunch. I went through a lot of the same symptoms you're now showing. I couldn't believe that my entire hope in life was disappearing right before my very eyes. Moreover, I had nothing to replace that hope with. It was bad. I sank into a very deep depression. I lost a lot of weight and then gained a lot of weight all within a few months. I was having a lot of problems at work. One day my boss walked into my office and saw me with my head on my desk. He knew something was up, so he kindly left and came back a few minutes later. I couldn't sleep either. I kept waking up every hour or two thinking about the same things. There are no easy answers. I stuck around for two years, going to meetings and putting in token field service hours, and I've been inactive for the last two years. Things will get better. It just takes time. At least you've brought yourself to read XJW websites. I didn't start doing that until a few months ago. It's helped me put a lot of things into perspective. It's a kind of therapy. I wish you all the best on your journey. I'm here for you if you ever need anyone to talk to.
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ninja
hi still in 74....I felt the exact same way....have sort of come out the other side pretty much intact....marriage still strong although my wife is still in......remember this....the bible and even the watchtower sanctions examination of your beliefs and adjustments if they are found to be in error....scary to do but you will get there.....let God be true though every man be found a liar
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TD
Not trying to change the subject ---This is a slightly different issue than the original topic, but still another dimension of basically the same question.
Bone marrow is a delicacy in some parts of the world:
--and it unequivocally contains blood.
Yet eating bone marrow is not forbidden to JW's because it is explicitly mentioned as a food in the OT.
So how could the dietary restriction have been about blood as a substance?
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neverendingjourney
Blood marrow is another excellent example. Obviously the Bible does not set forth an absolute prohibition on eating blood. Either that or God somehow forgot to ban eating marrow and meat as well. The blood transfusion ban is indefensible, so the WTBTS prefers to prohibit their members from reading opinions critical of it and to vilify those that espouse them.
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juni
Well according to what I was told by an ultra conservative BOEs, eating steak rare is not forbidden. The life blood has been drained out.
Juni
