by hotchocolate 35 Replies latest watchtower bible
1. The same blood fractions can pass naturally between mother and child during pregnancy. AND
2. The refusal of this fraction could result in the death of any future child I may have, and I could not justify refusing something that was ultimately a "conscience" product when that may infringe on the sanctity of life.
Now you know why some of us believe that the Watchtower Society is guilty of murder.
great post hotchocolate and welcome to JWD.....
The best analogy I heard recently was 'you wouldn't sacrifice your marriage to save your wedding ring?' - spot on ....
When we had our two little boys and faced the blood issue with both of them I just knew I couldn't deny them life-saving treatment - its that basic....
Jesus broke one of the 10 commandments - the Sabbath - (never mind a minor dietary command buried in amongst the other 700 laws) - to save a life - life is the point....
From what I have read, I am led to believe that the "blood issue" was actually one of the dietary laws in the old statutes.
I have often wondered if these regulations were made to enlighten mankind and bring him beyond the stage of Neanderthal. How advanced were these people when such laws were given? My guess? Not very.
To eat something with it's blood in it makes me think of geeks biting off the heads of live chickens. It is an act of savagery.
I think some of these statutes were to bring mankind into an evolution of having more dignity, self-esteem, discipline, and control of actions and to elevate his sensitivities.
It was all a teaching process....hygiene, compassion, etc. They even had to be taught to dig latrines on the outer areas of their camps.
These people were, from the sound of it, seriously lacking in knowledge and what we would call "common sense". Things had to be spelled out for them.
It's much the way a parent teaches a child...how to brush his teeth, how to behave courteously, etc. etc. It is all a roadmap and guidance.
In following the laws and statutes it raises the intellect of man far above the animalistic caveman. I believe both creation and evolution can be possible at the same time.
I think WTS has grossly misinterpreted the meaning of this scripture as well as many others.
Consider this...tatooes, cuttings and markings on the body were also a law/statute. So why do JW not make as big a deal about that? I know several JWs who sport tatooes and have never been DF for it. I know JWs who are tatoo artists. They are still in good standing and never Df'd.
It reminds me of people who ask "which of the 10 commandments is the worse one to break"? Similarly, the law and statutes do not seem to emphasize that one is any greater than the others. They are all to be taken for instruction.
excerpt below: http://ohr.edu/yhiy/article.php/993
In order to eat an animal or bird it must be slaughtered according to Jewish law (Shechita). This involves cutting the animal's trachea and oesophagus (the carotid artery and jugular veins are also severed in this operation, as are most arteries and veins leading to and from the brain) with a surgically sharp knife that has been thoroughly checked for nicks beforehand. The cut must be swift, without pause, tearing or vertical pressure and must be only done by an expert. It must be performed on the neck of the animal not higher than the epiglottis and not lower than where cilia begin inside the trachea. This method of slaughter reduces the blood pressure in the brain to zero immediately so that the animal loses consciousness in a few seconds and dies in less than a minute. (For comparative scientific studies of shechita and other methods of killing, refer to Shechita: Religious, Historical and Scientific Perspectives, by Munk, Feldheim Publishers, New York, 1976) Fish must be killed before being eaten, but no particular method is specified in Jewish law.
MY comment:
This was to teach compassion.
Marking for future reference.
Your reasoning is right on target and beautifully expressed, thanks for posting this.
Hi Hot Chocolate!
Yep, BLOOD also was the primary reason I left the JW's almost two years ago. I studied that doctrine in great detail before making any definitive decisions. My conclusion; THE JW'S ARE FLAT-OUT WRONG ON BLOOD!
They sure missed the boat on that one. Just as they missed the boat (by a mile) with forbidding vaccinations, organ transplants and alternative service, before conveniently saying those things are now OKAY TO DO.
How bout that!
I have also debated with numerous JW's on blood and every single time it has been real ugly for the JW's and this sorry doctrine. It's really one sad policy to try defending.
Here is a recent thread where I posted numerous arguments detailing just how wrong the JW's are on blood and fractions today.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/16/150613/1.ashx
Make it a point to read these two books as well. Nothing I have read has helped more than these!
http://www.commentarypress.com/Detail/eng_crisis_s.html
http://www.commentarypress.com/Detail/eng_search_s.html
My wife also really liked this one: (though I have not read it yet)
http://www.captivesofaconcept.com/AboutTheBook.php
My advice is to keep reading, keep learning and continue asking questions. You are not alone. Life outside of the JW bubble can be amazing. Keep up the good work.
All the best,
Vinny
Acts advise to abstain from blood was not binding, but applied solely to congregations with a mix of Gentiles and Jews, in order for the Gentiles not to offend the Jews. If you read 1 Corinthians 10:25-33 you will see that Paul shows eating things sacrificed were only wrong if it caused stumbling, and the same reasoning can be applied to blood. That is why most other religions do not find the command to abstain from blood to apply in our times.
"Everything that is sold in a meat market keep eating, making no inquiry on account of YOUR conscience; for "to Jehovah belong the earth and that which fills it." If anyone of the unbelievers invites YOU and YOU wish to go, proceed to eat everything that is set before YOU, making no inquiry on account of YOUR conscience. But if anyone should say to YOU: "This is something offered in sacrifice," do not eat on account of the one that disclosed it and on account of conscience.
Even Jews that do not eat blood take blood transfusions due to the rabbinic principle of pikuach nefesh; that the obligation to save life supersedes Jewish law. Jesus invoked this principle when healing on the Sabbath.
There is a comprehensive article on blood at http://www.jwfacts.com/index_files/blooddoctrine.htm
Hotchocolate, JD, Tula,
Great thoughts!!! Lots of things I had not thought of before.
Thank you all so much.
Love and hugs,
Velta
Hotchocolate,
You have shown some good reasoning on the matter of blood, and there are many resources at hand to look into it further.
From what I have seen, the WT has painted itself into a corner on this one and has bloodguilt. If the current teaching is wrong then they carry bloodguilt for every victim who died or suffered because of their teaching.
If their current position is correct then they carry bloodguilt for the decades they let people think blood transfusions were okay, and even encouraged them to engage in a practice leading to their eternal destruction.
During a recent study, I pulled this up on the computer and insisted the study conductor look into this boy's face and tell me why the Watchtower boasts about how they convince people to obey them unto death.
HotChocolate my Dear... that is a slew of awesome points. I LOVE the telling signs over and over that it was about life, not blood... and as you say... blood donors do not give their life doing so. I can't tell you how much this means to me... I lost my beloved Dad in death due to the blood issue just 2 years ago.
And may I also welcome you to the board!
Cheers!
Baba.
The bottom line is that the whole blood issue pivots on the Old Testament (sorry, the Hebrew Scriptures).
If we were to adhere to these ancient Jewish writings, which Jesus clearly said he was replacing, then we:
1. Would not eat bacon and pork products today
2. Would be publicly stoning sinners today
3. Would be making animal sacrifices
... and so on.
