I was visiting a friend that is a Witness yesterday. His mother was preparing for the bookstudy with another sister who is very new. We are on the chapter about Blood this week. I didn't feel well, so I sat on the couch nearby and listened. I tried to think of some way to make them think, but it seemed impossible. Here's what happened:
Mature sister: Well, so this week we are studying about blood. So why is blood sacred?
New sister: Because Jehovah says so, its the persons life in the blood.
M: Yes, so we must listen to Jehovah. So how many components does blood have?
N: 4
M: Yes, and then after that they separate the blood into fractions. So can a Christian accept fractions?
N: It's their conscience
M: Yes, so Jehovah is loving because he allows us to use our conscience. So what things are conscience matters?
N: The cell salvage, and the hemodilution.
M: Yes, those are complicated procedures. I had the cell saver, and it doesn't store the blood, it just circulates it back to the body.
At that point I couldn't help it, I said, "Well, remember you DID have that machine, and the blood was stored for a few hours, remember?" (This was the sister that I have mentioned in previous posts, that had the cell saver and didn't realize it was a transfusion because the Society's brochure avoids that term.)
M: Oh yes, I did have the cell saver, but it didn't store it for a long time, just for a short time, plus it was my blood.
N: Yes, when I was studying but not baptized I had surgery and the doctor lied to me and said he wouldn't give blood but when I woke up there was a blood bag, so I told them to get rid of it and they did.
M: You could have sued them for thousands of dollars.
N: Yes, those doctors don't care what Jehovah says.
M: Plus, blood transfusions often have AIDS or Hepatitis. So its wise to follow Jehovah's counsel
I jumped in there again. "Well, the possibility of getting AIDS from a blood transfusion is very remote, and Hepatitis as well. The good thing is that we accept fractions if we want to." That's all I could come up with.
They asked me to close with prayer.
I left so frustrated. I have tried to help that particular sister to reason, I have included some of those conversations on this forum, and sometimes I think I have reached her, but wow, I can see it hasn't done anything. She and the other sister used Jehovah's name interchangeably with the Society. They constantly said, "Jehovah's law on blood" and "Jehovah lets us use our conscience"
For Witnesses that read the news or do at least some research, there is a possibility of hope they will realize something. But what about those that don't like to read? That don't use a computer? That get ALL their information from the Society? This sister has a huge bookcase, gigantic, with all Society's publications, and a dictionary, that's it. No other books. She says, "Well, why would I need other books? Jehovah gives us what we need."
Oh my, my. Banging my head against the wall.
BF