Snowbird writes:
“I think WT's hope is that this issue will simply go away.”
I think you are correct, and I also think that Watchtower’s highest echelon decided in the mid-1980s that the whole doctrine had to go away and accordingly constructed an infrastructure to stage it down. The center of this infrastructure is Watchtower’s department of Hospital Information Services, which became operational in or near 1988. This department has been busy over the years reducing the number of horror stories hitting public view by working behind the scenes with doctors and Witness patients explaining all the stuff from blood they can give and/or take. Watchtower’s position over the last decade is an absolute deconstruction of any sane notion that Witnesses “abstain from blood”. They do not; Watchtower’s governing body knows it; and Watchtower’s Governing Body approves it.
In other words, back in the 1980s Watchtower’s Governing Body ceased believing its own doctrinal position that Christians must abstain from blood.
baltar447 writes:
“Why in the world would they wait YEARS to tell the R&F about this?”
Because Watchtower is in the religion business where information control and flow is the life-blood. Watchtower has built many converts on the notion of “abstain from blood”. To too overtly share a revelation that Witnesses can consume massive chunks from blood would effectively dismantle the base of fanatics constructed on the “abstain from blood” precept by Watchtower.
Free @ last writes:
“I know one of the 'Bethel heavies' whose wife died some years ago from TTP.”
I’d love to learn more about that. Would you mind sharing which “Bethel Heavy” had a wife who died of TTP?
Iconoclast writes:
“Why would they hide this from the R&F”
Because, so far, Watchtower has not found a way to explain to the rank and file community of Witnesses that accepting 50% of the content of whole blood is an act of ‘abstaining from blood’. Think about it. Would you want to be the elder explaining this from the platform at a local kingdom hall?
All Readers:
I am not sure the average reader fully grasps the importance of getting this information out about cryosupernatant for patients who are Jehovah’s Witnesses and for the children of Witnesses.
There are Witness patients right now whose health and/or life could be protected by administration of this product. Watchtower is not clarifying this for sake of the wider Witness community. Those of us with firsthand experience and understanding and this religious community can do much good by learning of and spreading this information. If for no other reason, for the children. What if it were your child?
Please take a few moments to learn about this subject and share what you learn.
Marvin Shilmer
