@Tuber wrote:
Watchtower publications teach that "true christians" don't accept blood transfusions. I worry about what would happen if my step mother or one of my little sisters were to be put in a situation where a blood transfusion was necessary to save their life.
@djeggnog wrote:
I've never seen such a statement in any of our publications. The reason Jehovah's Witnesses do not accept blood transfusions ought to be because of what the Bible teaches as to the sacredness of life, and how they learned from the Bible that blood represents life, which is why God put blood on animals on the altar in the first place to represent the life of the human being that provided such to atone for his or her sins, which animal sacrifices, mind you, foreshadowed the perfect human sacrifice of Jesus whose shed blood for the sins of mankind. Just as God had commanded Noah, one of the eight survivors of the global deluge about which the Bible teaches, to pour out blood so as not to eat unbled meat, the command to abstain from blood is incumbent on Christians to obey because, as I just stated, blood represents life and so is sacred.
@sizemik wrote:
"Beginning in 1961 any who ignored the divine requirement, accepted blood transfusions, and manifested an unrepentant attitude were disfellowshipped from the congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses." Jehovah's Witnesses-Proclaimers of God's Kingdom pp.183-184 . . . published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.
Where in this quote do Jehovah's Witnesses say that "'true christians' don't accept blood transfusions"?
"If you have reason to believe that a certain product contains blood or a blood fraction?if the label says that certain tablets contain hemoglobin?this is from blood...a Christian knows, without asking, that he should avoid such a preparation. Watchtower 1961 November 1 p.669 . . . published by The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society
Where in this quote do Jehovah's Witnesses say that "'true christians' don't accept blood transfusions"?
@Tuber wrote:
The WTS has foretold the end of the world numerous times, each time this has proven false. So they are the very definition of the false prophets the bible tells of... the bible they supplant with their own teachings.
@djeggnog wrote:
When did Jehovah's Witnesses ever predict the end of the world? If you are able to provide a citation that points to the prediction of a specific date when the end of the world was to come, something that would constitute proof, I'd be interested in seeing it. Again, this is just another one of those boilerplate allegations that apostates make against Jehovah's Witnesses, but, again, if you prefer to believe this allegation to be true, then don't bother citing an example, for I'm only interested in hearing what you can prove and I'm certain that you won't be able to do so.
@sizemik wrote:
Allow me . . .
"And now, as the year 1975 opens up, some thousands of the anointed remnant, still alive on this earth, look ahead to realizing that joyful prospect. The increasing "great crowd" of their sheeplike companions look forward with them to entering the New Order without interruption of life. In the New Order Jehovah God will add to the "length of days" of the anointed remnant on earth to the point of satisfying the members thereof. It remains to be seen whether they will be yet retained here on earth to see the start of the resurrection of the earthly dead and to meet faithful witnesses of ancient, pre-Christian times. They would enjoy that, before being taken off the earthly scene to the heavenly reward with Christ." Watchtower 1974 December 15 p.766 . . . published by WTBTS
Where in this quote is there a prediction as to year 1975 marking the end of the world? There was no great tribulation in 1975, which the Bible indicates, and Jehovah's Witnesses have taught in the late 60s and early 70s that such would precede Armageddon. To be frank: Not everyone in 1975 that had been appointed to take the lead in the congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses were as careful to tamp down the enthusiasm that existed among the rank-and-file as they should have from the podium. Many became victims of rumors that spread from one circuit to the next while elders said nothing and were even caught up in the notion that 6,000 years of human history signified something that we never taught.
What you quote here, @sizemik, is a "what-if" scenario and not a prediction, and only an illiterate, someone that reads more into a sentence than is really there, would conclude otherwise. I'm not saying that you are an illiterate, because I don't know what you are, but if your purpose in quoting this was to prove that Jehovah's Witnesses have "foretold the end of the world numerous times," to prove that it "a specific date when the end of the world was to come" was ever officially taught by Jehovah's Witnesses, then you are guilty of having read more into this blurb than is really there.
In the congregations in my circuit, we would encourage the friends to make pointed statements as to the what 1975 portended, but we would caution those that until there had been a declaration of "Peace and security!" made as to the conflict that continues to exist in the Middle East, we should not expect Armageddon to occur, and what you quoted here refers to what our reaching 6,000 years of human history could portend for the anointed remnant and for the great crowd.
While not all Jehovah's Witnesses know their Bibles as well as they ought, I would say the sports-minded in my circuit were not as likely to buy into what was being rumored by some about 1975, for in the fall of 1975 the discussion among some of us centered around the "Thrilla in Manilla" that occurred on October 1, 1975, at 10:45 am, Manila time (September 30, 1975, 7:45 pm, EST), when Muhammad Ali defended his undisputed heavyweight championship against Joe Frazier, which I saw "live" on closed-circuit tv at Madison Square Garden in New York (don't judge me).
Not one of us thought Armageddon was imminent nor were we teaching anyone to this effect, knowing as we did that we had no idea as to when that day or hour would occur. One thing we did know is that Armageddon wasn't going to occur on that Tuesday night! Maybe the sports-mindedness of some in our circuit kept us from "going off the deep end," as it were, for in during this same period came Game 6 of the World Series when many had thought the Cincinnati Reds would win 4-2 over the Boston Red Sox on October 21, 1975 -- another Tuesday! -- when a three-run homer that tied the game led to a Boston home run in the 12th inning, forcing the Reds to come back the next day to Fenway Park for a Game 7, where that ball club prevailed over the Red Sox in closing out that nail-biter on October, 22, 1975.
"Bible chronology which indicates that Adam was created in the fall of the year 4026 B.C.E. would bring us down to the year 1975 C.E. as the date marking 6,000 years of human history with yet 1,000 years to come for Christ's Kingdom rule. So whatever the date for the end of this system, it is clear that the time left is reduced, with only approximately six years left until the end of 6,000 years of human history." Watchtower 1970 May 1 p.273 . . . published by WTBTS
Notice that this statement that you quote here from a Watchtower magazine that you indicate bore a 1970 date (I didn't bother to check) says only that there were "only approximately six years left until the end of 6,000 years of human history." Note that what you quote here doesn't say is that there were only approximately six years left until Armageddon," or words to this effect, and only if you were able to post such a quote should any reasonable person be persuaded to opine that Jehovah's Witnesses had "foretold the end of the world numerous times." We didn't and unless you're unreasonable (or an illiterate!), you have to agree that neither of these two quotes you posted are predictions.
You are a liar and a deliberate deceiver DJEggNogg . . . and should be utterly ashamed!
Wait a sec! I don't think you can say straight-facedly that I didn't 'allow you.' Was it me or you that took the time to post not one, but two quotes here ostensibly to support what @Tuber was told or had read to the effect that Jehovah's Witnesses have "foretold the end of the world numerous times"? Why should I be "utterly ashamed" when it was you that thought you could use these quotes to prove that this lie was not a lie? (This sort of reminds me of the account of Ananias and Sapphira.)
@Tuber wrote:
Watchtower publications teach that all other religions, to the extent of all other [denominations] of Christianity even, are being used by Satan to lead people away from the "one true religion".
@djeggnog wrote:
This is what the Bible teaches. I won't quote the Bible texts here since I'm not sure that you have the same appreciation that I do as to the infallibility of God's word and its truthfulness. The Bible teaches, for example, that God raised Jesus, a man that was put to death, from the dead on the third day after his execution. Because Christians believe what things the Bible teaches, they accept this teaching on faith in the Bible, which they believe to have been written under divine inspiration, but you couldn't be expected to believe that a dead man came back to life after having been dead for parts of three days rose from the dead.
@punkofnice wrote:
Really? Where does the Bible say the watchtower organization is the one true religion and all others aren't?
I wish I hadn't asked..........no don't reply DJ I won't read it it'll be too long!
No worries. My response to this question could have been a lengthy one, so I took your advice and decide to quasi-ignore your message.
@Tuber wrote:
Watchtower publications teach that "true christians" don't accept blood transfusions. I worry about what would happen if my step mother or one of my little sisters were to be put in a situation where a blood transfusion was necessary to save their life.
@djeggnog wrote:
I've never seen such a statement in any of our publications. The reason Jehovah's Witnesses do not accept blood transfusions ought to be because of what the Bible teaches as to the sacredness of life, and how they learned from the Bible that blood represents life, which is why God put blood on animals on the altar in the first place to represent the life of the human being that provided such to atone for his or her sins, which animal sacrifices, mind you, foreshadowed the perfect human sacrifice of Jesus whose shed blood for the sins of mankind. Just as God had commanded Noah, one of the eight survivors of the global deluge about which the Bible teaches, to pour out blood so as not to eat unbled meat, the command to abstain from blood is incumbent on Christians to obey because, as I just stated, blood represents life and so is sacred.
@InterestedOne:
Here is an excerpt from the WT booklet in current use called "What Does The Bible Really Teach" that says true Christians don't accept blood transfusions....
I will put to you the same question that I put to @sizemik: Where in this quote from the What Does The Bible Really Teach? book does it say that "'true christians' don't accept blood transfusions"? Although Jehovah's Witnesses have resolved to remain firm in respecting the sacredness of blood, not all Jehovah's Witnesses will be able to do so, and these will succumb to fear and accept blood transfusions.
Now this does not mean that those that those that have wrestled with this blood issue do not struggle with their consciences when presented with the choice of obeying God or disobeying him, and elders do understand that some may withhold their consent so that they might abdicate responsibility for what decisions a physician might make and keep a good conscience toward God, but these same elders soon learn from such individuals that the abdication of their decision-making power doesn't rid one of a bad conscience toward God, which means that just because one might demonstrate a lack of faith that this does not mean that such individuals are not "true Christians."
It would be more accurate to say that under certain circumstances, true Christians may accept blood transfusions, and as a result might require help in overcome the guilty conscience that can results from their deliberately failure to adhere to the God's command to abstain from blood. Jehovah's Witnesses are human beings, not robots, and they were born with the very same imperfections that every other human being the offspring of Adam of Eve were born. None of us are perfect and at times we will fall short, but the fact that true Christians are imperfect doesn't mean that when they make a mistake that they are any less true Christians.
Look! You want to be judgmental of these, that's your choice, but when you disappoint yourself or someone else, you shouldn't expect others to use a different measuring stick than the one you use in judging others by your own standards. I won't quote the scripture; I'm sure you know it well.
@sizemik:
It's not the first time DJEggNog has blatantly lied . . .
Oh, did I lie? I don't believe I lied. Can you prove that I "blatantly lied" at some other time? Can you prove that I "blatantly lied" this time?
@djeggnog
