Not always prohibited by the Watchtower Society in the past, the current prohibition against blood transfusions is more contentious and polarizing than few other issues pertaining to the Jehovah's Witnesses. Seen by most outsiders as a ghoulish mediaeval ritual reminiscent of the occult and finding no valid support in the Bible, the prohibition against receiving blood in the form of a blood transfusion is regarded by the Jehovah's Witnesses as a mandate, one of God's immutable laws.
As the information below illustrates, not only are the Jehovah's Witnesses' beliefs with respect to blood transfusions indefensible in light of scripture and tradition, the Jehovahs Witnesses beliefs' as put in to practice verge on the hypocritical; allowing the transfusion of some blood components but not others has become a deadly farce. Prohibiting blood transfusions based on snippets of scriptural text taken out of context and indifferent to sound, thoughtful biblical scholarship has caused untold misery and pain, and death; the senseless, unwarranted infliction of emotional distress on thousands.
The Jehovah's Witnesses' beliefs regarding the prohibition of blood transfusions becomes all the more heinous when it comes to young children, many of whom have died in furtherance of their parents' misguided beliefs. The blood transfusion prohibition is astounding in light of Jeremiah 32:35 which provides in part, "They built high places to Baal in the Valley of Ben-hinnom, and immolated their sons and daughters to Molech, bringing sin upon Judah; this I never commanded them, nor did it even enter my mind that they should practice such abomination." Here, God instructs man NOT to cause a child to be killed as a form of sacrifice to God. Clearly, sacrificing a child by denying him or her a needed blood transfusion is no different. In no way does such a denial of blood and the child's resulting death please the Almighty. It never entered God's mind.
Any individual contemplating joining the Jehovah's Witnesses religion is forewarned to research this issue carefully, study the history and biblical context of the blood prohibition and understand what it means to not 'eat blood' because the Jehovahs Witnesses beliefs with respect to this gruesome act is not approved by the Almighty, finds no reliable support in scripture and comes close to being a homicide or a suicide. Avoid the anguish for everyone involved and think clearly on this matter. The Jehovah's Witnesses beliefs on blood transfusions are not to be taken lightly.
jwfacts.com and ajwrb.org and marvinshilmer.blogspot.com are good beginnings.
http://www.144000.110mb.com/directory/jehovahs_witnesses_beliefs_blood_transfusions.html
