Jehovah's Witnesses can donate blood

by Marvin Shilmer 37 Replies latest jw friends

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  Marvin Shilmer

  Jehovah’s Witnesses can donate blood

  Today I added a new article to my blog that answers the question of whether Watchtower doctrine forbids Jehovah’s Witnesses from going to their community blood bank and donating some of their blood to help replace all the products from blood accepted on a daily basis by the community of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

  My article is titled Jehovah’s Witnesses can donate blood and is available at: http://marvinshilmer.blogspot.com/2012/03/jehovahs-witnesses-can-donate-blood.html

  I urge all of Jehovah’s Witnesses to join me today in donating to save life.

  It’s okay. Watchtower says you can do it!

  Marvin Shilmer

  http://marvinshilmer.blogspot.com
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  blondie

  *** w05 3/15 p. 18 par. 8 "You Were Bought With a Price" ***

  They knew that Elena, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, would not donate blood or accept blood transfusions.

  *** w00 10/15 p. 30 Questions From Readers ***

  When donating and transfusing blood became common in the 20th century, Jehovah’s Witnesses understood that this practice conflicted with God’s Word.

  *** w00 10/15 pp. 30-31 Questions From Readers ***

  Occasionally, a doctor will urge a patient to deposit his own blood weeks before surgery (preoperative autologous blood donation, or PAD) so that if the need arises, he could transfuse the patient with his own stored blood. However, such collecting, storing, and transfusing of blood directly contradicts what is said in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Blood is not to be stored; it is to be poured out—returned to God, as it were. Granted, the Mosaic Law is not in force now. Nevertheless, Jehovah’s Witnesses respect the principles God included in it, and they are determined to ‘abstain from blood.’ Hence, we do not donate blood, nor do we store for transfusion our blood that should be ‘poured out.’ That practice conflicts with God’s law.

  *** w92 8/1 p. 25 Letting Their Light Shine in India ***

  Because of accepting the truth, they had refused to join a college strike and also would not donate blood during a blood-collection campaign spearheaded by the student organizer.

  *** w77 7/1 p. 410 Insight on the News ***

  Moreover, God’s law to his people of ancient times specified that blood, when taken from a body, was not to be used for anything, but was to be disposed of. (Deut. 12:16) Later, Christians were specifically required to ‘abstain from blood.’ (Acts 15:28, 29) So, ‘donating blood as sacrifice’ is neither effective nor approved by God.

  *** w61 1/15 p. 64 Questions From Readers ***

  If, however, he refuses to acknowledge his nonconformity to the required Christian standard and makes the matter an issue in the Christian congregation and endeavors to influence others therein to his support; or, if in the future he persists in accepting blood transfusions or in donating blood toward the carrying out of this medical practice upon others, he shows that he has really not repented, but is deliberately opposed to God’s requirements. As a rebellious opposer and unfaithful example to fellow members of the Christian congregation he must be cut off therefrom by disfellowshiping.
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  Marvin Shilmer

  Blondie,

  What's your point?

  Do you dispute the 2001 letter to Cliff Roche verifies that Watchtower lets Witnesses donate blood so it can be fractionated and transfused for all the blood products the same doctrine lets Witnesses accept transfusion of?

  Marvin Shilmer

  http://marvinshilmer.blogspot.com
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  RayPublisher

  I like your article Marvin. But the letter does go on to state that the publisher would have to "make sure that the remaining bulk of the blood would be discarded" after the fraction(s) were removed.

  That alone negates anyone from trying to "loophole" their way out of using this letter to donate blood and not be DFed. Bottom line, if you get caught donating blood, expect an announcement at the next mid-week meeting. No appeal, no judicial committee needed. You have been spiritually executed!
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  Marvin Shilmer

  RayPublisher writes:

  I like your article Marvin. But the letter does go on to state that the publisher would have to "make sure that the remaining bulk of the blood would be discarded" after the fraction(s) were removed.

  Watchtower doctrine lets Witnesses accept “all fractions” of “any” component of blood.[1]

  What is left over from “all” of “any”?

  The only thing that must be discarded is anything that is insufficiently fractionated.

  Marvin Shilmer

  http://marvinshilmer.blogspot.com

  ____________

  Ref.

  1. “I accept all fractions derived from any primary component of blood.”—Watchtower provided Durable Power of Attorney Document for Jehovah’s Witnesses, dated 2001.
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  undercover

  Unfortunately for the vast majority of JWs wishing to donate blood, their local elder body isn't going to have a copy of the letter from the Society to Cliff Roche, which means if the subject were to come up, they will turn to the same quotes that Blondie has provided, and any JW that donates will find himself hauled in on the carpet in front of a JC comittee, plain and simple. The local JW elder body will punish per the old rules still regarded as current.

  What your blog does show to what lengths the Society has to go these days so as to not get caught in any kind of legal jeopardy. When they used to say a flat out "NO" to donating, now they have to slip and slide around the issue.
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  Marvin Shilmer

  undercover writes:

  Unfortunately for the vast majority of JWs wishing to donate blood, their local elder body isn't going to have a copy of the letter from the Society to Cliff Roche, which means if the subject were to come up, they will turn to the same quotes that Blondie has provided, and any JW that donates will find himself hauled in on the carpet in front of a JC comittee, plain and simple. The local JW elder body will punish per the old rules still regarded as current.

  I disagree.

  If a Witness chooses to donate blood on the basis of what is put forth in the Cliff Roche letter and, as a result, local elders challenged the person, all the Witness has to do is inform the local elders of Watchtower’s actual policy and recommend they contact Bethel before they go and do something stupid, like disfellowshipping a publisher for following Watchtower's policy. Local elders will get an education, and it will probably be a real eye-opener.

  What your blog does show to what lengths the Society has to go these days so as to not get caught in any kind of legal jeopardy. When they used to say a flat out "NO" to donating, now they have to slip and slide around the issue.

  Without a doubt the Cliff Roche letter demonstrates Watchtower’s duplicity. The top of Watchtower’s food-chain is laced with liars.

  Marvin Shilmer

  http://marvinshilmer.blogspot.com
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  undercover

  If a Witness chooses to donate blood on the basis of what is put forth in the Cliff Roche letter and, as a result, local elders challenged the person, all the Witness has to do is inform the local elders of Watchtower’s actual policy and recommend they contact Bethel

  Yes, if the JW chooses to do so based on what he reads in the Roche letter. But, really, how many dubs know about that letter?

  And those that do, and choose to make a case for donating blood by way of it, it puts them in a position of having to defend how they came in possession of the letter. The Internet you say, Brother? Was it from a WT sanctioned website? Or did you, perhaps, find this on an apostate site or one critical of the WTS? Those are the questions that they'll face. The blood issue will taken a back seat to possible apostacy charges.

  To be clear, I agree with you in principle. According to the letter, it is a conscience matter. But looking at it in practical terms; the lower courts (elder bodies) will rarely allow an appeal to go to the higher courts (Bethel), if the only evidence presented by the defendant is this letter and the elders have clear counsel in their WT publications that is, in their eyes, Holy and Inspired.

  It's a fixed court. You can't beat them at their own game. They'll just change the rules again.
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  blondie

  Undercover, you covered it well. I clipped off the beginning of my quotes to say that this information is what "good" jws would have access to and a letter from behind the scenes would most likely not be available to them (perhaps to the elders). As my earliest quote from 2005 shows, the concept of it not being "right" for a jw to donate blood still prevails in material available to the rank and file. I agree that the WTS is just trying to cover themselves legally as they did in Bulgaria and switching the term "disfellowshipping" to "disassociating" in a statement to a reporter in the Guardian.
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  redvip2000

  I think the biggest issue here, is really the letter itself, because in reality if there is nothing else printed that says that donating blood is ok, the only support you have is from this letter. So, along come these questions:

  1- Where is this letter? How can i get it? How genuine is it?

  Even if you can download it somewhere, the elders will also ask you where you got it, and this is another issue. Are you going to reveal that it was on a website which is not Pro-Watchtower? How much validity will they give to it?

  What i personally would do, is to first write a letter to Bethel asking for clarification on this issue. I would include the letter and say that a friend who was involved in that case had given it to me, and i simply wanted to know if the Watchtower society stood by those words previously mentioned.

  My guess is that assuming the letter is real ( and they can verify this), they will confirm that position for the sake of consistency. I would then take that reply from Bethel and use it to support my position. With this, you would have a pretty strong case to stand against the elders.