When did JWs start saying that rejecting blood was a "main tenet" of their faith

by Shawn10538 7 Replies latest watchtower medical

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  Shawn10538

  I have been preparing to reply to Dr. Mark Galantowicz's comment on KABC channel 7 for a few days now. And it seems to me I read somewhere that it came out during some trial that for JWs to be able to sue doctors over the blood issue, it had to be a "main tenet" of their faith. It probably is on ajwrb.org somewhere. But if anybody knows off hand it would be great.

  Growing up a JW pioneering and being at Bethel, I would never have said that rejecting blood is a "main tenet" of my faith. It is one belief sure, but I don't think I would even have put it in the top 20 if I was asked about it back then.

  the article for KABC channel 7 was written by Denise Dador. I have tried to contact both her and Dr. Galantowicz to correct them on this point, and hoepefully I will be able to do so.

  Also, the Dr. said that JWs believe that blood "carries the soul." This also is not true in the least. We all know that JWs don't believe in the human soul. So to say they believe that blood actually carries the soul in any way is a complete misrepresentation of the facts. I think the Dr. probably was fed this information purposely to cause confusion. That or he is just plain confused and not very knowledgeable about JWs beliefs.

  It would be nice if some people commented on the article (search kabc bloodless surgery." I already have twice. It would evenm be cooler if some of you would try and contact the Dr. as I have to inform him of his error. Also I would like to contact Denise Dador since she would probably be interested if she is putting out false information on her articles.
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  Lurker555

  Only flesh with its soul-its blood-YOU must not eat. 5 And, besides that, YOUR blood of YOUR souls shall I ask back. From the hand of every living creature shall I ask it back; and from the hand of man, from the hand of each one who is his brother, shall I ask back the soul of man.

  NWT. Genesis 9:4,5. JW's believe blood represents the soul.
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  Chariklo

  My study conductor taught me that soul=life, and that the blood carries the life, so it carries the soul.
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  Phizzy

  I think you would have found it was a main tenet of the JW faith if you had merely donated blood whilst at Bethel.

  I do not have access to JW lit or CD anymore so cannot give you info from there, I believe it was post Rutherford, so late forties ?
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  Shawn10538

  What Charliko is missing is that JWs do not believe in the human soul. They believe the soul is just the person themselves. Also, Charlinko is confusing spirit and soul, a common mistake that even JWs make about their own religion.

  It is spirit that is the life force, like electricity.

  Sould does not = life in the JW religion. That is false. But there are a lot of JWs I have talked to over the years that think the same thing. These people are usually uneducated or not that into the religion. Look up the subject soul and spirit on watchtower.org, and it will explain it quite well.

  90% of the public tyhopugh, pivctures a ghost when they hear the word soul. So when you go on TV and say blood carries the soul, you are saying blood carries the ghost.

  But since JWs do not believe in the soul, they believe that soul is the person themselves, it is like saying Dr. Smith is carried by his blood. Or Dr. Smith is in Dr. Smith's blood.

  JWs believe that blood and life are closely connected, but not one inside the other, and not opne and the same thing.
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  Phizzy

  Your summation is good, and thinking about it, the JW Blood doctrine makes even less sense if only the energy of life is in it, not the person or soul.

  I would be interested if someone could answer your thread title question, please ?
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  TD

  ...JWs do not believe in the human soul. They believe the soul is just the person themselves..

  You're absolutely right Shawn:

  "The soul of every sort of flesh is its blood"—not literally, of course, since the Bible also says that the living organism itself is a soul. Rather, the life of all souls is so inextricably tied up with and sustained by the blood in them that blood is appropriately viewed as a sacred fluid representing life. (Awake! October 22, 1990 p. 15 emphasis mine)

  I've never actually read or heard it stated explicitly that the blood doctrine is a main tenet of the JW faith, but I guess the implication is there inasmuch as you can't be a JW and fail to (In their parlance) 'abstain from blood'
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  blondie

  http://marvinshilmer.blogspot.com/2011/02/blood-what-happened-at-watchtower-in.html

  http://www.jwfiles.com/wt_blood/blood.htm

  *** jv chap. 13 p. 183 ***Why Blood Transfusions Are Refused

  The respect for life shown by Jehovah’s Witnesses has also affected their attitude toward blood transfusions. When transfusions of blood became an issue confronting them, The Watchtower of July 1, 1945, explained at length the Christian view regarding the sanctity of blood. It showed that both animal blood and that of humans were included in the divine prohibition that was made binding on Noah and all his descendants. (Gen. 9:3-6) It pointed out that this requirement was emphasized again in the first century in the command that Christians ‘abstain from blood.’ (Acts 15:28, 29) That same article made it clear from the Scriptures that only sacrificial use of blood has ever been approved by God, and that since the animal sacrifices offered under the Mosaic Law foreshadowed the sacrifice of Christ, disregard for the requirement that Christians ‘abstain from blood’ would be an evidence of gross disrespect for the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ. (Lev. 17:11, 12; Heb. 9:11-14, 22)

  Earlier discussions of the sanctity of blood appeared in TheWatch Tower of December 15, 1927, as well as TheWatchtower of December 1, 1944, which specifically mentioned blood transfusions.

  http://www.sld.cu/galerias/pdf/sitios/anestesiologia/jehovah_witnesses_accept_bloodtransfusion_1.pdf

  The controlling organizational body of this religious community is the Watch Tower Bible and Tract

  Society of Pennsylvania, Inc. (Watchtower). Since at least 1927 Watchtower has been teaching its

  membership that they should not eat blood.

  1

  As though eating is tantamount to transfusion, in 1944 Watchtower made an assertion that initiated

  development of its doctrine against accepting blood transfusion. Watchtower wrote:

  “Not only as a descendant of Noah, but now also as one bound by God’s law to Israel which

  incorporated the everlasting covenant regarding the sanctity of life-sustaining blood, the

  stranger was forbidden to eat or drink blood, whether by transfusion or by the mouth.”

  2

  Thus in 1944 was Watchtower’s first statement against blood transfusion. This position was addressed

  at greater length in 1945 in the religion’s literature. 3 From this point forward Watchtower regularly

  taught it was a gross disrespect of God’s will to accept transfusion of blood.

  4