Blood, The Jewish Diet and Bone Marrow

by BluesBrother 7 Replies latest watchtower medical

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  BluesBrother

  Bone marrow is the flexible tissue found in the interior of bones. In humans, bone marrow in large bones produces new blood cells.. It is the engine room of our vascular system producing and releasing red cells, white cells, plasma and platelets into our blood stream.

  Funnily enough, marrow was not excluded from the Hebrew diet even though it contained the blood cells :

  Insight p 345

  Animal bone marrow was apparently used for food by the Israelites. (Compare Mic 3:2, 3.) It has a very high nutritional value, being rich in protein, fats, and iron. Jehovah’s banquet for all the peoples, therefore, fittingly includes symbolic “well-oiled dishes filled with marrow.”—Isa 25:6.

  In addition it is not excluded from Jehovah's Witnesses medical treatment. They may accept a bone marrow transplant if they wish, even though it contains someone elses blood cells:

  Wt 84 5/15 p31

  "do the Scriptures class marrow with blood? No ..............................................................................................

  Of course, marrow used in human marrow transplants is from live donors, and the withdrawn marrow may have some

  blood with it.

  Hence, the Christian would have to resolve for himself whether—to him—the bone-marrow graft would amount to simple

  flesh or would be unbled tissue. .............................................................................................................................................................................

  Though a personal decision has to be made on this matter, .........................................

  What does this show us? That it is not the substance of major blood parts that is sacred, but rather the act of pouring out the veinous blood of a killed animal that was required by the Jewish law and carried over to the Christian congregation.

  The "Insight Book " explains: (page 344 topic "Blood")

  "Every living thing has a purpose and a place in God’s creation. No man has the right to take life except when God permits and in the way that he instructs. After the Flood, Noah and his sons, the progenitors of all persons alive today, were commanded to show respect for the life, the blood, of fellowmen. (Ge 9:1, 5, 6) Also, God kindly allowed them to add animal flesh to their diet. However, they had to acknowledge that the life of any animal killed for food belonged to God, doing so by pouring its blood out as water on the ground. This was like giving it back to God, not using it for one’s own purposes.—De 12:15, 16.

  Conclusion ? That the reason for the dietry prohibition was just as the Insight Book states - the respect for the life taken, not any "sanctity " of the substance of blood itself, just as their critics have been telling them for years, and in transfusons NO life is taken to get the blood.
• 

  nuthouse escapee

  Interesting, Blues Brother. The dictionary also gives the definition of marrow as a long, thick, striped green vegetable with whitish flesh. I can vaguely remember someone using the explanation that the Bible was actually referring to this veggie and not actual bone marrow. I really don't know.
• 

  Refriedtruth

  Good to do BluesBrother excellent little essay

  Conclusion ? That the reason for the dietry prohibition was just as the Insight Book states - the respect for the life taken, not any "sanctity " of the substance of blood itself, just as their critics have been telling them for years, and in transfusons NO life is taken to get the blood.
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  nuthouse escapee

  Have subsequently found my Bible and looked at the scripture in Micah, definitely about literal flesh and bones. God is supposed to believe life is sacred so if a transfusion is necessary it would show appreciation for life to try and preserve the gift of life that we have. I like many others have been touched by the stupidity of their false reasoning. Lost my mother on the altar of the Wt's blood policy 40 years ago.
• 

  Glander

  Yes, there is a large tuber called marrow but I am sure the Biblical reference was to bone marrow. Considered a delicacy by many cultures and my chihuahuas.
• 

  Slidin Fast

  We have ours STUFFED.
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  King Solomon

  Interesting post.

  I've been reading Origins of European Thought, a fascinating work looking at the way ancient men looked at their bodies, their World, etc.

  The marrow of bones, esp of the long-bones (thighs) was hughly important in significance in ancient cultures. In fact, the marrow largely WASN'T eaten, but sacrificed to the Gods, as it was considered as the site of generation of the reproductive life force fluid. Yes, ancient men conceived of man's sperm as being a purified form of blood, which was generated in the head, and the clear fluid (actually cerebrospinal fluid) travelled down the spine to enter into the testicles.

  They observed that the knee contained a clear fluid (synovial fluid) which they assumed to be the same: they assumed the fluid was also produced in the bone marrow of the thigh bone. This is the basis of such practices as bowing on one's knee to propose, to kneel before superiors, etc.

  There's the famous tale of Prometheus tricking Zeus by offering a sacrifice:

  Prometheus played a trick against Zeus (545–557). He placed two sacrificial offerings before the Olympian: a selection of beef hidden inside an ox's stomach (nourishment hidden inside a displeasing exterior), and the bull's bones wrapped completely in "glistening fat" (something inedible hidden inside a pleasing exterior). Zeus chose the latter, setting a precedent for future sacrifices. [ 7 ]

  This actually worked out well for sacrificial purposes, as Gods could be offered the bones and fat (which were largely inedible), and save the meat for human consumption. Hebrews followed the same trend, offering the blood, kidneys, fats, bones, etc to their God, YHWH.

  HOWEVER, for anyone to base their modern-day health-care decisions based on logic used by hunter-gatherers who lived 3,000 yrs ago is absolutely the epitome of ignorance! And not only that, but the GB even doesn't understand (or acknowledge) their original viewpoint!

  However, good luck telling that to a die-hard (sometimes literally so) JW.

  PS This is just plain old nutso:

  Insight p 345

  Animal bone marrow was apparently used for food by the Israelites. (Compare Mic 3:2, 3.) It has a very high nutritional value, being rich in protein, fats, and iron.

  WTF! The passage in Micah is decrying how the rulers (princes and prophets) of the house of Israel engaged in betrayal of the trust of the people they were placed to lead, and that betrayal and abuse of their power was compared to human cannibalism! To suggest it's a "normal diet" is absurd!!

  Rulers Denounced

  1 And I said,
  “Hear now, heads of Jacob
  And rulers of the house of Israel.
  Is it not for you to know justice?

  2 “You who hate good and love evil,
  Who tear off their skin from them
  And their flesh from their bones,

  3 Who eat the flesh of my people,
  Strip off their skin from them,
  Break their bones
  And chop them up as for the pot
  And as meat in a kettle.”
• 

  King Solomon

  Yeah, it's pretty clear the GB has played fast and hard with their Bible interpretation, as Mosaic law says that FAT should not be eaten, in addition to blood.

  As Gills Exposition says:

  of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined: this heap of words, and repetition of them, show the plenty of the provisions, and the richness and excellency of them; and "fat" being mentioned is a proof that the words must respect the times of the Messiah, since, under the law, fat was not to be eaten (e).

  Of fat things full of marrow - Marrow is also an emblem of richness, or the delicacy of the entertainment Psalm 63:5.

  So when Isa 25:6 speaks of a dinner being spread, the GB is correct in saying it is SYMBOLIC:

  Jehovah’s banquet for all the peoples, therefore, fittingly includes symbolic “well-oiled dishes filled with marrow.”—Isa 25:6.

  But even the 'symbolic' recognition doesn't stop them from altering policy to allow marrow to be transfused, as if it WAS a part of the ancient diet!!! What a bunch of freakin' lying hypocrites, trying to rewrite ancient practices to justify marrow transfusions, but not blood!!!

  I need to look at this a bit deeper, tho, and re-read the sections on RB Onian's work where he discusses Ancient Hebrew beliefs as they pertained to bone marrow. Bone marrow is considered kosher today, but need to look into if that's from a change vs ancient times...