Old time JW's did some very devout JW's refuse to eat pizza with pepperroni because they believed "blood" was in the pepperroni?

by booker-t 85 Replies latest jw friends

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  THE GLADIATOR

  It’s well known where I work that it is due to Jehovah's Witnesses aversion to blood that not one of them has ever become a gladiator .

  Also saluting Caesar is a big no-no.
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  wha happened?

  there ya have it. They start the paranoia and the dubs go from there. It's so Pavlovian
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  LisaRose

  Designs: was on a picnic with some JWs in Solvang Ca., old Danish town, and we went into a Deli to get some things. The Deli person offered us some real blood sausage, you never saw s

  Designs, I lived for a few years in Solvang when I was a kid, I just remember the great pastries. I still have a thing for great pastry, I cant stand the stuff they sell in the grocery stores, not the same thing at all.

  I don't remember the pepperoni or lethicin bans. I became a JW in 1969. My staunch JW MIL used to feed hot dogs to my kids when she was watching them, she obviously didn't have a problem with them. I worked full time, so this was every day for years. To this day, one of them will not eat hot dogs.
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  wasblind

  THANK YOU BATS !!!! for showin' the whole world how crazy this cult is
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  mouthy

  I was baptized in 1965,,,I remember all those "must nots" But what bothered me the most was

  when it was said that Dairy Queen had blood in it. I was so disappointed. But I obeyed. I knew Jehovah
  would be so mad if I touched one of them. Of course we were too poor to eat the meat. So that didnt
  bother me. But the Dairy Queen was a big saving up expense treat about twice a year.

  There was a kind of bolony we could eat ,I cant remember( old age) what that was.
  The only thing I do remember is that we were allowed to DRINK! BOOZE!!!!I have always been a tee totaler
  So I didnt think Jah was very fair on that issue. But I obeyed him ,stupid Mouthy
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  OUTLAW

  Going into the Deli with JW`s was a real treat..

  "Does that have blood in it?..How about That?..What about this?.."

  JW`s looked for blood in anything..

  They drove store clerks crazy.

  

  ............................. ...OUTLAW
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  talesin

  THanks, Bats. I knew it wasn't just in Canada, because my American cousins had the same restrictions.

  Mouthy - yah, I forgot bologna. And no purchased rabbits - they might be snared, and not properly bled. I don't like rabbit anyway, and hated having to eat rabbit stew at home (shot and bled properly, of course).

  Re the eggs: If mom cracked an egg that had a 'bloodspot', it was thrown out.

  Nutbars!
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  mouthy

  Well of course an egg with blood in it was a NO NO

  I remembered it was WAX balogna we could eat
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  maisha

  I was put off peperoni when i saw a dog terd out preaching that looked similar...
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  blondie

  They did try to distance themselves in writing but you know that people run to an elder and ask what to do because their "spiritual" future is in their hands. So in 1961 and 1963 they say this but have to repeat again in 1979, 16 years later because jws believe what is told word of mouth and don't trust what is in writing. Which is why even after 1979 the question keeps coming up. Few jws take the time to research it in the publications.

  *** w61 11/1 p. 669 Questions From Readers ***

  How can one tell if meat purchased from a butcher or in some other market has been properly bled? Also, how can one tell if cold-meat loaves, pastry or preparations sold by druggists contain any blood or blood fractions?—A. R., U.S.A.

  This is of concern to God-fearing persons, because Jehovah God, in his law stated to Noah, which applies to all mankind, said: “Every moving animal that is alive may serve as food for you. As in the case of green vegetation, I do give it all to you. Only flesh with its soul—its blood—you must not eat.” (Gen. 9:3, 4) The first-century Christian governing body, too, being directed by God’s holy spirit, pointed out that it is necessary for Christians to ‘keep themselves free from blood.’—Acts 15:28, 29.

  If the bleeding of butchered animals is not the regular practice in your locality, or you are not sure what is the customary handling of the matter where you live, the best way to find out if meat has been properly bled is to make personal inquiry. In most cases, even if the one who sells the meat does not personally do the slaughtering, he is acquainted with the men with whom he does business and he knows their practices or at least the laws that govern them. If he is confident that the meat is properly prepared, the Christian may feel free to use it. However, if the one selling the meat does not know, simply ask: “Who can give me the information? It is important to me for religious reasons.” Then write a letter, if that is the only way to get in touch with the one who can answer your question. If for some reason one does not feel that he is being told the truth, he can always do business elsewhere, or he can buy live animals and arrange for the slaughtering himself, if he feels that is necessary.

  Simply the fact that meat appears to be very red or even has red fluid on the surface does not mean that it has not been bled. There may remain in the meat some very small amounts of blood even after proper bleeding has been done. Then, too, the fluid that runs out of the meat may simply be interstitial fluid. The important thing is that respect has been shown for the sanctity of blood, regard has been shown for the principle of the sacredness of life. What God’s law requires is that the blood be drained from the animal when it is killed, not that the meat be soaked in some special preparation to draw out every trace of it.

  In the case of other products, a similar procedure may be followed. If you have reason to believe that a certain product contains blood or a blood fraction, ask the one who sells it. If he does not know, write to the manufacturer. Sometimes labels show whether a blood fraction is used, but not always. For example, a label may say that a certain product contains albumin. Does that mean that it contains a blood fraction? Look up the word albumin in a good reference book, perhaps an encyclopedia in your local library or even a good dictionary. You will learn that albumin is found, not only in blood serum, but also in milk and eggs. The only way to find out the source of the albumin in the particular product in question is to make inquiry of those who prepare it. However, if the label says that certain tablets contain hemoglobin, similar checking will reveal that this is from blood; so a Christian knows, without asking, that he should avoid such a preparation. Clearly, these are matters that each individual can best check on locally.

  *** w63 2/15 pp. 123-124 Carry Your Own Load of Responsibility ***

  MISUSE OF BLOOD

  Another field in which decisions must be made involves the misuse of blood. Today the world misuses blood in so many ways that it is not always easy to discern what products contain it. The Christian may feel that it would be fine if the Watch Tower Society would make up a list of all the food products and medical preparations that contain blood. But the Society has not done so for good reasons. There are many substances found in blood that are also found elsewhere. This is to be expected, since human and animal bodies are not the only creations produced from the earth. For example, while lecithin is found in blood, it is also derived from soybeans, which happen to be the common commercial source of most lecithin. If there is doubt about a product, it is up to the individual to investigate by inquiring of the manufacturer. He cannot expect a brother in the congregation to rule on the matter for him; the brother did not make the product and neither did the Society. The substance may have been derived from blood or it may not. He must bear his own load of responsibility.

  *** w79 3/15 p. 31 Questions From Readers ***

  Lecithin is found in blood. And many processed foods have lecithin as an ingredient. Is such lecithin obtained from blood?

  No, there is no reason for thinking so.

  Lecithin is a natural substance that has many industrial uses because of its affinity for both oil and water in an emulsion. It is often used commercially in ice cream, candies and baking products, as well as in some cosmetics and chemical products. But what is the source of this lecithin?

  Lecithin is a phospholipid present in all living cells. The 1977 EncyclopediaAmericana points out: “The highest concentrations of lecithins are found in brain and nervous tissue and in red blood cells. They are also present in large quantities in egg yolk and in some types of plant seeds.”—Vol. 17, p. 147.

  The fact that blood contains lecithin has been of concern to some Christians who have seen lecithin listed as an ingredient on food labels. The Bible commands Christians to ‘abstain from blood.’ (Acts 15:28, 29) They should thus avoid eating unbled meat and foods made with blood, such as blood sausage or blood pudding. Since red blood cells, though, contain concentrations of lecithin, some Christians have refused to eat any product having lecithin listed as an ingredient. Others have felt compelled to write to manufacturers to check on the source of the lecithin used in certain foods.

  However, The Encyclopedia Americana continues: “Commercially, lecithin is used as an emulsifier in the food industry, particularly in the manufacture of margarine and chocolate. Lecithin for industrial uses is obtained from eggs or as a by-product in the manufacture of soybean oil.” (Italics added.)

  Because commercial quantities of relatively inexpensive lecithin can be obtained from eggs or soybean oil, there is no reason for any manufacturer to seek to have lecithin extracted from blood. By way of illustration: Red blood cells also contain molecules of iron. Yet how senseless it would be for a manufacturer to consider extracting iron from blood so he could make cooking pots or other iron products when the same substance (iron) can be obtained from iron ore at a fraction of the cost.

  The fact is, then, that commercial lecithin does not come from blood. So Christians need not be concerned about blood when they see “lecithin” listed on the label of some food product.

  AND THEN THERE IS THIS QUESTION THAT FEW JWS APPLY BECAUSE THE WTS CLEARLY STATES THE "FACTS." OTHERWISE EVERYONE AT BETHEL WOULD HAVE TO BECOME VEGETARIANS. It is this WTS thinking that makes using organ transplants allowed even though some blood is present despite the person was not BLED the same as an animal.

  *** w72 9/1 p. 544 Questions From Readers ***

  When meat is cut in the course of preparation for cooking, or when it is sliced after it has been cooked, a reddish fluid may run out of it. Is such meat suitable for eating by a Christian?—U.S.A.

  A Christian may eat meat only from animals that were drained of their blood at the time they were slaughtered. The Bible commands: “Keep abstaining . . . from blood and from things strangled.”—Acts 15:29.

  Of course, even the meat from properly bled animals may appear to be very red or may have red fluid on the surface. This is because bleeding does not remove every trace of blood from the animal. But God’s law does not require that every single drop of blood be removed. It simply states that the animal should be bled.

  Then, too, there is extravascular fluid in the meat. This fluid may mix with traces of blood and take on a red color. The extravascular fluid filling the spaces between the cells is known as interstitial fluid and resembles blood plasma. But it is not blood and therefore does not come under the prohibition respecting blood. Hence the presence of a reddish fluid does not in itself make meat unsuitable for food. As long as an animal has been properly bled, its meat may Scripturally be used for food.

  There may be times, however, when a Christian has reason to believe that an animal may not have been bled properly. If there is no way for him to get the facts, he may choose not to eat the meat and thus avoid disturbing his conscience. This is in harmony with the principle stated at Romans 14:23: “If he has doubts, he is already condemned if he eats.”