Blood Ban Not Going Away Anytime Soon

by baldeagle 38 Replies latest watchtower medical

• 

  Sorry

  My family firmly believes in the blood ban too. I always hear them (and other Witnesses) talk about the BS reasons blood transfusions are bad. Such as

  -doctors themselves wouldn't get a transfusion

  -they're dirty and it's like sharing a needle, you'll probably catch AIDS

  -taking someone else's blood is disrespecting life and the Bible

  -doesn't matter if you die, because Jehovah will bring you back anyway

  The ignorance is astounding. If I do decide to have children and my family is still in the troof, I don't think I'd let them be alone with them for an extended period of time. The risk of something happening and my child dying is too scary...
• 

  TD

  It's funny in a sad sort of way that a group that considers themselves to be Bible students (?) would know so little about language in general and Ancient Greek in particular as to fail to grasp the semantic legerdemain here.

  Invoking an incomplete predicate apart from the context that completes and presenting it as a complete thought is not even honest.
• 

  Vidiot

  @ TheWonderOfYou...

  JWs are all about The Shunning.

  In fact, that could be the title of a WT-centric parody of The Shining... :smirk:
• 

  lrkr

  Is it just me, or are the speakers less and less lifelike. This guy looks like a robot- and not even a good one. The Westworld bosses would throw him out!
• 

  Fisherman

  fail to grasp the semantic legerdemain here.TD

  It does not matter. You have already shown that a life and death decision should not depend on an interpretation subject to error.

  The command should be clearly stated and the order should be thoroughly understood. Su Tzu -The Art of War.

  But, if is the case that the command is clear and the order is thoroughly understood then such order must be obeyed. IT must be known with certainty that such command is coming from God,
  
• 

  TD

  Fisherman,

  It does not matter. You have already shown that a life and death decision should not depend on an interpretation subject to error.

  In light of that fact, one would suppose that the most common sense thing to do would be to quit trying to decide which fraction does and does not constitute, "Blood." The JW parent organization could quite honestly and truthfully point out that the scriptural prohibitions against eating blood are all references to whole blood. If the scope of the restriction was narrowed down to only whole blood whole, the JW leadership could save face and a huge portion of the problem would simply go away.

  The obstinacy here is puzzling..... Humans make mistakes and those who are Christian would ostensibly want forgiveness for those mistakes. If you were driving too fast in a residential neighborhood and accidentally killed or injured someone as a result, it would be a horrible thing to live with and you would probably drive carefully for the rest of your life.

  The JW parent organization understands the grammatical problem with their use of the phrase, "...abstain...from blood." No organization capable of producing a Bible translation would fail to understand it and even were that not the case, it is certainly known to them via the work of former JW apologists, like Greg Stafford who attempted to address it back in the late 90's. (Jehovah's Witnesses Defended, 2nd Edition)

  Despite that, the recklessness continues and that concerns me for the sake of friends and family, if for nothing else.

  
  

  
  
• 

  Vidiot

  lrkr - "...This guy looks like a robot- and not even a good one..."

  "...that-does-not-com-pute..."
• 

  sir82

  IMHO, the WTS is "praying" fervently for some sort of "artificial blood" to be approved for general use, negating the need for any sort of "natural blood" transfusions.

  I think they think it must be near, so they are digging in their heels on their obviously flawed scriptural interpretation so as to save face.

  I.e., they are hoping that a scientific breakthrough will occur which will allow them to escape the humiliation of reversing their doctrine, and (at least as importantly) not subjecting themselves to lawsuits initiated by disgruntled family members or unbelieving spouses of those who died from lack of blood.
  

  "The Watchtower - putting our own pride, prestige, and financial interests ahead of the lives of you contemptible peons for 100+ years"
  
• 

  Vidiot

  sir82 - "IMHO, the WTS is 'praying' fervently for some sort of 'artificial blood' to be approved..."

  Hell, I came to that conclusion back when I was still in and a believer.

  sir82 - "...which will allow them to escape the humiliation of reversing their doctrine, and (at least as importantly) not subjecting themselves to lawsuits initiated by disgruntled family members or unbelieving spouses of those who died from lack of blood..."

  I also came to the conclusion about the latter at the same time, but I gotta admit, I never considered the former.

  You're 100% correct, though... reversing that policy at this stage in the game absolutely would be utterly humiliating.

  Not to mention that they simply cannot afford to let themselves be seen by the R&F as being that wrong about something that major.
• 

  tor1500

  Hi All,

  The society claims that one day we JW's may be put in front of the authorities & may have to give our lives for Jehovah...Well, it looks as if this authority is the SOCIETY ITSELF. It's like they are about to line us up & ask if we would deny blood, if so, then we would have to die right there on the spot...it's like they want us to die for Jehovah now...So in reality it's not the authorities that is asking would we die for our faith...it's the society, themselves.

  Can't remember if it was Jesus or Jehovah, but didn't they say they didn't want sacrifice anymore? They were sick of what folks thought sacrifice for God meant....some cut themselves all over their bodies, in the name of God, some sacrificed their children, their animals...Humans really have no idea what Jehovah wants...well, they do know...but can't do it...Love Jehovah/Jesus, love your enemy, take care of one another...these are too simple to do...most humans must rather do something extreme to please God...

  God never said anything about transfusions...it's another one of man's messed up interpretations. Back then those folks were pretty much barbaric....so since they thought life was in the blood....they drank it...thinking it would make them a little closer to God.

  Just think of all the sacrifices in the bible...this is what JW's have come up with...what's the chance of any of us needing a transfusion...not saying it won't happen, but what are the odds...

  What I've noticed is JW's are too busy to sacrifice......their EARS....just to listen to someone. Their $$$, NO....To Be Kind...NO...To not take offense...NO....to Forgive...NO...

  Only thing they will sacrifice...is...THEIR BLOOD...& WHO ASKED THEM TO ?

  Tor