Question to Ask Jehovah's Witnesses:
Is it okay for Jehovah's Witnesses to store their blood so that fractions can be taken out of it and be given to other Jehovah's Witnesses who need those fractions?
New BLOOD Watchtower - June 15, 2004 Issue!
by UnDisfellowshipped 102 Replies latest watchtower bible
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UnDisfellowshipped
I have searched through the 1990's and 2000's Watchtower Articles on Blood, and I have summarized (cut through all the bull-crap) what each different Article says, and I am posting it for you below. The statements below are NOT word-for-word quotes -- they are a summary of each Article.
I will start with the Newest Blood Article (before this latest 2004 Issue), and go backwards in time (I can post the entire Articles if you want):
The Watchtower, 10-15-00: For Jehovah's Witnesses, what they decide to do with their own Blood is a personal matter between each Jehovah's Witness and Jehovah. A Christian must decide for himself what he will do with his own Blood. Storing your own Blood directly contradicts the Mosaic Law on Blood, and Jehovah's Witnesses should not store their own Blood. Blood must not be stored. Blood must be poured out on the ground. Preoperative Autologous Donation (PAD) is against God's Law on Blood. Jehovah's Witnesses do not donate Blood for other people, and Jehovah's Witnesses do not store their own Blood before surgery. Blood Testing is not as clearly against God's Laws as storing Blood is, and many Jehovah's Witnesses have Blood Tests done. It is not against God's Laws to have your own Blood stored and later put back into you, as long as this is done while the surgery is going on. Hemodilution and Blood Salvage Machines are allowed. Recirculating your own Blood through a Machine and back into you while the surgery is going on is allowed.
The Watchtower, 6-15-00: God's Law on Blood is not open to Reform. Whole Blood, Red Blood Cells, White Blood Cells (there are thousands and thousands of White Blood Cells inside Milk), Platelets, and Blood Plasma are NOT allowed for Jehovah's Witnesses. All of the other Blood Fractions (including Albumin, Factor VIII, etc.) are a personal decision each Jehovah's Witness must make. This Article is only discussing whether or not Jehovah's Witnesses can accept other people's Blood Fractions. You must not take Plasma (which is 90% Water and 10% Proteins). You are allowed to take all of the Plasma Proteins and the Water SEPARATELY, but not together. Jehovah's Witnesses are not required to obey the Mosaic Law on Blood which says you cannot store your own Blood. "Should Christians accept fractions? We can't say, the Bible does not give details." Some Jehovah's Witnesses accept Fractions because they naturally pass from the Mother to the Baby inside the womb. This is a serious decision.
Awake!, 1-08-00: Jehovah's Witnesses are allowed to use Blood Salvage Machines.
Our Kingdom Ministry, 9-99: Each Jehovah's Witness must decide conscientiously if he will allow the use of Machines that Circulate Blood outside the body, and also if he will accept Blood Fractions.
Awake!, 12-8-98: Jehovah's Witnesses object to storing their own Blood, and they object from using anyone else's stored Blood.
The Watchtower, 2-1-97: Tetanus Vaccinations are made from Horse Blood. Such commercial use of Blood is hardly tempting for true Christians. The only use of Blood ever approved of by God was for Sacrifices, otherwise it must be poured out on the ground. It does not have to be literally poured out on the ground, but it must be disposed of, rather than putting it to any use. Blood Tests are allowed, but nothing else. No Storing of Blood is allowed.
Require Brochure (1996): Jehovah's Witnesses must not take Blood into their bodies in any way at all, and Jehovah's Witnesses must not store their own Blood.
Awake!, 2-22-95: Albumin, Immunoglobulins, Erythropoietin, and Plasmapheresis are allowed for Jehovah's Witnesses.
Awake!, 12-8-94: RHiG Shots (containing Blood Fractions) are a personal decision that each Jehovah's Witness must make. RHiG Shots are made from other people's stored Blood. God's Law forbids eating Blood. God's Law forbids misuse of Blood (Leviticus 17:11, 12). Some Christians accept Blood Fractions because they naturally pass from the Mother to the Baby inside the womb.
The Watchtower, 10-1-94: It is a personal decision whether or not Jehovah's Witnesses accept Vaccinations that contain Blood Fractions, Serums that contain Blood Fractions, Albumin, and other "Tiny Blood Proteins" because they pass from the Mother to the Baby inside the womb.
The Watchtower, 4-15-94: Saul's Army Men were shown mercy by Jehovah because, even though they ate Meat with Blood inside, they did have respect for Blood. An emergency is no excuse to break God's Law on Blood.
Awake!, 8-8-93: Vaccinations containing Blood Fractions are a "Conscience Matter".
The Watchtower, 10-15-92: God's Law says that Blood must be poured out. Jehovah's Witnesses must avoid "saving their lives" using Blood. Globin Fraction, Globulin Fraction, and Hemoglobin are NOT allowed! All derivitives of Blood are forbidden! Christians should not be overly concerned about whether Blood is in the Food you eat. Christians should not interrogate Restaurant or Grocery Store Employees about whether or not Blood is inside the Food you eat.
The Watchtower, 6-15-91: Christians are under the Law on Blood that God gave to Noah, NOT the Mosaic Law on Blood. Willfully receiving Blood or willfully misusing Blood may be an Unforgiveable Sin.
Awake!, 10-22-90: Plasma is 50% of the Blood in your body. Plasma has no Blood Cells. Plasma is Water and Protein. Jehovah's Witnesses are not allowed to receive Plasma.
The Watchtower, 8-15-90: Jehovah's Witnesses do not accept Whole Blood, Red Blood Cells, White Blood Cells, Platelets, or Plasma. Jehovah's Witnesses must not "sustain your life" using Blood or Blood Fractions. Some Jehovah's Witnesses accept Blood Fractions because they view them as not sustaining their lives like Blood Transfusions do. Some Jehovah's Witnesses accept Blood Fractions because they naturally pass from the Mother to the Baby inside the womb and "sustain the baby's life".
How Can Blood Save Your Life? Brochure (1990): Jehovah's Witnesses do not accept Whole Blood, Red Blood Cells, White Blood Cells, Platelets, or Plasma. All other Blood Fractions are a "Conscience Matter". Jehovah's Witnesses cannot store their own Blood. Jehovah's Witnesses cannot use Hemodilution Machines. Jehovah's Witnesses cannot accept Homologous Transfusions or Autologous Transfusions (Circulating your own Blood through a Machine directly back in your body).
The Watchtower, 6-1-90: The Scriptures do not clearly rule out accepting small Blood Fractions. Jehovah's Witnesses cannot accept Whole Blood, Red Blood Cells, White Blood Cells, Platelets, and Plasma. The First Century Christians would have died rather than eating Plasma (90% Water and 10% Proteins). Jehovah's Witnesses are allowed to accept all of the Proteins of Plasma and the Water, after they are SEPARATED. Globulins, Albumin, Fibrinogen, Immune Globulin, and Serums that contain Blood Fractions are all a "Personal Decision" because they naturally pass from the Mother to the Baby inside the womb to "sustain the Baby's Life". Jehovah's Witnesses must not "sustain your life" using Blood or Blood Fractions. Some Jehovah's Witnesses accept Blood Fractions because they view them as not sustaining their lives like Blood Transfusions do. RH Immune Globulin, Factor VIII, and Albumin are allowed, even to save your life or to sustain your life.
____________________________________________________________I would love to hear a Jehovah's Witness try to explain their Blood Policies using ONLY THE BIBLE.
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cbew
Someone asked on this thread why does the WT confuse the hell out of this issue? Why does the WT obfusticate anything? Answer- to protect their own ass against legal liability. By obfusticating the issue they can say to the judge - Why judge we never told them that they couldn't take that. We left that for them to decide for themselves. And so they escape liability at the cost of thousands of lives sacrificed on the WT alter. -
UnDisfellowshipped
Quotes from Awake!, May 22nd 1994 Issue, Pages 2-13:
Youths Who Put God First
In former times thousands of youths died for putting God first. They are still doing it, only today the drama is played out in hospitals and courtrooms, with blood transfusions the issue. [...] By rejecting blood transfusions that could conceivably have extended his present life, Adrian Yeatts showed himself to be one of the many young people who put God first. _____________________________________________
Quote from The Watchtower, December 1st 1998 Issue, Page 14:
Jehovah's Witnesses have been targets of false accusations--barefaced lies and twisted presentations of their beliefs... The accusation that numerous children of Jehovah's Witnesses die each year as a result of refusing blood transfusions is totally unfounded.
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XQsThaiPoes
Proof the watchtower is unfounded, and speaks "--barefaced lies and twisted presentations of their beliefs"
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justhuman
We will wait and see were this issue it will end up. Maybe it will end like the matter of organ transplants. To be a matter of concious
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La-Bellamargarita
One of the questions I asked of elders cos etc was "if we are not allowed to give blood then what right do we have to accept any of the products derived from other peoples donations" The most definitive reply I ever had was we don't need to repay what people give "in kind" You can't have it both ways if blood is supposed to be "poured out onto the ground then it can't be used to create blood fractions can it? I made the point that for someone who had a child born with lukaemia that requred one blood transfusion that child would have to die, but a haemephilic child could use the product of gallons of blood during its life time and this would be okay. Where's the justice in that?
This is the kind of hypocrascy that made me realise after more than twenty years I couldn't support this organization any longer.
Love to all la- bella
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Englishman
He he.
That gave me quite a chuckle. My Dad used to call my Mum "La Bellamargarita" when I was but a wee lad.
Englishman.
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Room 215
As usual, the article confuses as often as it clarifies. Left unanswered, for example, is how does the recourse to `allowable" blood fractions on the part of JWs whpose conscience permits it, square with the command to ``ABSTAIN" (which in general usage means complete avoidance) from blood? How can these ``allowable" components be obtained and preserved for medical use without violating the comand to ``not store blood?" And so on.
Even if one assumes that the JW teaching that blood transfusions are a breaking of God's law, how can a person who succumbs to such treatment in a medical emergency because of his/her fear of death, because of the tearful pleadings of spouse and children, in consideration of the severe economic hardships such a death of the family's breadwinner and their sole support, so easily averted by a simple medical procedure, can be by any reasonable standard, be considered an act of ``wickedness," ``rebellion" or ``apostasy".
How many JWs who fail the blood abstention test, do so defiantly, thumbing their nose at the elders? The pre-1962 policy, of treating such a person as ``spiritually weak" rather than as ``wicked", with loss of certain privileges of leadership or public prayer yet still considered a member of the congregation, was far more enlightened and humane.
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M.J.
Do you think that the WTS is gearing up for some "new light" here? Did you notice how "pouring blood on the ground" was not re-emphasized in this latest (2004) article? Perhaps they are asserting their stand on what they will hold firm to--that is, what portions of blood they will not or might accept, while at the same time getting ready to ease restrictions regarding the storing of one's own blood? Perhaps this is just wishful thinking...