If the doctor told you to not drink alcohol would it be okay to shoot it up? What would your doctor say?
Jehovah has been consistent about equating blood with life even among humans.
"When I say to someone wicked, 'Wicked one, you will surely die!' but you do not speak out to warn the wicked one to change his course, he will die as a wicked man because of his own error, but I will ask his blood back from you. But if you warn someone wicked to turn back from his way and he refuses to change his course, he will die for his error, but you will certainly save your own life. (or, "soul.")" - Ezekiel 33:8,9
"For the life (or "soul.") of every sort of flesh is its blood, because the life is in it. Consequently, I said to the Israelites; 'You much not eat the blood of any sort of flesh because the life of every sort of flesh is in its blood, Anyone eating it will be cut off."
- Leviticus 17:14
Are we flesh?
"Then the man said: 'This is at last bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh. This one will be called Woman, Because from man she was taken."
- Genesis 2:23
Noah was told what he could eat with a stipulation.
Jehovah did not explicitly exclude man's blood at Genesis 9:2-4 simply because man was not on the menu.
What is more he explicitly mentioned man's blood and equated it with the soul/life too in verse 5.
"Besides that, I will demand an accounting for your lifeblood. (or "the blood of your souls.") I will demand an accounting from every living creature; and from each man I will demand an accounting for the life of his brother."
- Genesis 9:5
Many people have died heeding the Watchtowers prohibitions on blood transfusions. Former Jehovahs Witnesses Leonard and Majorie Chretian commented:
"(One man told of) the heart rending decision he was forced to make between his religion and his child. His baby boy was born with a serious hernia. An immediate operation was required to save the child's life, but that it would require a blood transfusion. Jehovahs Witnesses are taught that this is against Gods law, and the penalty for not obeying this rule (at the time was) removal from the organization and isolation from all friends and family members who are Witnesses. The heartbroken father choose to obey "Gods law" and two days later, his baby died."
It is tragic that hundreds if not thousands of Jehovahs Witnesses and their children have died because they have put their confidence in this Distorted Watchtower interpretation of "blood" passages In the bible. The Watchtowers disallowal of a transfusion for the above mentioned babies reminds one of how harsh-minded and heartless Pharisees condemned and chastised Jesus for healing someone On the Sabbath (Luke 6:6-11).
Would you really allow your baby to die because of instructions from the Watchtower society?
The Watchtower has had a very bad track record regarding changing it's position on medical issues. Take vaccinations for example. The Golden Age Magazine (1931) said that a "vaccination is a direct violation of the everlasting covenant that God made with Noah after the flood." Vaccinations were hence forbidden by the Watchtower Society for 20 years. However the Watchtower dropped it's prohibition in the 1950's. The Augusts issue in 1965 of 'Awake' magazine even acknowledged that vaccinations seem to have caused decrease in diseases. One must wonder how the parents of children who died as a result of NOT being vaccinated felt when the Watchtower Society suddenly reversed it view.
We find another example in the Watchtowers change of position on organ transplants. The November issue of The Watchtower magazine in 1967, said that organ transplants reverted to cannibalism and are not appropriate for Christians. Hence, organ transplants were forbidden for 13 years. During this time, many Jehovahs Witnesses died or suffered greatly as a result of not having such a transplant. But the Watchtower again changed it's view dating in another issue of The Watchtower magazine in 1980, that it wasn't necessarily cannibalistic and therefor allowed to them.
In light of the above changes, David Red comments:
"Given the Watchtowers track record of prohibiting vaccinations for 20 years then Reversing itself, and later banning organ transplants for 13 years before changing it's interpretation, one can only wonder how long it will be until the Society reinterprets the bible verses it now uses to forbid blood transfusions."
So, now with the Watchtowers history out of the way, let's consider if blood transfusions are biblical...
In his excellent book "Scripture Twisting", James Sire tells that the attempt to ban blood transfusions based in Genesis 9:4 and other such passages is a clear example of distortion of scripture." Indeed as he rightly points out that, "a transfusion replenishes the supply of essential, life sustaining fluid that has otherwise drained away or become incapable of performing it's vital tasks in the body. A blood transfusion is not even equivalent to intravenous feeding because the blood so given does NOT function AS FOOD."
Walter Martins agrees, commenting, "when one gives a transfusion, it is not a sacrifice of life, and the eating of forbidden blood, but a Transference of Life from one person to another, a Gift of Strength offered in a Spirit of Mercy and Charity (which is Love)." Did not Jesus say the one who lays down his life for his brother, there is no greater love then this? Giving blood, is not a sin but LOVE. Those who don't take it from love because of a False interpretation is sadly wrong.
Giving blood by transfusion is not 'feeding' as the blood is NOT received into the body as food. Eating is a literal taking in food in the normal manner through the mouth and into the digestive system.
And one final point. In the context of Genesis 9, it is the eating of animal blood that is prohibited, not the transfusion of human blood.
As Walter Martin and Norman Klann have observed:
"This verse, as it appears in Context, has not the remotest connection with human blood, much less blood transfusions. In the previous verse of the same chapter, Jehovah clearly tells Noah that He is speaking on reference to animals and THEIR flesh and that he should not eat THEIR blood. God told Noah that animal flesh was food with but one provision-that he eat not of the blood." Hence this verse does not prohibit the transfusion of human blood.
Sadly again, the Watchtower uses it's position to ban things that have no biblical vases to be banned and therefor a man made tradition just like the Pharisees in Jesus day. As always, please look into these things more for your soul is at stake. Thanks and as always, God Bless.
