Why do Jehovah's Witnesses Abstain from blood yet eat it?

[Sojourner]

(Acts 15:29) - "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.”

This is something I want to bring up for discussion without derailing the "Are you a Vegetarian" thread that I put up in the Town Hall section.

I suspect not unlike the rest of you I have come across the Jehovah's Witnesses either at my doorstep or in my friendship circle or work or other places. One thing that I have learned is that they carry cards forbidding doctors to administer them a blood transfusion if they are injured in an accident.

The Libertarian side of me says that if people of an adult age want to make that choice for themselves, go ahead and do it. I don't agree with it though and I also do not have a problem with emergency departments doing it to save the lives of people if they think its necessary requirement of the hypocratic oath that they take.

Yet what I don't understand is that if you take the view that you must abstain from blood, then why are Jehovah's Witnesses not exclusively vegetarian? You can pretend as much as you like that uncooked meat does not contain blood, it does not make it so. At the synagogue here they sell Kosher meat that has been washed and salted to remove the blood, it has no taste as a result. Supermarket meats of any type always contain trace elements of blood. Many cuts are often dripping with it still in the foam trays they are packed in.

So what is the answer, how do you tell someone that its forbidden to take a blood transfusion, yet that its totally acceptable to eat meat that contains blood by the same reasoning?

[8thdaypriest]

A JW patient of mine answered that question thus:

Once blood is cooked, it is no longer "alive", therefore we can eat it.

It is only uncooked, living blood that we do not accept.

[8thdaypriest]

I have also read some things just recently that what was forbidden was the act of "eating over the blood", a ritual performed during war, and also at pagan temples.

The conquerors would EAT a meal OVER the blood of their enemies.

Some say the text, if properly translated would reveal this prohibition against pagan ritual.

[Sojourner]

A JW patient of mine answered that question thus:

Once blood is cooked, it is no longer "alive", therefore we can eat it.

It is only uncooked, living blood that we do not accept.

Yet the scripture they use to defend their belief states nothing about "cooked or uncooked"...

Where does it state that in the Bible?

[Kevin H]

Good question Sojourner, very good question.

[Gail]

Originally Posted By: 8thdaypriest

A JW patient of mine answered that question thus:

Once blood is cooked, it is no longer "alive", therefore we can eat it.

It is only uncooked, living blood that we do not accept.

Yet the scripture they use to defend their belief states nothing about "cooked or uncooked"...

Where does it state that in the Bible?

Not only that, but I don't see how the Scripture you quoted could refer to any blood OTHER than blood that was eaten. I don't know of any provision for blood transfusion in the days of the early church.

[Aliensanctuary]

JW is just another example of man-made religion with its list of man-made rules and regulations.

[wendys]

I find it interesting that there is at least one person here who promotes the idea of using Kosher meat. Supposedly the treatment they do to make the meat Kosher removes all blood. To be honest with you, I really doubt that it removes it. Forces within the fluid of the blood will likely cause it to be retained within the meat no matter what you do to it.

Making the meat Kosher is following traditions of the Jews. The Bible does not require this. Here is what it says is required:

Quote:

Lev_17:13 And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, who hunts and catches any animal or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust.

Draining the animal of its blood is, according to the Bible, sufficient.

The JWs apparently do not realize that God had another reason for prohibiting the consumption of blood. I recall running into scientific research in the past which concerned the effect of "heme iron" compared to other sources of iron. The comments of the scientists was that heme iron, that from blood, does damage to the body and therefore is harmful. The non-heme iron is not found to be harmful within reasonable doses and assuming a person has no problem with excess retention of iron.

What this means is that cooking it is not likely going to get rid of the harmful effects of the heme iron.

[Gustave]

Any religious body that promulgates 'Arian Subordination' will have some other doctrinal 'ODDITIES' caught in that wind drag...

...Teaching that blood transfusions are blasphemous is really mild.

...Compared to affirming Christ is a creature who could have lost His Salvation.

It appears that the JW's are relaxing some of their beliefs about blood....

...Or at least bending those beliefs in consideration of certain medical issues.

...Unfortunately however the JW's ( as with any Arian or Semi Arian Group ).

...Have refused to give up on their creature Christ Doctrine!

They still maintain that Jesus could have sinned and lost His Salvation....

...Let us pray for them that they give up this doctrine of Anti-Christ.

[8thdaypriest]

Kosher meat is almost tasteless, requiring lots of spice to make it palatable. So unless you just REALLY like the texture of red meat (grey when kosher), you might as well be vegetarian. Probably would be healthier anyway, considering all the antibiotics and hormones they pump into livestock these days.

To Noah after the flood:

Genesis 9:4 "but you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood."

Leviticus 3:17 "This shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings: you shall eat neither fat nor blood.'" (NKJ)

Leviticus 17:10-14 "And whatever man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people. 11 `For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.' 12 "Therefore I said to the children of Israel,`No one among you shall eat blood, nor shall any stranger who dwells among you eat blood.' 13 "Whatever man of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who hunts and catches any animal or bird that may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood and cover it with dust; 14 "for it is the life of all flesh. Its blood sustains its life. Therefore I said to the children of Israel,`You shall not eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off.' (Lev 17:8 NKJ)

Ezekiel 33:25 "You eat meat with blood, you lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood. Should you then possess the land?"

Acts 15:20 "abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood"

If the prohibition of blood had begun with the Sinai Covenant, and was associated only with providing "atonement for your souls" then I might be tempted to say that this prohibition went away with the New Covenant and the end of animal sacrifice, but the prohibition began with Noah (so far as written text). It may have begun even earlier with the instruction concerning the offering of sacrifice.

Drinking blood, offerings to idols, and sexual immorality were all things common to pagan worship. The things prohibited for the "Gentiles who are turning to God" were simply those things which would preclude joint fellowship of Jews with non-Jews.

Blessings,

Rachel Cory

Prophecy Viewpoint

[wendys]

It is clear that in the New Testament the prohibition against drinking of blood was continued. This was intended to be an example of the health laws that we are still enjoined to follow as well as be a continuation of the prohibition against the drinking of blood for whatever reason we might have for doing it.

[Gustave]

8th day quoted the correct verse but failed to highlight the Devine reasoning for the prohibition...

...Which is immediately clear from reading the section.

Lev 17, 10-13

If any man whosoever of the house of Israel, and of the strangers that sojourn among them, eat blood, I will set my face against his soul, and will cut him off from among his people: BECAUSE the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you, that you may make atonement with it upon the altar for your souls, and the blood may be for an expiation of the soul. THEREFORE I have said to the children of Israel: No soul of you, nor of the strangers that sojourn among you, shall eat blood.

In other words God said: 'hey I have ordained that blood will be used in your worship of ME, THEREFORE don't eat it because it is to be used to make atonement for your sins to ME.

This has as much to do with "heath laws" as the t.v. series 3rd rock from the sun does.