Winstein--11
Some of the Watch Tower/JWs leaders' history of rulings about blood
and
the medical use of it
You can have ham, lettuce, tomato, or bread, but you can't have
a ham
sandwich
Blood transfusions aren't the only things the Watchtower leaders have had
distinctive medical ideas or rules about
A brief summary of what a claimed Biblical guarantee of the JWs leaders'
blood transfusion ban has to contend with
Judging something on its own terms
Some of the Watch Tower/JWs leaders' history of rulings about blood and
the medical
use of it
In 1892, the 1st Watch Tower president, Russell, wrote about Acts 15:29: "He
(James) further suggested writing
to them merely that they abstain from pollu-
tions of idols (verse 29), and from things strangled and from blood--as by
eat-
ing such things they might become stumbling blocks to their Jewish brethren (See
1. Cor. 8:4-13)--and from fornication."
("Zion’s Watch Tower," Nov.15, 1892,
p.1473 reprints) (This is a pretty common interpretation, by the way.)
In 1909, Russell, didn't consider the food rules of Acts 15 to be created as
law for Christians but as given
to the Gentiles in consideration of the Jews who
followed Mosaic law as "necessary to the peace of the church."
"These prohibitions had never come to the Gentiles, because they had never
been under the Law Covenant; but
so deeply rooted were the Jewish ideas on this
subject that it was necessary to the peace of the church that the Gentiles
should
observe this matter also.
"(1) Abstain from sacrifices to idols;
(2) and from blood,
(3) and from things strangled:
It is our opinion, therefore that these items thus superadded to law of love
should
be observed by all spiritual Israelites as representing the divine will."
("Watchtower," April 15, 1909)
http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/medical.php http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/blood-transfusions.php
(Reversal on eating meat with blood in 1927 or 1939--see if you can play "fol-
low the rule reversals")
In 1923, vaccinations were first opposed. "But the dog-rabies-vaccine imposi-
tion is the latest....
Rabies! When it has been shown conclusively that there
is no such thing as rabies (hydrophobia)!...a mental hoax....
Vaccination,
summed up, is the most unhygienic, barbaric, filthy, abhorrent, and most danger-
ous system of infection
known. Its vile poison taints, corrupts, and pollutes
the blood of the healthy, resulting in ulcers, syphilis, scrofula,
erysipelas,
tuberculosis, cancer, tetanus, insanity, and death." ("The Golden Age," Jan.1,
1923, p.214)
(Vaccination wasn't discouraged due to an outlook on blood, but
see the entry for 1931.)
http://www.freeminds.org/history/part2.htm
(Reversal on blood transfusions in 1945)
In 1931, "Vaccination is a direct violation of the everlasting covenant that
God made with Noah after the flood.
Quite likely there is some connection be-
tween the violation of human blood (vaccines) and the spread of demonism...sex-
ual
immorality...Vaccination has never saved a human life. It does not prevent
smallpox." from "The Sacredness of Human
Blood (Reasons why vaccination is un-
scriptural)." ("The Golden Age," Feb.4, 1931, p.293)
(Reversal on vaccinations in 1952--see if you can play "Follow the rule rever-
sals")
In 1939, "Life is in the blood" and "the blood must not be eaten." (The Watch-
tower," Feb.15, 1939, p.62)
In 1945, "Blood transfusions (are) pagan (and) God-dishonoring" "See, then,
that the Most High and Holy
God gave plain instructions as to the disposition of
blood, in harmony with his everlasting covenant made with Noah and
all of his
descendants; and see that the only use of blood that he authorized in order to
furnish life to humankind
was the use of it as a propitiation or atonement for
sin; and seeing that it was to be done upon his holy altar or
at his mercy
seat, and not by taking such blood directly into the human body; therefore it
behooves all worshipers of
Jehovah who seek eternal life in his new world of
righteousness to respect the sanctity of blood and to confirm themselves
to
God's righteous ruling concerning this vital matter." ("The Watchtower," July 1,
1945, pp.198-201)
(The transfusion of whole blood remained banned, allegedly by scripture, from
here to the present. Vaccinations
were also banned at this point, but rules on
vaccinations, then minor and major blood fractions, then blood storage, wa-
vered.)
In 1951, "What are the Scriptural grounds for objecting to blood transfu-
sions?" "Jehovah made a covenant
with Noah following the Flood, and included
therein was this command: ‘Flesh with the life thereof, which is the
blood
thereof, shall ye not eat.’ (Gen. 9:4)" ""And let the transfusion enthusiasts
with a savior-complex
ponder the fact that on many occasions transfusions do
harm, spread disease, and frequently cause deaths, which, of course,
are not
publicized." "Each one decides for himself, and bears the responsibility for
his course. Jehovah's
witnesses consecrate their lives to God and feel bound by
his Word, and with these things in view they individually decide
their personal
course and bear their personal responsibility therefore before God."
http://ajwrb.org/
In 1952, according to the AJWRB site: "In a letter dated April 15, 1952, vac-
cinations, such as smallpox,
are now officially allowed. Many Witnesses have
already been taking them for a dozen years or so, and the Society
has known that
smallpox vaccination does not contain blood ever since being advised of this by
a Witness named William
Cetnar. It is certainly reasonable to speculate that
the ban wasn't officially lifted until 1952 out of respect for
Clayton J. Wood-
worth who was so strongly opposed to vaccines." ("The Watchtower," Dec.15, 1952,
p.764)
http://ajwrb.org/watchtower/blood-vaccines-and-organ-transplants
In 1952, "After consideration of the matter, it does not appear to us to be in
violation of the everlasting
covenant made with Noah, as set down in Genesis
9:4, nor contrary to God's related commandment at Leviticus 17:10-14.
Most cer-
tainly it cannot reasonably or Scripturally be argued and proved that, by being
vaccinated, the inoculated
person is either eating or drinking blood and consum-
ing it as food or receiving a blood transfusion. Vaccination
does not bear any
relationship to or any likeness to the intermarriage of angelic 'sons of God'=
with the daughters
of men, as described in Genesis 6:1-4. Neither can it be put
in the same class as described at Leviticus 18:23-24,
which forbids the mingling
of humans with animals. It has nothing to do with sex relations." ("The Watch-
tower,"
Dec.15, 1952, p.764)
In 1954, "We are told that it takes one and a third pints of whole blood to
get enough of the blood protein
or "fraction" known as gamma globulin for one
injection. And since from the foregoing it must be admitted that such
use of
human blood is highly questionable, what justification can there be for the use
of gamma globulin? Further,
those interested in the Scriptural aspect will note
that its being made of whole blood places it in the same category as
blood
transfusions as far as Jehovah's prohibition of taking blood into the system is
concerned.--See Leviticus 17:10-14;
Acts 15:20,28,29." ("Awake!" Jan.8, 1954,
p.24.)
http://ajwrb.org/watchtower/blood-vaccines-and-organ-transplants
(Reversal on this minor blood fraction, and allowance for all blood fractions
made clear, in 1958)
In 1958, "While God did not intend for man to contaminate his blood stream by
vaccines, serums or blood fractions,
doing so does not seem to be included in
God's expressed will forbidding blood as food. It would therefore be a matter
of
individual judgment whether one accepted such types of medication or not."
("The Watchtower," Sept.15, 1958, p.575)
http://ajwrb.org/watchtower/blood-vaccines-and-organ-transplants
(Reversal on fractions on Sept.15, 1961)
(There is confusion about the Watchtower statements about blood serums so the
blood serum ban is reinforced
in 1963.)
According to Wikipedia: "Serum refers to blood plasma in which clotting fac-
tors (such as fibrin) have been
removed naturally by allowing the blood to clot
prior to isolating the liquid component."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_plasma
In 1961, "Is it wrong to sustain life by administering a transfusion of blood
or plasma or red cells or others
of the component parts of the blood? Yes!
...the prohibition includes 'any blood at all.'" ("Blood, Medicine
and the Law of
God," 1961, pp.13,14)
In 1961, "They know that if they violate God’s law on blood and the child dies
in the process, they have
endangered that child’s opportunity for everlasting
life in God’s new world." ("Blood, Medicine and the Law
of God," 1961, p.54)
In 1961, "The blood in any person is in reality the person himself...poisons
due to personal living, eating
and drinking habits.... The poisons that produce
the impulse to commit suicide, murder, or steal are in the blood.
Moral insan-
ity, sexual perversions, repression, inferiority complexes, petty crimes--these
often follow in the wake
of blood transfusion." "While it may produce seemingly
beneficial results at the moment, it may ultimately take its
toll in disease and
stillborn children as a direct result of such an ill-advised course. Even if no
physical harm
results to the patient or to one's off-spring, violation of the
law of God sin God's new world." ("The Watchtower," Sept.1,
1961, pp.564,565)
http://ajwrb.org/watchtower/blood-vaccines-and-organ-transplants
(The JWs leaders' banned uses of blood aren't listed in the New Testament as
activities that require someone
to be expelled; 1 Cor.5:11,12.)
In 1961, "If you have reason to believe that a certain product contains blood
or a blood fraction…if
the label says that certain tablets contain hemoglobin
this is from blood...a Christian knows, without asking, that he
should avoid
such a preparation." ("The Watchtower," Nov.1, 1961, p.669)
In 1961, "The Bible is very clear that blood could properly be used only on
the altar; otherwise it was to
be poured out on the ground. (Lev. 17:11 - 13)."
(Partly reversed for the temporary storage of one's own blood for hemodilution
in 1983.)
In 1961, "The entire modern medical practice involving the use of blood is ob-
jectionable from the Christian
standpoint. Therefore the taking of a blood
transfusion, or, in lieu of that, the infusing of some blood fraction
to sustain
one's life is wrong."
"As to the use of vaccines and other substances that may in some way involve
the use of blood in their preparation,
it should not be concluded that the Watch
Tower Society endorses these and says that the practice is right and proper.
However,
vaccination is a virtually unavoidable practice in many segments of
modern society, and the Christian may find some comfort
under the circumstances
in the fact that this use is not in actuality a feeding or nourishing process,
which was specifically
forbidden when God said that man was not to eat blood,
but it is a contamination of the human system. So, as was
stated in The Watch-
tower of September 15, 1958, page 575, 'It would therefore be a matter of indi-
vidual judgment
whether one accepted such types of medication or not.' That is
still the Society's viewpoint on the matter.--Gal.6:5."
("The Watchtower," Nov.
1, 1961, pp.669,670)
http://ajwrb.org/watchtower/blood-vaccines-and-organ-transplants
In 1963, "As to blood transfusions, he knows from his study of the Bible and
the publications of the Watch
Tower Society that this is an unscriptural prac-
tice. (Gen. 9:4; Acts 15:28,29)." "The Christian may not be well
versed in med-
ical matters. Shall he call his congregation servant or the Society? That
should not be necessary,
if he is prepared to carry his own load of responsibil-
ity. He need only ask the doctor: 'From what was the plasma
taken?' 'How are
the red cells obtained?' 'Where did you get this substance?' If the answer is
'Blood,' he knows
what course to take, for it is not just whole blood but any-
thing that is derived from blood and used to sustain life
or strengthen one that
comes under this principle.
Someone may argue with you that the Scriptures are referring to the 'eating'
of blood but that blood is not
taken into the digestive system during a trans-
fusion. True, but the fact is that by a direct route the blood serves
the same
purpose as food when taken into the stomach, namely, strengthening the body or
sustaining life." ("The
Watchtower," Feb.15, 1963, pp.123,124)
http://ajwrb.org/watchtower/blood-vaccines-and-organ-transplants
(Reversal on fractions in Nov., 1964)
In 1964, "Some doctors who are Jehovah’s witnesses have administered blood
transfusions to persons of
the world upon request. However, they do not do so
in the case of one of Jehovah’s dedicated witnesses.
In harmony with Deuteron-
omy 14:21, the administering of blood upon request to worldly persons is left to
the Christian
doctor’s own conscience.
"Would it be a violation of the Scriptures for a Christian to permit a veter-
inarian to give blood transfusions
to a pet? By all means, to do so would be a
violation of the Scriptures. To use blood for transfusion purposes,
even in the
case of an animal, would be improper." ("The Watchtower," Feb.15, 1964, pp.127,
128)
(Different.... That's due to the JWs leaders' ideas added to what I call the
"pour and bury" verses--see
p.18. A JW is to dispose of any blood taken from a
body, but a JW doctor can give a non-JW a blood transfusion, though
a JW can't
have a veterinarian give a blood transfusion to their pet.)
In 1964, "Inoculation is, however, a virtually unavoidable circumstance in
some segments of society, and so
we leave it up to the conscience of the indi-
vidual to determine whether to submit to inoculation with a serum containing
blood
fractions for the purpose of building up antibodies to fight against dis-
ease." "Therefore, whether a Christian
will submit to inoculation with a serum,
or whether doctors or nurses who are Christians will administer such, is for
personal
decision." ("The Watchtower," Nov.15, 1964)
(Reversal for blood fractions in 1975)
In 1967, "Whereas the Mosaic law with its provisions about fat was abolished
when Christ died as a sacrifice,
the Apostolic Christian Council of Jerusalem
reaffirmed God's law to Noah and applied it to the true Christian congregation.
Christian
fathers are obliged to teach this law and enforce it with regard to
their minor children, for by God's law the fathers
are the spiritual, religious
guardians as well as the domestic parental caretakers of their underage chil-
dren.
The Christian witnesses of Jehovah today recognize that fact and follow
the divine rule of conduct. They endeavor
to keep their children from violating
God's law to Noah and also the Jerusalem Council's decree. (Eph. 6:4) Rightly
they
try to protect their children from taking foreign blood into them." ("The
Watchtower," Dec.1, 1967)
http://ajwrb.org/watchtower/blood-vaccines-and-organ-transplants
In 1975, "Certain clotting 'factors' derived from blood are now in wide use
for the treatment of hemophilia,
a disorder causing uncontrollable bleeding.
However, those given this treatment face another deadly hazard: the Swiss medi-
cal
weekly Schweizer Med Wochenschrift reports that almost 40 percent of 113
hemophiliacs studied had cases of hepatitis.
'All these patients had received
whole blood, plasma, or blood derivatives containing [the factors],' notes the
report.
Of course, true Christians do not use this potentially dangerous treat-
ment, heeding the Bible's command to 'abstain from
blood.'" ("Awake!" Feb.22,
1975, p.30)
http://ajwrb.org/watchtower/blood-vaccines-and-organ-transplants
(Reversed for Factor VIII or IX depending upon who you asked in 1975--see the
listing for 1983 below)
Some of the 1975 to 1978 Governing Body concerns about blood transfusions are
revealed in the non-JWs book
"Crisis of Conscience," 1983, by Raymond Franz, who
was a Governing Body member through that period and resigned in 1980.
He wrote that hemophiliacs who had written or phoned headquarters were told
they could take a clotting factor
derived from human blood, Factor VIII or IX,
once as "medication," but doing it more than once would be "feeding" on blood.
The
Governing Body voted on June 11, 1975, to allow hemophiliacs to take the
blood fraction repeatedly. Some who had
written or phoned before, whose ad-
dresses were on record, were told, but not many others. An address wasn't made
to
all the JWs about it until June 15, 1978 (see below). It's not known how
many JWs died for not having the inside
information about it. See "Crisis of
Conscience," 1983, by Raymond Franz, pp.106-107 and 358-359.
http://www.raymondfranz.fr/index.php?language=EN
(The above reversal for Factor VIII or IX made clear to all in 1978)
In 1978, "What, however, about accepting serum injections to fight against
disease, such as are employed for
diphtheria, tetanus, viral hepatitis, rabies,
hemophilia and Rh incompatibility?.... This seems to fall into a 'gray
area.'"
"Hence, we have taken the position that this question must be resolved by each
individual on a personal basis....
How concerned should a Christian be about
blood in food products?.... This may call for a degree of care....
Christians,
individually, must decide what to do." ("The Watchtower," June 15, 1978, pp.29-
31)
(The rest of the fraction ban reversed to make fractions allowed in 1982)
In 1982, "While these verses are not stated in medical terms, Witnesses view
them as ruling out transfusion
of whole blood, packed RBCs, and plasma, as well
as WBC and platelet administration. However, Witnesses religious
understanding
does not absolutely prohibit the use of components such as albumin, immune glob-
ulins, and hemophiliac
preparations; each Witness must decide individually if he
can accept these." ("Awake!" June 22, 1982, p.25)
http://ajwrb.org/watchtower/blood-vaccines-and-organ-transplants http://www.jwfiles.com/wt_blood/blood.htm
In 1983, "It is with this in mind, and not just to honor the requests of Jeho-
vah's Witnesses, that Denton
Cooley (of Houston, Texas) has performed open-heart
operations now for over seven years, limiting transfusions wherever
possible by
substituting hemodilution, diluting the patient's blood with a glucose and hepa-
rin solution. If
this method has given excellent results since then...one won-
ders why it has not been extended to present-day surgery."
("Awake!" March 22,
1983, p.16)
http://ajwrb.org/watchtower/blood-vaccines-and-organ-transplants
in 1983, "But what if the doctor says that, during surgery or in the course of
other treatment, your blood
would be channeled through equipment outside your
body, and then, right back in? Would you consent? Some have
felt that, with a
clear conscience, they could permit this, provided that the equipment was primed
with a nonblood fluid.
They have viewed the external equipment as an extension
of their circulatory system. Of course, situations vary,
and it is you that
must decide." ("United in Worship of the Only True God," 1983, p.158)
http://ajwrb.org/watchtower/blood-vaccines-and-organ-transplants
(Reversal on blood storage in 1990)
"Consider a man who is told by his doctor that he must abstain from alcohol.
Would he be obedient if he quit
drinking alcohol but had it put directly into
his veins?" ("Reasoning from the Scriptures," 1985, 1989)
In 1989, "The faith of Jehovah's Witnesses is under attack from all sides--by
the clergy of Christendom who
hate the Kingdom message we take from house to
house, by apostates who collaborate with Christendom's clergy, by medical
au-
thorities who want to impose blood transfusions on us and our children, by athe-
istic scientists who reject belief
in God and the creation, and by those who try
to force us to compromise our neutrality. All this opposition is orchestrated
by
Satan, the ruler of darkness and ignorance, the enemy of accurate knowledge."
("The Watchtower," Dec.1, 1989, p.12)
http://ajwrb.org/watchtower/blood-vaccines-and-organ-transplants
In 1990, “Contrary to how some today reason, God’s law on blood was not to be
ignored just because
an emergency arose…our Life-Giver never said that his
standards could be ignored in an emergency.”
"...a transfusion is a tissue transplant."
"A healthy person may tolerate a 50 percent loss of red blood cell mass and be
almost entirely asymptotic if
blood loss occurs over a period of time."
"...to force blood on a Christian would be the equivalent of forcible sex--
rape."
"Each year thousands die as a result of transfusions; multitudes more get very
sick and face long-term consequences."
"Witnesses believe that blood removed from the body should be disposed of, so
they do not accept autotransfusion
of predeposited blood. Techniques for intra-
operative collection or hemodilution that involve blood storage are
objection-
able to them."
("How Can Blood Save Your Life?" 1990, pp.4,8,14,20,22,27)
http://ajwrb.org/watchtower/blood-vaccines-and-organ-transplants
(Reversal on blood storage to a matter of conscience in 1995)
In 1991, "How strenuously should a Christian resist a blood transfusion that
has been ordered or authorized
by a court? God's law must be obeyed! ...if a
court-authorized transfusion seemed likely, a Christian might
choose to avoid
being accessible for such a violation of God's law.... If a Christian did put
forth very strenuous
efforts to avoid a violation of God's law on blood, author-
ities might consider him a lawbreaker or make him liable to
prosecution. If
punishment did result, the Christian could view it as suffering for the sake of
righteousness."
("The Watchtower," June 15, 1991, p.31)
http://ajwrb.org/watchtower/blood-vaccines-and-organ-transplants
In 1995, "Because of such dangers, the Center for Bloodless Surgery utilizes
alternatives to blood transfusions,
including the reinfusion. of a patient's own
blood, a technique that some Witnesses may find unobjectionable under certain
circumstances."
("The Watchtower," Aug.1, 1995, p.30)
In 2000, in October the Journal of Medical Ethics publishes what amounts to a
crushing defeat of the Watchtower's
position in the medical ethics community.
These groundbreaking articles open the door to the larger medical community.
http://jme.bmj.com/content/26/5/381.full
In 2000, the Watchtower Society issued a press release in response to an arti-
cle in a June 14, 2000, issue
of a British newspaper that said the JWs leaders'
policy on blood had changed:
"If one of Jehovah's Witnesses is transfused against his or her will, Jeho-
vah's Witnesses do not believe
that this constitutes a sin on the part of the
individual. This position has not changed."
"If one of Jehovah's Witnesses accepts a blood transfusion in a moment of
weakness and then later regrets the
action, this would be considered a serious
matter. Spiritual assistance would be offered to help the person regain
spirit-
ual strength. This position has not changed."
"If a baptized member of the faith willfully and without regret accepts blood
transfusions, he indicates by
his own actions that he no longer wishes to be one
of Jehovah's Witnesses. The individual revokes his own membership
by his own
actions, rather than the congregation initiating this step. This represents a
procedural change instituted
in April 2000 in which the congregation no longer
initiates the action to revoke membership in such cases. However,
the end re-
sult is the same: the individual is no longer viewed as one of Jehovah's Wit-
nesses because he no longer
accepts and follows a core tenet of the faith. How-
ever, if such an individual later changes his mind, he may be
accepted back as
one of Jehovah's Witnesses. This position has not changed."
The Watchman web site at the next link adds that JWs who have a blood tranfu-
sion and are repentant can remain
JWs with restrictions. "A letter reportedly
sent by the Society to all the local branches allegedly dictates that
Witnesses
who receive transfusions should not serve in any '"privileged capacity", such as
an elder, ministerial servant
or pioneer.'” (“Breaking News” [Online])
http://www.watchman.org/articles/jehovahs-witnesses/new-watchtower-blood-transfusion-policy/
As shown in the listings for 1990 and 1991, the JWs leaders' stance included
that JWs parents should refuse
a blood transfusion for their child and disobey
man's rules when they conflict with what the JWs leaders' allege are God's
rules.
JWs were told to avoid a court authorized transfusion for their child as
if it was rape. (They could go to a JW midwife
instead of a hospital, too.)
But they could remain JWs parents if the transfusion was administered out of
their hands
or remain JWs, in a restricted way, if they had a moment of weakness
by agreeing to a court authorized transfusion (if
there was time before the
child died) then acted repentant about it afterward.
http://jwdivorces.bravehost.com/ http://jwdivorces.bravehost.com/blood.html http://jwdivorces.bravehost.com/blood4.html
In 2004, the June 15, 2004 Watchtower expanded on the June 15, 2000 article.
Some JWs learned that hemoglobin
was now allowed as a matter of personal choice.
(Insiders and members of the Associated JWs for Reform of Blood (AJWRB)
have
known for four years. JWs had been using Polyheme and Hemopure when it was
available in clinical trials,
too.)
http://ajwrb.org/science/outrageous-omission-blood
****
As of this writing, 2009, the medical use of Whole blood and major blood frac-
tions--red and white cells,
platelets, and plasma--have been banned for over
sixty years by the JWs Governing Body's doctrine.
The fatalities are boasted about by the JWs leaders as martyrs--see the list-
ing above for 1994 and compare
it with the listing for 1989 in the timeline on
p.6. There, the JWs leaders' regard for the fatalities of JWs followers,
large-
ly due to the elitist blundering of JWs leader Rutherford (see the listings for
"The Declaration of Facts," June
25, 1933, and Feb.9, 1934 on p.6), in Germany
during WWII is that the JWs fatalities were the only martyrs of WWII.
(You
might want to make sure you read that last phrase right.)
http://watchtower-blood.org/victims/index.shtml
****
You can have ham, lettuce, tomato, or bread, but you can't have a ham sandwich
The JWs leaders' doctrine allows the use of hemoglobin, interferons, inter-
leukins, etc. (see p.35) as a matter
of personal conscience. This is due to the
JWs leaders' tempering of their debatable stance on "blood" with their
debatable
stance on "things offered to idols" (pp.37-39).
At 1 Cor.8; 10-11:1,17-34, Paul compares eating at an idol temple with eating
the Lord's Supper: whether or
not one has true worship of the one God makes the
difference in both situations--if one gives thanks to the one true God
for
everything and eats at an idol temple, they're not an idolater, and if one eats
at the Lord's Supper without faith,
they're just getting something to eat. The
imagined bad connotations about the things involved at the idol temple
are only
a worry to the weak of faith (1 Cor.8:7; 10:20-29). Exceptions to freedom about
it are circumstantial
considerations of others, abstaining to not leave the mis-
taken impression of idol worship on another, not blanket rules
about taboo
things. This is reaffirmed at Col.2:16-23.
(Did you ever hear of an atheist who worried that they might be a Christian
and have to go to church once a
week because they ate something near a church?
It doesn't work that way by common sense or apostle Paul.)
The JWs leaders can't credibly claim "144,000" righteousness and use what Paul
calls weak faith in making rules
that ban things for such connotations at the
same time, only affect exclusiveness.
The JWs leaders' teach that "things offered" are foods that are close to an
idol ceremony or temple, or offered
by an idolater to partake of in an idola-
trous understanding of it, so carry an idolatrous connotation regardless of per-
sonal
conscience and strength of faith. A follower can eat the food if they're
far enough away from the situation that
the food doesn't have an idolatrous con-
notation. Likewise, the JWs leaders lately interpret minor blood fractions
as
being a small enough part of whole blood that they don't carry the connotation
of whole blood as determined by the
JWs leaders' interpretation of the scrip-
tures.
****
Blood transfusions aren't the only things the Watchtower leaders have had dis-
tinctive medical ideas or rules
about
Many are shown in the Watchtower publication "The Golden Age," 1919 to 1937,
which was named "Consolation"
to 1946, and since then has been called "Awake!"
See the section on "Quackery and Pseudoscience" in the article on
"The Golden
Age" at the next link.
http://www.seanet.com/~raines/intro.html
Hanky Panky
1881--1890's Russell didn't just make some general statements comparing spir-
itual health to physical
health. I followed through on a couple of sources that
indicated something more:
An apologist for Russell, reslight, at the next link gives examples of Rus-
sell's published statements that
the especially consecrated, Jesus and the
apostles, healed others but not each other, and that the apostles could become
sick
but only used handkerchiefs to heal others. In those statements, Russell
(who claimed to be a special spokesperson
for a literal 144,000 especially
righteous Christians) doesn't offer to send such handkerchiefs to heal others.
http://ctrussell.wordpress.com/2010/07/13/healing-handkerchiefs/
However, I found statements that substantiate the claim that Russell did some-
thing that amounts to the same
thing as promoting his career of claiming to be
an exclusive leader of a literal 144,00 by promising healing. He
persuaded his
readers to consider donating to the best Christian cause (guaranteeably implying
himself) as more important
for not just their spiritual but physical health--
that giving money for spiritual health (as in to him) was more important
than
saving money in case of medical need.
I looked at this claim:
"At first Russell solicited donations under the pretension that the donators
would neither die nor get sick
'except by God’s will.' When some did die the
offer needed amending. But miraculous healings allegedly continued,
including
arthritics, deaf people, and even old persons restored to youth. This was dis-
continued in the 1890s."
("Watch Tower Reprints," Jan., 1881, p.181) ("Watch
Tower Reprints," 1883, pp.436,437; 1885 pp.748,749; 1885 pp.782,784)
http://www.watchtowerinformationservice.org/index.php/stories-biographies/russell-jw-prophet/
In those quotes, Russell didn't want his readers who donated money to him to
worry that they wouldn't have
enough money for medical care if they needed it.
He claimed that now that the "little flock" of Russell and followers had
been
chosen as the only ones to go to heaven (guarateeably implying he was an especi-
ally consecrated one or such),
a follower who followed his teachings about how
to follow the Lord properly would be less liable to get sick and might
be one of
those who received a miraculous healing.
His prophecy claims otherwise encouraged donations by promising that followers
would join him soon in a Rapture
to heaven instead of facing life and possible
sickness on Earth, too.
Clayton J. Woodworth, editor of "The Golden Age" (1919-1937) and "Consolation"
(precursors of the 1946
and onward JW tract "Awake!"), besides being against
vaccinations as a Satanic plot, as mentioned before, vilified the
medical pro-
fession, distrusted the idea that germs cause sickness, and taught that sickness
causes germs, etc.
http://ajwrb.org/quack-medicine
1920 "Bloomington, Illinois, has produced a prodigy. He can give an immedi-
ate answer to almost
any mathematical question, and reels off millions as the
ordinary citizen handles units. Ask him how many years,
days, minutes or
seconds in one's life, and out comes the answer faster than one can write it. A
noon-hour diversion
is to memorize and repeat all the freight car numbers on the
trains that dash by at the station.
"Tell him it is 155 miles to Chicago, and ask how many pounds of rails in the
track at eighty pounds to the
yard, and without hesitation comes the answer,
'534,448,000.' Try him on an automobile wheel thirty inches in diameter,
for
the number of revolutions made in going to Chicago, and the result is,
'104,476.' Taking silver dollars one
and a quarter inches across, ask him how
many it takes to belt the 25,000 miles around the earth: the answer is
'1,267,200,000.'
Ask the total of all the numbers up to 9,600 and you get
'46,084,000.' The total up to 78,000 is given as '3,042,939,000.'
The number
of bricks required to lay a brick pavement for the 3,578 miles from New York to
San Francisco, the pavement
to be sixty feet wide and the bricks each eight by
two inches, is '10,201,377,600.' Divide 68,719,476,736 by 32,768;
and the pro-
digy says, '2,097,152.'
"Mr. Stong has had this talent from boyhood, and says that he sees the answers
instantly standing out in front
of him, and that there is no particular mental
strain in this test.
"Two explanations are given for
the strange abilities of such prodigies. One
is that no one takes the trouble to check up the answers and that any
string of
figures is enough to satisfy the hearers. Perhaps some readers would like to
check up the answers and
see if they are correct. Another explanation is that
such prodigies do these wonders, not by the power of their own
minds, but that
they are possessed by an evil spirit that has the powers of the spirit plane and
can give the audigy
a vision of the answer at once."
1925 "I have named this new discovery, which I believe will be epochal in the
history of the treatment of disease,
and which I am exclusively announcing in
THE GOLDEN AGE prior to its general publication elsewhere, The Electronic Radio
Biola,
which means life renewed by radio waves or electrons. The Biola auto-
matically diagnoses and treats diseases by
the use of the electronic vibrations.
The diagnosis is 100 percent correct, rendering better service in this respect
than
the most experienced diagnostician.. The principle of operation of the
Biola is the collection...of the disease vibrations...the
fluid containing the
same waves or vibrations enters the body, meets the disease waves and destroys
them... This is
a great step forward, marking the Biola as the most valuable
treatment apparatus obtainable today, and well worthy of notice
in the columns
of a magazine like THE GOLDEN AGE.." ("The Golden Age, April 22, 1925, p.454)
(An advertisement
for the sale of "The Electronic Radio Biola" for $35 appears
on page 479)
1926 "Disease (is) caused by fermentation and heat...not germs. (It cannot
be) proven (that) any
disease was caused by germs (including) so-called infec-
tious diseases...chicken pox and small pox." ("The Golden
age," Aug. 25, 1926,
751/4) (The WTBTS position was that all scientists had it backwards--diseases
cause germs.)
http://www.quotes-watchtower.co.uk/vaccination.html
1931 "Mr. West mentions so-called 'syphilis.' Why does he not prove that
there is such a disease?
He simply accepts the existence of the protean monster
on faith.... We do well to bear in mind that among the drugs,
serums, vaccines,
surgical operations, etc., of the medical profession, there is nothing of value
save an occasional
surgical procedure. Their whole so-called 'science' grew out
of Egyptian black magic and has not lost its demonological
character." ("The
Golden Age," Aug.5, 1931, pp.727,728)
1934 "The Journal of the A.M.A. is the vilest sheet that passes the United
States mail.... Nothing
new and useful in therapeutics escapes its unqualified
condemnation. Its attacks are generally ad hominem.
Its editorial columns are
largely devoted to character assassination.... Its editor (Morris Fishbein) is
of the
type of Jew that crucified Jesus Christ." ("The Golden Age," Sept.26,
1934)
1935 "Aspirin--The Menace of Heart Disease" (aspirin is alleged to cause
heart disease and other illnesses)
("The Golden Age," Feb.27, 1935, pp.343-4,
and Sept. 23, 1936, p.822, "Consolation," Oct. 5, 1938, p.7)
1937 "APPENDICITIS. Take one ounce each of elder blossom, peppermint and yar-
row and simmer in three
pints of water for twenty minutes. Sweeten with old-
fashioned black treacle (molasses), and take a wineglassful
every fifteen min-
utes until relieved. It must he taken hot every time, and must be continued,
sometimes for
twenty-four hours. Do not be afraid of the perspiration caused,
or if you vomit. You will be better off with
an empty stomach. Use the leaves
left over from each infusion to make a hot compress to cover the abdomen. No-
thing
should be eaten until a cure is brought about, which is usually certain,
even in severe cases.
"CANCER. Vegetarians do not have cancer. It is rare among the Jews,
whoso flesh foods are carefully inspected.
A natural diet has been known to
cure cancer. A remedy that has cured many severe cases is made of violet
leaves,
yellow dock and red clover tops. Simmer one ounce of each in three
pints of water for twenty minutes. Strain
and take a wineglassful every four
hours. For external sores made a poultice of the used herbs and apply fresh
night
and morning." ("The Golden Age," Feb.10, 1937, pp.309,310)
In 1937, "At Los Angeles a youth of 20 years was caught in the act of choking
a woman of 75. Arrested,
and suspected of three murders, he claims the urge to
kill came as a result of serum inoculations...." ("Consolation" Dec.1,
1937,
p.12)
Probably related to Woodworth passing away on Dec.15, 1951:
In 1961, donating eyes for transplant was up to one's conscience. "The
Watchtower," 1961.
In 1963, "Psychiatry stresses, 'Know thyself,' as if an enlightened self-love
is sufficient for successful
living. More than ignoring God, analysts often
contradict God by advising those with guilty consciences that fornication,
adultery
and sodomy are not wrong in themselves. The charge rightly has been
made that such counsel tends to exterminate the
conscience." ("The Watchtower,"
Jan.15, 1963, pp.37,38)
In 1967, organ transplants were banned as being cannibalism. "The Watchtow-
er," Nov.15, 1967.
1971 "How Is Your Heart?...The heart, nevertheless, is intricately connected
with the brain by the nervous
system and is well supplied with sensory nerve
endings. The sensations of the heart are recorded on the brain.
It is here
that the heart brings to bear on the mind its desires and its affections in ar-
riving at conclusions having
to do with motivations. In reverse flow, the mind
feeds the heart with interpretations of the impulses from the senses
and with
conclusions reached that are based on the knowledge it has received, either at
the moment or from the memory.
"There is a close interrelationship between the heart and the mind, but they
are two different faculties, centering
in different locations. The heart...more
significantly (has) our emotional and motivating capacities...built within
it.
Love, hate, desire (good and bad), preference for one thing over another, ambi-
tion, fear--in effect, all that
serves to motivate us in relationship to our af-
fections and desires springs from the heart....
"It is significant that heart-transplant patients, where the nerves connecting
the heart and brain are severed,
have serious emotional problems after the oper-
ation...the new heart in turn registers few, if any, clear factors of motivation
on
the brain. To what extent the nerve endings of the body and the new heart
are able to make some connections in time
is not clear, but this cannot be ruled
out as one of the several factors causing the serious mental aberrations and
disorientation
that doctors report are observed in heart-transplant patients.
In 1975, "Is the turning of people from the clergy to the psychiatrists a
healthy phenomenon? No, for
it really is a case of jumping from the frying pan
into the fire. They are worse off than they were before....
That (psycholo-
gists and psychiatrists) are not the ones to go to for help when one is de-
pressed and beset with all
manner of problems is to be seen from the fact that
suicides among them are twice as frequent as among the population in
general..
.
In 1977, Blood transfusions are matters of cannibalism. "Jehovah's Witnesses
and the Question of Blood,"
1977, p.41.
In 1980, organ transplants are a matter of conscience. "The Watchtower,"
March 15, 1980, p.31.
If the same allowance to have an organ transplant without requiring it to be
considered a matter of eating
human flesh is applied to undermine the JWs lead-
ers' teaching that a blood transfusion needs to be thought of as like
eating hu-
man blood, that removes one of the forced points the JWs leaders have made about
it.
In 1984, a bone marrow (where blood is created) transplant is a matter of
conscience. "The Watchtower,"
May 15, 1984, p.31.
****
A brief summary of what a claimed Biblical guarantee of the JWs leaders'
blood transfusion
ban has to contend with
I could do this a lot quicker than I do here. "The Bible doesn't refer to
modern medical uses of blood,
let alone white cells, etc. Goodnight--drive
safely." (Rom.4:15 "But where there is no law, neither is there
violation.")
If a JWs follower that goes door to door was to cover their view quickly, they
might say that they refuse transfusions
because the Bible says "abstain from...
blood" (the Council of Jerusalem of Acts 15:20,29; 21:25)--that they have the
most
face value interpretation. But this takes the phrase in a broad sense out
of context. The JWs leaders' view
actually has the most strained and the least
face value interpretations of some of the most pertinent verses that "abstain
from...blood"
has to jibe with of the ones I review (pp.12-42).
To give the JWs leaders' doctrine a consistent internal logic, the JWs lead-
ers' ruling forces the point:
- about how to interpret Gen.9:3,4 about blood, literal or figurative, animal
blood removal and the degree
of it, and how it relates to the whole world and
other verses thereafter, including Deut.14:21 and the events of Act 15
and
Paul's writings about food,
- about how to interpret "blood" and "things offered to idols" compared to
how they were understood in Jerusalem,
the center of Jewish religion, at the
time the Christians used those phrases in Jerusalem of Acts 15,
- about which issues the Acts 15 rules addressed--the JWs leaders' literature
doesn't clearly explain a balanced
coverage of how the "common view" on p.35 re-
lates the concerns of Acts 15 to scriptural and historic context and the
phras-
ing of the same two food rules, let alone prove the JWs leaders' interpretation
over it (omitted evidence),
- about council participant apostle Paul's later writings on food (usually
omitted evidence in JWs leaders'
literature on the topic since Paul denies a ban
of a food per se and only recommends circumstantial or optional conscience
prob-
lem abstinence; given among the more forced forced point treatments if in-
cluded),
- of a lesser idea of degree of animal blood removal (about half--it qualifies
as a generalization if more
than half) in rules given to Noah and Moses though
the OT doesn't clarify which degree of removal was the original idea
in writing
and the Jewish view of the time of Acts 15 is different,
yet a broader idea than context indicates for what "abstain" from a food per-
tains to, eating, and add modern
medical uses of blood to what could be in-
tended for "abstain from...blood" in Acts 15,
and a broader idea than context indicates--slaughtered clean animal blood was
to be disposed of--for what I
call the "pour and bury" verses (pp.18,19) of Mo-
saic law to add that they require the disposal of any blood that comes
from a
body, and add that "abstain from...blood" at Acts 15 carries that broadened
meaning,
- and force that all blood (not just Jesus'--Eph.1:7) is indicated as being
of special holy value for Christians
in Hebrews 9 and 10, etc., and that it
therefore couldn't be used for medical treatment.
****
The JWs leaders' alleged guarantee about the blood verses of Acts 15 should
have a structure of guarantees
to stand on or the whole structure falls and
their claim isn't a guarantee. Such a guarantee isn't made by a recently-
created
combination of possibilities, forced points, and fabrications until the
truth is bent out of shape just to give it a sense
of internal logic, with no
sign of God to usher it into being necessary. The JWs leaders' rules on blood
transfusions
puts the "forced" in forced point to the point of running roughshod
over the issue.
You might choose it as a personal belief, although I wouldn't recommend anyone
having a hope commitment for
something which can result in unnecessary death,
but it isn't truly a doctrine a church can require of a follower as guaranteed
by
a conservative Bible interpretation alone. Historical context doesn't help
indicate the JWs leaders' case, either--see
my coverage of the issue to see a
lot of it that's omitted their presentation (pp.12-42).
The JWs leaders are the only ones that teach their particular set of ideas
that make up their doctrine
of a ban of the medical use of blood. And JWs lead-
ers' literature has us recognize that the JWs leaders and writers
are familiar
with the common seminary library research books and commentaries, etc.
If I should also assume that anyone who teaches something people could die
over would do their research about
it, this means that anywhere in non-JWs lead-
ers' literature they looked, they saw the non-JWs leaders' views about it,
in-
cluding non-forced explanations and alternate explanations about it. But in-
stead of honing their idea to
whatever guarantees are honestly left to make, not
making them otherwise, they used this research, along with pressure
for JWs to
avoid people and literature critical of distinctive JWs leaders' doctrines, to
decide how to force their
forced points and decide what to leave out, to try to
keep JWs convinced of it and their own exclusive authority.
There's such a thing as sincerely believing in something merely possible.
But the JWs leaders'/writers' use
of...
- forced points in teaching their distinctive/relatively distinctive doc-
trines, and/or of making a pretense
of the best presentation of the opposing
view in alleged comparisons of views of JWs leaders' doctrines likewise, when
it
seems most likely they'd know better, and/or
- occasionally using quotes of a variety of non-JWs leaders, even JWs (which
is weird), literature out of context
to create the false impression of support-
ers for JWs leaders' views and opposition to opposing views, and/or
- omission of pertinent evidences, though it seems most likely they'd know
better than to exclude it (Paul's
writings, after the Council of Jerusalem of
Acts 15, indicating he didn't have a blanket ban of a food per se are in the
JWs
leaders' New World Translation of the Bible),
...in JWs leaders' written or approved literature meant to teach distinctive/
relatively distinctive JWs leaders'
stances indicates something cynical instead
about their part in the literature sales mix (the prophet to profit ratio...sor-
ry).
I don't remember certain basics of non-JWs leaders' ways of looking at the
JWs leaders' transfusion ban being brought up
more than briefly alluded to, if
at all, in JWs leaders' literature on the issue, even when making a pretense of
comparing
their minority view to others to make the case for it.
http://freeminds.org/psych/whylie.htm http://www.silentlambs.org/Warfarequotes.htm
See some complaints that authors have made about the JWs leaders' misuse of
their research material on pp.1a,1c,5,6b,9,
and 14.
Judging something on its own terms
Scriptural context itself weighs heavily in favor of giving the JWs leaders'
blood doctrine as a scripturally
guaranteed idea only if it is one and not com-
bining merely possible recent interpretations and outside belief (unless
a guar-
antee beyond the scripture is revealed by God through a prophet, indicated by a
sign of God explainable no other
reasonable way, to stick with the rules of the
main source material, but see p.1a).
The Bible can be guaranteed as intending the teaching that, outside of how the
Lord may allow or direct it
to happen, the killing of a person is a sin (Gen.9:
5,6; 14-15:1; Ex.21:12-14; Deut.5:17; Luke 22:35-38; John 15:13; Rom.12:17-13:4;
1
John 3:15-17). (I won't cover all such debates here, but one example would be
a Mosaic law follower required to execute
a murderer. See a bunch of verses in
Ex.--Deut.. Another would be if Christians should think the police or
military,
which are the same in many countries, can do that in their line of work of keep-
ing crime down. Rom.13:1-5.)
Over the couple of generations or so that one variety or another of the JWs
leaders' doctrine has been taught,
there have been circumstances in which the
odds of refusing the medical use of blood or blood products carried a greater
chance
of death than by contracting a blood-borne contagion when using it.
There are now a greater number of medical alternatives
that are at least as suc-
cessful as some, if not all, medical uses of blood, mainly in the surgery and
emergency rooms.
And the medical use of the minor fractions of blood have be-
come a matter of a JWs' personal conscience in the latest
part of that period.
But the number of JWs and their children have grown through that period, too,
and non-blood alternatives
aren't always available all over the world. It's
then important by scriptural context to determine if the JWs leaders'
doctrine
is a guaranteed exception to the verses about harming or even taking a human
life without God's consent being
a sin.
An adherent to the Bible teachings can't responsibly guarantee that the Bible
requires followers of it to do
something that creates a greater chance of death
unless they're certain it's the objective fact anymore than they can fire
a gun
for target practice into a darkened house unsure if there's someone in there who
could be wounded or killed.
They couldn't responsibly tell someone else think-
ing of doing that with a gun that nobody is in the house when they weren't
sure
of it, either.
Compare Ex.35:2; Num.15:32-36; and Matt.12:9-17. Under Mosaic law, working on
the Sabbath (unlike the
eating blood rule) took a cut off penalty that specified
death. But Jesus demonstrated and explained that alleviating
suffering was an
exception to the law about that. As he explains, if it's so regarding the suf-
fering of a lamb,
how much more so regarding a human. I'd add if true regarding
a law that specified the death penalty, how much more
so for one that didn't
clearly specify it? (See p.42 for possibilities about the Mosaic law "cut off"
penalties,
which aren't required for Christians.)
The advancement of non-blood medical treatment has been sped by JWs acting as
guinea pigs by refusing the medical
use of blood and blood products. If the JWs
leaders' doctrine is less than a guaranteed scriptural view, it makes
a big dif-
ference in how to view what the Governing Body led those people to do. A Bible
believer doesn't determine
which of two streets a murderous sniper is active on
by telling a group of believers the Bible needs them to walk down
both, then
claim they acted out of the humanitarian concern of determining the safe street
for others. A proper
scripture based act is to be honest about the situation.
If anyone in the group wants to play the guinea pig, that's their
regrettable
choice, but you don't mislead them.
That said, best wishes to the JWs followers and I hope, especially due to the
JWs leaders' stance about restricted
care, that many medical advances come soon.
The next link is about bloodless surgery, which has made some advances recently.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloodless_surgery
