Why will Jehovah's Witnesses not receive blood tranfusions?

Answer 1

Jehovah's Witnesses do not refuse medical intervention. We seek the highest quality medical care available for ourselves and our loved ones. The only treatment we refuse is that involving transfusions of whole blood or its major componants into our bodies. This is based on Acts 15:28, 29 and other related passages in the Holy Bible. Although our refusal is Bible based, we have benefitted physically from this stand as well. Our surgeons are thus more careful, and we often recover more quickly from surgery than others who have the same surgery with blood transfusions. Many who are not Witnesses have also benefitted from our stand. Link below to more details.

Jehovah's Witnesses do not refuse medical intervention. We seek the highest quality medical care available for ourselves and our loved ones. The only treatment we refuse is that involving transfusions of whole blood or its major componants into our bodies. This is based on Acts 15:28, 29 and other related passages in the Holy Bible. Although our refusal is Bible based, we have benefitted physically from this stand as well. Our surgeons are thus more careful, and we often recover more quickly from surgery than others who have the same surgery with blood transfusions. Many who are not Witnesses have also benefitted from our stand. Link below to more details.

Answer 2

When the apsotles were deciding what commands of the mosaic law should still be kept by Christians, in Acts 15:28,29 they included "abstain from blood". Jehovah's Witnesses consider blood transfusions a violation of this requirement.

ANSWER BY ONE OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES...

When you look at The Bible, the second half or the Christian,Greek Scriptures we must know that it was penned for the people in the last days, we are said people, now in the for told last days.

With this in mind just think about that Scripture in the Book of Acts, the key word is ABSTAIN. No this means not to do or to stop doing some thing, I.E taking Blood into our bodies one way or the other so you can see that this is not just talking about the eating of Blood but the taking in of Blood into the body as a whole.

With this in mind, I personally DO NOT accept whole Blood or ANY of the fractions that can be made from whole Blood. I also refuse any and ALL medication that was derived or has Blood or Blood fractions within it.

I hope that this helps you in some small way...

Answer 3

Well what I heard is that they do take medical treatment, they just dont take blood. If you wanted the answer to that, a doctor told me it was because taking blood is unheathy, and so Jehovah's Witnesses refuse to take it.

Jehovah's Witnesses don't accept blood primarily based on what the Bible says about not drinking or eating blood. They view taking it in by transfusion to be "eating" blood, like an IV fluid might be nourishment. They will take several blood alternatives though - volume expanders, and make arrangements before surgery to use blood conservation such as a cell savage machine. There are several hospitals that specialize in all kinds of surgery without blood transfusions for patients of any religion so this does not pose much of a medical problem for Jehovahs Witnesses.

Otherwise, Jehovah's Witnesses are not restricted in what medical treatment they take and what they will do medically is up to them individually.

Answer 4

There is a command in the book of Acts to abstain from blood. JWs follow the bible in all aspects and so they reject blood.

The Holy Bible says that you should abstain from blood. This is in reference to satanic rituals where animal blood was drank. There is nothing that says medical use of blood is restricted.

If we didn't progress with the times we would all be using horse and carts.

The claims that there are blood substitutes is also wrong. These so called substitutes do not and cannot perform the task of real blood.

The Bible says you shall not kill. Isn't letting someone die because of refusing blood akin to killing?
WHY? I think because the 'faithful and discreet slave' class (in practical terms the seven members of the Governing Body), tell individual Witnesses not to, based on their understanding of Acts 15 saying 'abstain from blood'. Therefore, Witnesses believe they are obeying Jesus' direct commands as explained in their journal the Watchtower 1st May 1959 p269 "To hold to the headship of Christ, it is therefore necessary to obey the organization that he is personally directing. Doing what the organization says is to do what he says. Resisting the organization is to resist him.''

If the Society's Governing Body had 'new light' and said that Witnesses could have blood transfusions then many probably would. This is demonstrated in their beliefs on organ transplants. At one time they used to refuse organ transplants as they were considered by the 'discreet slave' class to be cannibalism. (Watchtower 15th Nov 1967). Then in 1980 15th March Watchtower they saw fit to direct Witnesses that it was now ok to take organ transplants.

Also to be precise, they do accept transfusions of blood fractions, all of them, but not all at the same time as then they would be back to transfusing blood.

The prohibition in taking blood into a human body through eating was one of only a few laws that were carried forward from the Levitical laws God gave to the nation of Israel. ('You must not eat the blood of any sort of flesh, because the soul of every sort of flesh is its blood. Anyone eating it will be cut off.'"-Leviticus 17:13, 14). The laws of the Mosaic covenant were sometimes for dietary and sanitation purposes but many, like this one on misuse of blood, also impressed upon the nation the sanctity of life, as represented by blood. When the Jews debated what laws the Christian congregation required them to keep the older men in Jerusalem (including apostles) stated clearly in Acts "KEEP abstaining . . . from blood." (Acts 15:29). Perhaps the Jews could have reasoned at times that they needed it to survive, like neighboring nations but God's law prohibited it under threat of death for disobedience.

Today Jehovah's Witnesses have been protected from serious illness and death by complications, blood type errors and blood-borne disease by insisting on SAFE alternatives. It is now common practice at most hospitals to administer blood alternatives in an effort to minimize risk. As always, the Creator of the universe has divine wisdom that can benefit us if we listen and obey. (Isaiah 48:17) "This is what Jehovah has said, your Repurchaser, the Holy One of Israel: "I, Jehovah, am your God, the One teaching you to benefit [yourself], the One causing you to tread in the way in which you should walk."

Answer 5

In Act 15:29, the bible says," to keep abstainingfrom things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication."

Jehovah's Witnesses, by refusing blood transfusions, are simply following god's word in the bible. Ask a witness for more information and literature on the subject for a further explanation. They are happy to help!

There is a website in the link below where you will find a lot of information on up to date medical technology that eliminates all of the complications of injecting foreign blood into your body. JW's aren't by far the only people that know the unnecessary dangers associated with blood transfusions.

Answer 6

In Acts 15:29 it say that we should abstain from blood. Jehovah's Witnesses understand this to mean that blood should not be used in any form which includes eating it and/or transfusing it. It is a command from Jehovah found in the bible. There are also many forms of treatments that can be used without subjecting to the dangerous use of blood for health purposes.

Answer 7

Witnesses believe that Acts 15 ''abstain from blood'' means to not have a transfusion.