No Blood-Medicine Meets the Challenge

Dan B

Has anybody seen this video from the WT society? My JW parents insisted that I watch it. So along with my wife, who has a masters degree in bio-chemistry (and never was a JW) we watched it. Here is my opinion:

1) Does not address the issue or trauma (car accident, for example)

2) Too many partial quotes from doctors and professors. I particularily noticed the misquote of a Professor Neil Blumberg about half way through the tape. They cut him off before he was finished (you could see he was about to continue his thought)

3) Presents the idea of storing blood as acceptable (maybe it is now???) They talked about a procedure of vacumming up the spilled blood during the operation, cleaning it, and restoring it to the body of the patient. This is acceptable now? What about the notion of pouring the blood upon the ground (Lev 17:13)

4) Was too self-glorifying. It ended as a pat-on-the-back to the JW's for changing the concept of surgery. (LOL)

5) No statistics presented to prove the advantages of bloodless surgery over traditional surgery.

My wife's opinion: No facts or proof presented to back their claims. And the case study of the old lady who had an operation almost dropped her on the floor in laughter. They described some type of routine operation, which wouldn't require blood for anybody, and presented it as a medical break through.

Any other thoughts on this video?

Dan

hippikon

No havnt seen it but it sounds like it follows the same patern as the "Stand Firm" video. Misquotes and self glorification. You would have thought JWs won WWII single handed and were the only ones persecuted.

I seem to remember a bible verse about a foolish person giving himself glory?

Frenchy

:::Presents the idea of storing blood as acceptable (maybe it is now???) :::
Blood cannot be stored unless it’s for a ‘very short period’ as described below…

:::They talked about a procedure of vacumming up the spilled blood during the operation, cleaning it, and restoring it to the body of the patient. This is acceptable now? :::

Yes, that is acceptable now.

:::What about the notion of pouring the blood upon the ground (Lev 17:13):::

Mosaic Law requirement no longer binding on Christians.

Those are the currently held views.

sadiejive

I just finished a bible study with the witnesses (I'm just studying)in which we got into a deep discussion about this very thing. It was over Chapter 20 (Life and Blood--Do You Treat Them as Sacred?) in the United In Worship book. In that chapter in paragraph 8 in touches on these two things. Bear with me because this is a loonngg paragraph .

It reads:
"Nevertheless, the complexity of some medical procedures may give rise to questions. How can these be resolved? First, ask your doctor for a clear explanation of the proposed procedure. Then analyze it prayerfully in the light of Bible principles. The doctor may suggest that your have some of your own blood withdrawn and stored for use, if necessary, during a later operation. Would you agree? Remember that, according to God's Law given through Moses, blood removed from a creature was to poured out on the ground. (Deut. 12:24) We today are not under the Law code, but the underlying message is that blood is sacred and, when removed from a creature's body, is to returned to God by pouring it out on his footstool, the earth. (Compare Matthew 5:34,35) So how could it be proper to store your blood (even for a relatively brief time) and then put it back into your body? 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. But your decision should leave you with a clean conscience."

sadie

SixofNine

Sadie,

Looks like you've just run headlong into some NewImprovedLight (tm).

Congrats Sadie, very few people get to see this concept up close and personal, and on a life or death matter no less, before baptism.

That "tortoise" bible study you're having may win the day yet!