This REFUTES Watchtower Blood policies and exposes the LIE

by Terry 17 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Terry

  Here is something hardly anybody is aware of. It is an outright refutation of Watchtower blood policies.
  

  
  
  The rule against blood as we have come to know it through Jehovah's Witnesses is a bogus misrepresentation of already existing laws which the non-Jews were under as far as Jews were concerned.
  

  
  
  How so?
  

  
  
  15:19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:
  
  

  15:20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

  
  
  

  (3.) Human blood. The murderer was to be punished (Gen 9:5). The blood of the murdered "crieth for vengeance" (Gen 4:10). The "avenger of blood" was the nearest relative of the murdered, and he was required to avenge his death (Num 35:24, Num 35:27). No satisfaction could be made for the guilt of murder (Num 35:31).

  
  

  
  
  When the elders in Jerusalem spoke about "-- adding no FURTHER burden to you---"
  

  
  
  they cited something that (as far as any Jew was aware) had been in effect since the time of NOAH.
  

  
  
  Judaism, even today, refers to subject by the term NOAHIDE LAWS. :
  

  
  The Seven Noahide Laws (Hebrew: ??? ????? ??? ?? "Šba? miswot bne-No?"), also called the Brit Noah ("Covenant of Noah") mitzvot (commandments) and halakhot (laws) that are morally binding on non-Jews.
  
  

  They are listed in the Talmud and elaborated on by post-Talmudic authorities. Opinions differ on the reach of these commandments and the laws derived from them, but all contemporary authorities agree that there are seven commandments. These commandments and laws are based on oral traditions as well as scriptural exegesis of Genesis 2:16 and 9:4-6 .

  
  

  
  
  Now, we have only to consider what these laws were and to what they applied.
  

  The Seven Laws

  
  

  
  The seven laws (commonly rendered as Sheva Mitzvot Shel Bene Noach) are:
  
  

  1. Avodah zarah - Do not worship false gods.
  2. Shefichat damim - Do not murder.
  3. Gezel - Do not steal (or kidnap).
  4. Gilui arayot - Do not be sexually immoral (forbidden sexual acts are traditionally interpreted to include incest, bestiality, male homosexual sex acts (i.e. sodomy) and adultery.)
  5. Birkat Hashem - Do not "bless God" euphemistically referring to blasphemy.
  6. Ever min ha-chai - Do not eat any flesh that was torn from the body of a living animal (given to Noah and traditionally interpreted as a prohibition of cruelty towards animals)
  7. Dinim - Set up a system of honest, effective courts, police and laws.

  
  

  
  
  Pay close attention to the above. Look at #2. "Do not murder". This pertained to bloodshed. Remember this.
  

  Definition of Noahides

  
  

  
  According to rabbinic Judaism, as expressed in the Talmud, the Noahide Laws apply to all humanity through mankind's descent from one paternal ancestor who in Hebrew tradition is called Noah (the head of the only family to survive during The Flood). In Judaism, ??? ?? B'nei Noah (Hebrew, "Descendants of Noah", "Children of Noah") refers to all of mankind.
  
  

  Judaism holds that gentiles (goyim "non-Jews [literally 'Nations']") are not obligated to adhere to all the laws of the Torah (indeed, they are forbidden to fulfill some laws, such as the keeping of the Sabbath in the exact same manner as Israel). Rabbinic Judaism and its modern-day descendants discourage proselytization. The Noahide Laws are regarded as the way through which non-Jews can have a direct and meaningful relationship with God or at least comply with the minimal requisites of civilization and of divine law.

  
  

  
  
  Okay, Stop!
  

  
  
  Let us review.
  

  
  
  The Jews did not prselytize! However, they believed Gentiles could have a meaningful reltionship with god by not breaking those 7 laws.
  

  
  
  This is the CONTEXT in which the JERUSALEM COUNCIL answered the question about whether the new-Gentile converts needed circumcision or not.
  

  
  
  As far as the Christianized JEWS (this is what Christianity was at this time) in Jerusalem were concerned the only requirements were what they had ALWAYS BEEN under the NOAHIDE LAWS.
  

  
  
  Are we straight on this so far?
  

  A non-Jew who keeps the Noahide Law in all its details is said to attain the same spiritual and moral level as Israel's own Kohen Gadol (high priest) (Talmud, Bava Kamma 38a). Maimonides states in his work Mishneh Torah (The laws of kings and their rulership 8:11) that a Ger Toshav who is precise in the observance of these Seven Noahide commandments is considered to be a Righteous Gentile and has earned a place in the world to come.

  
  

  
  
  In scripture the CONTEXT is all important to the proper understanding!!
  

  
  
  Now, ask yourself how the Watchtower Society misrepresents the statement of the council in Jerusalem.
  

  The Watchtower Society disguises the law against MURDER by representing the BLOODSHED as a de facto prohibition on BLOOD qua blood (blood in and of itself as a substance). This tears away the context of "why". The why is that BLOOD =MURDER.

  
  

  
  
  Consequently, the Watchtower's understanding and context are an outright error and deliberate misrepresentation.
  

  Christian adherence

  
  

  
  Some Christian writers[2], particularly those affiliated with Primitive Apostolic Christianity see the verses in Acts 15:19-21 as a directive from the first Council of Jerusalem to observe the basic understanding of the Noahide Laws in order to be considered righteous Gentiles, and not be required to live completely as Jews. According to Acts 15, the Council of Jerusalem determined that circumcision was not required of new converts, only avoidance of "pollution of idols, fornication, things strangled, and blood" (KJV, Acts 15:20). The basis for these prohibitions as found in Acts 15:21 states only: "For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day". The evidence of these Noachian inclusions to primitive Christian observance were in addition to the moral Ten Commandments given to Moses at Sinai, which covers the most essential requirements of the Noachian covenant. The additions of the four cited above were to complete the requirements of the new Gentile converts to primitive Christianity.

  
  

  
  
  Why this has never been discussed as an outright refutation of Watchtower misrepresentation is a scandal!
  

  
  
  Watchtower Doctrine is ignorant and malicious!
• 

  sf

  Thank you

  sKally
• 

  Check_Your_Premises

  Terry,

  So you are saying the prohibition in Acts for abstaining from "blood" is actually a prohibition against murder?

  CYP
• 

  metatron

  I'd like to agree with you, but there's a serious error here that needs attention:

  James was NOT quoting from the "Noahide" laws, he was summarizing the "Laws for the Alien Resident" as derived from Leviticus 17-19.

  The "Gentiles" were "in the midst" of Jewish congregations so James categorized them as "alien residents" under the law of Moses!

  He then summarized the requirements for alien residents, no unbled animals, no idolatry, no fornication.

  Yes, the Watchtower is utterly deceptive about this subject - and completely misunderstands what James was saying

  and why his logic appealed to everyone in contention in Acts 15! All of the statements about blood in Acts 15 are derived

  FROM THE LAW OF MOSES , IN LEVITICUS!

  metatron
• 

  Terry

  So you are saying the prohibition in Acts for abstaining from "blood" is actually a prohibition against murder?

  YES!

  IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN!

  The JW's are the only group on the planet misled (by their leaders) in a contextual understanding of Acts 15.

  It was deliberate, too.

  It is to create martyrs who can be seen as "holier" than the people of faith in "christendom".
• 

  Terry

  Christian adherence

  Some Christian writers[2], particularly those affiliated with Primitive Apostolic Christianity see the verses in Acts 15:19-21 as a directive from the first Council of Jerusalem to observe the basic understanding of the Noahide Laws in order to be considered righteous Gentiles, and not be required to live completely as Jews. According to Acts 15, the Council of Jerusalem determined that circumcision was not required of new converts, only avoidance of "pollution of idols, fornication, things strangled, and blood" (KJV, Acts 15:20). The basis for these prohibitions as found in Acts 15:21 states only: "For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day". The evidence of these Noachian inclusions to primitive Christian observance were in addition to the moral Ten Commandments given to Moses at Sinai, which covers the most essential requirements of the Noachian covenant. The additions of the four cited above were to complete the requirements of the new Gentile converts to primitive Christianity.
• 

  Terry

  Ger toshav

  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  Ger toshav (pl. geirei toshav, Hebrew: ?? ????), according to Judaism and the Torah, is a gentile who is a "resident alien," that is, one who lives in the Land of Israel under certain protections of the system, and is considered a righteous gentile.

  There are two kinds of Ger Toshav. A formal one is a gentile who has made certain legal statements in a Beth Din (Jewish rabbinical court). There are three opinions (Avodah Zarah 64b) as to what those statements promise:

  1. To abstain from idolatrous practices.
  2. To uphold the seven Noahide Laws.
  3. To uphold all the 613 Mitzvot, except for the eating of non-Kosher meat.

  The definition used by all authorities is the second. In all cases, the statement is a formal sign that the gentile is on a righteous path, and as such, they must by law receive certain legal protections and special charity/financial aid from the community.

  The second kind of Ger Toshav is an informal one, namely someone who has not sworn anything to a Beth Din (Avodah Zarah 65a). In this case, they are not formally entitled to financial aid by law, but the attitude of a religious Jew to someone who has forgone idolatry is supposed to be much more welcoming (from the perspective of Jewish law) than to someone who has not. Furthermore, the restrictions that pertain to an idolater (in terms of business and doing things that might be aiding idol worship) are forgone.

  The procedure has been discontinued since the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, and hence, there are no formal gerei toshav extant today (although it can be argued that a great deal are "informal" ones). Nevertheless, Judaism warmly encourages non-Jews to adhere to the Noahide Laws, and some groups, notably Chabad Lubavitch, have set up classes and networks for gentiles who commit themselves to this legal system. In that sense, it is possible to be a "Jewish gentile".
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  Terry

  The "Gentiles" were "in the midst" of Jewish congregations so James categorized them as "alien residents" under the law of Moses!

  See the attached quote.
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  Leolaia

  The late David Flusser has especially analyzed the "apostolic decree" in terms of the Noachide Laws. See especially his article "A Jewish-Christian Addition to the Two Ways: Did. 6:2-3," in The Didache: Its Jewish Sources and its Place in Early Judaism and Christianity (ed. by Huub van de Sandt, 2002), which gives an especially detailed discussion of the subject.
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  jwfacts

  As Metatron states, the reason for the 4 prohibitions was that they were the 4 "Laws for the Alien Resident" as derived from Leviticus 17-19, and read out loud each Sabbath.

  Good article Terry. It all leads back to the Noahide Laws, the laws the Jews believed applied to all mankind, as separate from the Mosaic Law that was only for Jews. In making blood policy even the Watchtower admits to using non-relevant Mosaic Law.

  Watchtower 2000 October 15 p.31 “However, such collecting, storing, and transfusing of blood directly contradicts what is said in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Blood is not to be stored; it is to be poured out —returned to God, as it were. Granted, the Mosaic Law is not in force now. Nevertheless, Jehovah’s Witnesses respect the principles God included in it, and they are determined to ‘abstain from blood.’ Hence, we do not donate blood, nor do we store for transfusion our blood that should be ‘poured out.’ That practice conflicts with God’s law.”

  Reading the Law to Noah shows it has nothing to do with eatting blood. Genesis 9:4: “Only flesh with its soul—its blood—YOU must not eat.” At its most literal level this means that a person can not eat a living animal, but must kill it first. For this reason Deut 14:21 allowed unbled animals to be sold to gentiles for food.

  Hence Noahide rule number 6

  Ever min ha-chai - Do not eat any flesh that was torn from the body of a living animal (given to Noah and traditionally interpreted as a prohibition of cruelty towards animals)