Is Blood Now 'The Tail Wagging The Dog'?

by metatron 25 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  metatron

  A few years ago, the organization seemed to be drifting towards reason. The Knowledge book downplayed holidays and blood.

  Witness kids were told they could go to college. The new Worship book - as a re-edited "United" book - removed all mention of

  blood transfusion. You could accept alternative service to the military draft. For a while, moral reform of the Watchtower seemed

  to be on track.

  Well, No More!

  Suddenly, college is being demonized again. The new "What the Bible Really Teaches" book not only brings back the blood issue

  in full force, it also re-emphasizes other doctrines that appeared to be fading away ( such as the stake/cross issue). The latest

  affront to decency is the Dec. KM , which emphasizes the sacrifice of minor children to the blood transfusion issue. Haven't

  they done enough to sacrifice Witness kids - with teenage baptisms, disfellowshipping, denial of college - and now this?

  What went wrong?

  I think I know. It's the blood transfusion issue.

  You could dump some minor doctrines - you could admit that Jesus probably died on a cross, you could downplay the celebration

  of holidays and so on - and get away with it, over time. Most Witnesses would adjust, as they have in the past.

  You even "downsize" the mighty "FDS" doctrine! - by which the Watchtower claims near Divine inspiration for whatever they

  do. This isn't as far fetched as it might seem - eventually, running a "nanny state" can be exhausting and annoying. Some WT leaders

  might be willing to abandon the fawning adulation of zombie- like Witnesses, who attempt to lower their collective IQ's to that of

  golden retrievers! ( and just enjoy exploiting Watchtower assets).

  BUT THEY CAN'T LET GO OF 'BLOOD'!

  Isn't it obvious? Lives have been lost over the blood issue - and like any nation, they can't bring themselves to admit

  that countless Witness lives were lost for nothing! Instead, they redouble their fanaticism - in the face of declining contributions

  and flagging zeal - to uphold the blood transfusion issue. Blood transfusion has bizarrely become a greater sin than adultery or fornication

  since you may be "dissassociated" automatically for taking blood, rather than repentance being sought.

  The Japanese couldn't pull back from their China invasion ( WW2) because lives were spent. The US couldn't leave Vietnam without

  'peace with honor' because lives were spent. The Russians couldn't abandon Afghanistan because lives were spent... and Iraq???

  The blood transfusion issue has become the "tail that wags the dog" and now may have become the reason why nothing else

  can be changed and no apologies can be granted and no mistakes admitted.

  Anything less than their current fanatical "renewal" threatens to expose , to themselves and others, the horrible truth that

  they have thrown away innocent lives based on a foolish interpretation of Acts 15. Even admitting that the 'faithful slave' makes

  mistakes could be too painful to admit - given that it may expose the whole mistake of banning blood transfusions thereby.

  How do they sleep at night? How do they face a mirror and stare at their own faces? Do their heads ever explode?

  I guess we'll see.... I really think we're looking at an end game similar to the fall of Communism. They can decay or collapse

  but never really change what they are - an anti-intellectual cult run by old men, greedy for control of other's lives - and eternally unwilling

  to say, "we were wrong about all of it".

  metatron
• 

  MidwichCuckoo

  Personally I think the Blood Issue was created for a purpose (help me here - post-War?) - and now they are sweating trying to uphold it. It's clearly not Biblical, but admitting so would make them lose face and have a lot of deaths at their door.
• 

  skyman

  I think the same the same as you. As a matter of fact I am sure this is the case.
• 

  Jourles

  It would seem that the WTS is turning itself into it's own little North Korea.
• 

  Bryan

  I totally agree. As well, if they resended the blood policy, imagine the $ loss to lawsuits!

  How would you feel if you had lost your 7 year old child to blood loss after a car wreck, then the Tower says, "Yeah, you know... we were wrong... God has given us new light!

  Bryan

  Have You Seen My Mother
• 

  Axelspeed

  I have always believed that this is their most critical issue,

  The UN issue, while an important one ciuld be explained away, and if necessary, could be tagged on a couple of bros. as using extremely poor judgement. Many are accepting the library card excuse...(I thought they could come up with something better myself)

  The molestation issue, while extremely sensitive, can be explained away as a few bad apples. And while the policy is extremely flawed, few dubs actually believe that the WT support and promote the idea of molestation. Most dubs dont engage in it, and so are able to justify in their own minds that these are real but isolated incidents. I even realize that the WT defends this position and policy more to preserve their image as god's channel above all else...not necessarily to protect the perpetrator and definitely not to protect the victim.

  The blood issue though, is a cornerstone doctrine. No excuses...they taught it, they pushed it, they rationalized it, the df'd on the basis of it...as a matter of organizational policy. Lives, many lives have been lost. It would be the unforgiveable sin in the eyes of too many to have lost so many lives from a policy now considered 'old light.' They can not let it go. The cost would be too great.

  In fact, in hindsight and at this point, I believe that if could they would retract the use of fractions at this point, as it is too vague and raises too many questions. Strategically, it would have been better for them if blood was an all or nothing proposition, based solely on their misguided scriptual application. They are trying to get Pandora back into the box...but it may be too late.

  Axel
• 

  TD

  A few years ago, the organization seemed to be drifting towards reason.

  You've got a good eye, Metatron. The JW organization is in the midst of another one of their cyclical clamp downs.

  It's not confined to life and death issues like blood and alternative service or just to important things like higher education and holidays or even just to interesting things like the stake vs. the cross. It extends clear down to ludicrous, trivial issues like their recent resurrection of the idea that the lion was originally designed to eat straw.

  Reading the Awake! during these clamp downs used to be fun, just to see how many times the writers would subtely contradict The Watchtower and other hard-line publications. Now with the format change, I wonder if even that outlet will continue.
• 

  I quit!

  Excellent post Metatron.

  It is hard to figure out why they do these things or how they get away with it. To me they seem to be schizophrenic. At times they seem to be teaching two different things at once. They have a long history of flip-flopping yet most witnesses just go along with what is in the latest Watchtower. Once in a while someone will freakout and run for the door but most witnesses are conditioned not to question anything they are taught.
• 

  Goldminer

  Another great analysis Met.

  I'll summarize it in 2 words,

  ...slowly imploding...

  Goldminer
• 

  greendawn

  In other words they are trapped, if they accept that the blood doctrine is wrong they will have their arse sued off left right and centre by the victims families, so they have to go on upholding it and see more lives getting sacrificed for nothing.
  
  A very explosive issue and a vicious circle. The more people die the less likely they are to give up this deadly doctrine.