New Light On Blood???

by jschwehm 17 Replies latest watchtower medical

  • jschwehm
    jschwehm

    Hi Gang:

    I have been assisting a lady in conversing with her boyfriend who has been studying with the JWs.

    This past weekend, the elder that is studying with this lady's boyfriend claimed that Blood Transfusions are a conscience matter and that you can have them if you want.

    Now, is this part of the new document on blood that is coming down soon or is this guy just playing word games?

    Let me know.

    Jeff Schwehm

  • jgnat
    jgnat

    Word games. It's a conscience matter whether you want to be disassociated and never spoken to again by friends and relatives.

    SUUURE it's a conscience matter. Dare to go along and comment so in a public meeting at his Kingdom Hall.

  • Elsewhere
    Elsewhere

    I know that JWs may use Blood Fractions, but not whole blood or any of the major components (Plasma, Red Cells, White Cells, and Platelets).

    Any JW who chooses to use any of the forbidden items will be shunned. In some countries the person is Disfellowshipped (Kicked out) and in other countries the person is "viewed as having Disassociated himself by his actions" (Left on his own accord). The difference is because of legal hair splitting. In some countries it would be illegal for the WTS to eject a person, which is why they say they person indicated they left by their actions.

  • jojochan
    jojochan

    I asked this same thing to my father, he replied that when a person uses blood; it IS a sign of spiritual weakness, in his opinion. But up to god to judge him. HE then recalled a sister that took blood and when asked by fellow members of the collective; she was telling them openly, with no shame, hey why not? She was happy to be alive. But then the elders counseled her not to say ANYTHING about her medical treatment for fearing she may stumble those in the collective... The verdict? You can now use it, but DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL. That seems to be the unwritten rule, the one that's unknown by the rank and file.

    I know I was stunned too when I heard it from his face.

    jojochan.

  • hawkaw
    hawkaw
    The verdict? You can now use it, but DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL. That seems to be the unwritten rule, the one that's unknown by the rank and file.

    WTF?????????

  • Inquisitor
    Inquisitor

    jojo

    Did she take whole blood? Red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets or plasma?

    Or did she take one of the sanctioned blood fractions? e.g. Hemoglobin

    INQ

  • TD
    TD

    (Dishonest) Word games

    It's a conscience matter in the same sense that ignoring an imperative shouted at you by someone holding a gun to your head is a conscience matter.

  • Gill
    Gill

    Hi Jeff!

    This is definitely a play on words and not a fact.

    I challenged my parents on this same topic and they insisted that blood transfusions have always been a conscience matter, and that as long as they have been JWs, at least forty years, they have never heard of any one being DF'd for taking blood.

    They say they are all free to take blood and that they choose not. The fact that they WOULD be DF'D or now since 2000, DA'd just doesn't seem to register with them that it is a forced decision.

    It's all down to the twisted mentality that becomes necessary to exist as a JW. 'Of Course you can have blood, smoke, have unmarried sex. We can't stop you. But if you do.... you are no longer a Jehovah's Witness and nobody can speak to you ever again..... until you are seen to grovel like a slug at the feet of the elders for 6 - 12 months and systematically, ignored by all whom you love. No one will force you NOT to have blood. We're just not like that.'

    Ah! Feel the Love!!!!!

  • BluesBrother
    BluesBrother
    is this guy just playing word games?

    Definitely! No change in doctrine.. The WT June 15 2004 is still the epistle to which they refer. Transfusions of whole blood and the big four components are still forbidden and will get a recipient judged as disassociated. The "minor fractions" are a conscience matter

  • sf
    sf

    http://www.watchtower.org/library/g/1999/3/8/article_01.htm

    Scrolling down to this gem:

    For religious reasons, Jehovah's Witnesses do not accept blood transfusion, asking instead for nonblood alternative medical treatment. ( Acts 15:28, 29 ) For information on the reasons for and reasonableness of this, see How Can Blood Save Your Life?, published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.

    _________

    http://www.watchtower.org/library/g/2000/1/8/article_03.htm

    Scrolling down:

    Blood and Jehovah's Witnesses

    For Bible-based reasons, Jehovah's Witnesses refuse blood transfusions.* But they do accept—and vigorously pursue—medical alternatives to blood. "Jehovah's Witnesses actively seek the best in medical treatment," said Dr. Richard K. Spence, when director of surgery at a New York hospital. "As a group, they are the best educated consumers the surgeon will ever encounter."

    Doctors have perfected many bloodless surgery techniques on Jehovah's Witnesses. Consider the experience of cardiovascular surgeon Denton Cooley. Over a period of 27 years, his team performed bloodless open-heart surgery on 663 of Jehovah's Witnesses. The results clearly demonstrate that cardiac operations can be successfully performed without the use of blood.

    True, many have criticized Jehovah's Witnesses for their refusal of blood. But a guide published by the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland calls the Witnesses' position "a sign of respect for life." In truth, the Witnesses' rigorous stand has been a major force behind safer medical treatment becoming available for all. "Jehovah's Witnesses in need of surgery have shown the way and exerted pressure for improvements in an important sector of the Norwegian health service," writes Professor Stein A. Evensen, of Norway's National Hospital.

    To assist doctors in providing treatment without the use of blood, Jehovah's Witnesses have developed a helpful liaison service. Presently, more than 1,400 Hospital Liaison Committees worldwide are equipped to provide doctors and researchers with medical literature from a data base of over 3,000 articles related to bloodless medicine and surgery. "Not only Jehovah's Witnesses, but patients in general, are today less likely to be given unnecessary blood transfusions because of the work of the Witnesses' Hospital Liaison Committees," notes Dr. Charles Baron, a professor at Boston College Law School.#

    The information on bloodless medicine and surgery that has been compiled by Jehovah's Witnesses has been of benefit to many in the medical field. For example, in preparing material for a book entitled Autotransfusion: Therapeutic Principles and Trends, the authors asked Jehovah's Witnesses to provide them with information about alternatives to blood transfusion. The Witnesses gladly granted their request. With gratitude the authors later stated: "In all our reading on this subject, we have never seen such a concise, complete list of strategies to avoid homologous blood transfusion."

    Progress in the medical field has caused many to consider bloodless medicine. Where will this lead us? Professor Luc Montagnier, discoverer of the AIDS virus, states: "The evolution of our understanding in this field shows that blood transfusions must one day die out." In the meantime, alternatives to blood are already saving lives.

    The Patient's Role

    • Talk to your doctor about nonblood alternatives before the need for treatment arises. This is especially important for pregnant women, parents with small children, and the elderly.
    • Put your wishes down in writing, especially if a legal document is available for such a purpose.
    • If your physician is not willing to treat you without blood, seek a physician who will comply with your wishes.
    • Since some alternatives to blood require time to be effective, do not postpone seeking treatment if you know that you need an operation.

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