I am getting away for a moment from Congacs forum to talk about what I have reaserched about the blood topic.
Blood is composed of a liquid called blood plasma and blood cells suspended within the plasma. The blood cells present in blood are red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.Plasma is predominantly water containing dissolved proteins, salts and many other substances; and makes up about 55% of blood by volume.
By far the most abundant cells in blood are red blood cells. These contain hemoglobin, an iron-containing protein, which facilitates transportation of oxygen by reversibly binding to this respratory gas and greatly increasing its solubility in blood. In contrast, carbon dioxide is almost entirely transported extracellularly dissolved in plasma. White blood cells help to resist infections and parasites, and platelets are important in the clotting of blood.
Due to Bible-based beliefs, One should not eat blood or accept tranfusions of whole blood or its four major components namely, red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets (thrombocytes), and whole plasma. People Should be instructed to personally decide whether or not to accept fractions, and medical procedures that involve their own blood.
Leviticus 17:11 says "the life of a creature is in the blood." Also we read; "He shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth. . . . You shall not partake of the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood. Anyone who partakes of it shall be cut off."— Leviticus 17:13,14.
Genesis 9:3-6 says "Every moving animal that is alive may serve as food for YOU . As in the case of green vegetation, I do give it all to YOU .Only flesh with its soul—its blood— YOU must not eat.And, besides that, YOUR blood of YOUR souls shall I ask back. From the hand of every living creature shall I ask it back; and from the hand of man, from the hand of each one who is his brother, shall I ask back the soul of man. Anyone shedding man’s blood, by man will his own blood be shed, for in God’s image he made man."
Blood had a symbolic meaning. It stood for life provided by the Creator. By treating blood as special, the people showed dependence on him for life. Yes, the chief reason why they were not to take in blood was, not that it was unhealthy, but that it had special meaning to God. Deuteronomy 12:23-25 says: "Simply be firmly resolved not to eat the blood, because the blood is the soul and you must not eat the soul with the flesh.You must not eat it. You should pour it out upon the ground as water.You must not eat it, in order that it may go well with you and your sons after you, because you will do what is right in Jehovah’s eyes."
In a day of war when the Israelites ate meat with blood, their commander pointed out that their course was still a grave wrong. "So they told Saul, saying: “Look! The people are sinning against Jehovah by eating along with the blood.” At this he said: “Y OU have dealt treacherously. First of all, roll a great stone to me.” After that Saul said: “Scatter among the people, and YOU must say to them, ‘Bring near to me, each one of YOU , his bull and, each one, his sheep, and YOU must do the slaughtering in this place and the eating, and YOU must not sin against Jehovah by eating along with the blood.’” Accordingly all the people brought near each one his bull that was in his hand that night and did the slaughtering there.And Saul proceeded to build an altar to Jehovah. With it he started altar building to Jehovah. -1 Samuel 14:33-35.
Acts 15:28,29 says: "For the holy spirit and we ourselves have favored adding no further burden to YOU , except these necessary things,to keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication. If YOU carefully keep yourselves from these things, YOU will prosper. Good health to YOU !”
I could carry on and on because there is alot more information of this topic and perhaps I could answer personal questions, if any. But for now I guess this will do. But then again, perhaps not.
-Aleman
