1945 “Consolation” (forerunner of Awake!) but in Dutch, in favor of blood usage

by Nick! 12 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Nick!

  On the Italian forum, we are discussing the blood issue and one of the participants has posted a scan of portion of page 29 of the magazine “Consolation” dated 1st of September 1945 in Dutch language where the following translated statement appears:

  “God has never justified any arrangement on the use of blood. It is a man’s invention who, like the Pharisees, do not take into account the mercy and the love of Jehovah. To serve Jehovah with all our mind means not to exclude our personal understanding, especially when a life is at risk”.

  The participant who posted the scan pretends that the article appears only in the Dutch version of the magazine, and not in any other language.

  Anyone on this forum has any knowledge of this statement in Dutch or any other language?

  Would be nice to clarify.

  Thanks.

  Here is the link to the scan on the Italian forum.:

  http://forum.infotdgeova.it/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=2680&p=33059#p33059
• 

  TD

  The participant who posted the scan pretends that the article appears only in the Dutch version of the magazine...

  He's correct. Apparently individual branches had a measure of autonomy at the time.

  At any rate, the quote does not appear in English editions.
• 

  Lady Lee

  If possible find out what the title of the article was. Very often the English version came out beofree other languages so you might not find it in the same issue.

  In fact I have opened a scanned copy of the Sept 26 1945 version of the Consolation. Page 34 has a list of the main articles of all previous English versions from Oct 11, 1944 to Sept 26, 1945.

  There is no Consolation published in English for Sept 1, 1945. So you will have to look for a previos date.

  The Issue before your Sept 1st article is from Aug 29, 1945. On page 29 it has a title "Desiderius Erasmius"

  The month before that has a title on page 29 called "Ulrich Zwingli"

  Happy hunting
• 

  Lady Lee

  At any rate, the quote does not appear in English editions.

  TD I don't know that you can be sure of that without checking earlier versions of Consolation

  When I was a JW in Montreal we were in the French cong for a while. I knew the French version always came out after the English. My in-laws were Italian so I knew they got them later too
• 

  TD

  Link to a more complete scan: (Vertroosting, September 1945 p. 29)

  http://www.getuige-van-jehovah.nl/picture/vertroosting_blz29_08_1945.jpg

  The text in question is on the right hand side, not the text highlighted with red.
• 

  TD

  Hiya Lee,

  I don't know that you can be sure of that without checking earlier versions of Consolation

  I first came across this more than a decade ago. I couldn't find anything remotely similar in an English edition for 1944, 45 or 46. Nobody else ever did either. It would be interesting if the quote appears in some other language besides just Dutch, but the English editions were hard enough to find by themselves.
• 

  Lady Lee

  hmmm interesting Thanks
• 

  TD

  --Translation from a personal friend and native Dutch speaker:

  "God has never published a decree which forbids employing medicine, injections and blood transfusions. It is a human invention like the Pharisee's disregard for mercy and grace. To serve Jehovah with all the mind does not mean to exclude our intelligence, principally because there is human life at stake. Life being of great value is holy to Jehovah."
• 

  yadda yadda 2

  That 1945 Dutch magazine statement is pretty much spot on as to what the blood policy should be.
• 

  Nick!

  Thank you very much friends, appreciate all your efforts.

  I will try to trace the article in French, as we had all the magazine collection in the congregation here in Geneva.

  In the past, prior to 1980, Italian version of the magazines used to be published 6 months after, and French 3 months after the English.

  If I find anything in another language, I will et you know.

  Ciao!