What Was Meant By 'Abstain From Blood'?

headisspinning

I have always been very hardcore about my aversion to blood and have never even considered the possibility that this was merely a dietary restriction. I always bought into the analogy of a doctor telling a patient to abstain from alcohol... it wouldn't matter whether this individual drank the alcohol or took it intravenously... it would all be in direct contradiction to the doctor's orders to 'abstain' from alcohol.

Or the other analogy is to an apple pie... if you weren't to eat the pie, it would not be okay to separate it out into the main parts (or 'components)... ie. the flour, the apples, the sugar or the cinnamon... if they were taken from that pie, you were eating the pie.

So maybe you can see where the questions popped up for me. The whole blood fractions issue has me very confused. I read a comment about Jesus curing someone on the Sabbath and how he was more concerned for than person's well-being than observing the Sabbath. (Of course, he abolished the old law, so it could be said that was why he was comfortable doing that).

Thoughts?

miseryloveselders

What other possibilities outside of diet and sacrifice, would blood have been part of the mix?

Heaven

Were you breast fed? Do you believe breast feeding a baby is a normal, natural activity?

Babies are drinking their mother's blood when being breast fed. Knowledge is power. Science has debunked scriptures like this. Just another piece of evidence to show the Bible didn't come from God.

sabastious

http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/203576/1/Jehovahs-Witnesses-e28093-Blood-Doctrine-Refutation

-Sab

cofty

You may also find this helpful as background to Acts 15

http://www.jwsupportforum.com/index.php?topic=8590.msg124410#msg124410

headisspinning

Thank you to Sabastious and Cofty.... my jaw has dropped. I suffered terrible OCD during my teen years and a lot of my issues were over blood. I am really in shock over how you have presented things. I always thought I was a little bit intelligent and now I see that I have been terribly, terribly manipulated, mislead and duped.

To Heaven... Not only was I breastfed and I know what you're getting at... I am also breastfeeding my son.

I just feel really stupid right now. I have been reading memoirs about other peoples' escapes from their 'crazy' religions... what about me?

Some of you know a little bit of my story. Or you can look back on my past threads. I am thinking about writing a book like Brianna and Kyria. My mother and another sister in the hall beat me so bad that had to soak me in ice. My mother tried to break my toes and threw my sister down the stairs the day before her baptism... I was accused of it being too much 'drama'. But every word is the truth and there is a lot more. I am just scared of the backlash.

jonathan dough

Wealth of information on abstaining here.

http://www.144000.110mb.com/directory/jehovahs_witnesses_beliefs_blood_transfusions.html

The Jehovah's Witnesses' beliefs regarding the prohibition of blood transfusions becomes all the more heinous when it comes to young children, many of whom have died in furtherance of their parents' misguided beliefs. The blood transfusion prohibition is astounding in light of Jeremiah 32:35 which provides in part, "They built high places to Baal in the Valley of Ben-hinnom, and immolated their sons and daughters to Molech, bringing sin upon Judah; this I never commanded them, nor did it even enter my mind that they should practice such abomination." Here, God instructs man NOT to cause a child to be killed as a form of sacrifice to God. Clearly, sacrificing a child by denying him or her a needed blood transfusion is no different. In no way does such a denial of blood and the child's resulting death please the Almighty. It never entered God's mind.

Any individual contemplating joining the Jehovah's Witnesses religion is forewarned to research this issue carefully, study the history and biblical context of the blood prohibition and understand what it means to not 'eat blood' because the Jehovahs Witnesses beliefs with respect to this gruesome act is not approved by the Almighty, finds no reliable support in scripture and comes close to being a homicide or a suicide. Avoid the anguish for everyone involved and think clearly on this matter. The Jehovah's Witnesses beliefs on blood transfusions are not to be taken lightly.

jwfacts.com and ajwrb.org and marvinshilmer.blogspot.com are good beginnings.

JW GoneBad

'The whole blood fractions issue has me very confused.'

Not only am I, like you, confused but this blood fraction thing has caused me to wonder if the JW leadership driving the 'bus' has the know how, a valid driving license and if they know where they are taking the R&F with this doctrine. I doubt it!

Good topic.

headisspinning

I am just sick about all of it.

What's even going to happen?

I don't even know which way is up anymore.

My husband doesn't know either. He is more complacent. He could just give up and fade away.

I want more definite answers. I want to know the Truth. I want to know what to believe. I still want to be 'hardcore' about SOMETHING. About ANYTHING.

Do we just start swearin' and smokin' and drinkin' and carryin' on at this point? I don't want to celebrate Christmas. I don't want to be 'bad'. I don't even know what 'bad' is. I am so confused and angry now.

And what do we do about our kids? They are in their teens on on the verge of baptism. So what? They get baptized and cut us off? WE taught them that way. Now what?

Excuse me now. I need to say a swear and it starts with F!

JW GoneBad

Heaven: 'Just another piece of evidence to show the Bible didn't come from God.'

On the other hand maybe the Bible did come from God, the JW leadership knuckleheads just don't know how to interpret it! Don't blame God (IMO).

What Was Meant By 'Abstain From Blood'?

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