Why don't JW's look to Jewish belief on blood transfusions?

by EndofMysteries 4 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  EndofMysteries

  The jews who still live under law don't eat pork, etc, just as they had been commanded, and they also don't eat blood. Reason would dictate to consider their stance on the blood issue if blood transfusions were a violation of eating blood. I find it interesting the society tells it's members that if blood transfusions were available in bible times they wouldn't have taken them, yet since they are still following law, lets see what they have to say about it.

  Here are a few quotes from jewish sources about blood transfusions I found....

  "There is nothing in Jewish law that would preclude a person from benefiting from a blood transfusion (or donating blood, for that matter).

  Furthermore, according to Jewish belief, saving a life is one of the most important mitzvot (commandments), overriding nearly all of the others. (The exceptions are murder, certain sexual offenses, and idol-worship—we cannot transgress these even to save a life.) Therefore, if a blood transfusion is deemed medically necessary, then it is not only permissible but obligatory."

  Islamic since they also don't do blood or pork says this, "Sheikh Ibrahim Desai states, the permissibility of blood donation or blood transfusion is determined by the following conditions:
  
  a) The donor should donate his blood willingly. If he is compelled to do so, then it is not permissible;
  
  b) There is no danger to his (the donor's) life or health;
  
  c) It must be clarified by the doctor that blood transfusion is necessary otherwise the life of the patient will be at stake; i.e. the recovery can not be possible without blood transfusion.
  
  d) It is not permissible to sell one's blood or to pay the blood donor. However, if one is desperate for blood (to save his life) and the only means to obtain it is to purchase it, then it is permissible to pay for the blood. [In this case, it is only the one who asks for the money that will incur the sin]. "

  " Jewish thought makes very clear that blood is life and that people must recognize the life-affirming power of blood. For instance, one is not allowed to consume blood as food or drink, and if one deliberately sheds the blood of wild animals or fowl when slaughtering food, the blood must be covered as a sign of respect.
  
  Since human blood cannot be consumed, one might ask whether blood transfusions are permitted. The answer, simply, is yes. One may both give and receive blood transfusions because Judaism puts the utmost importance on preserving life. For those who need it, Ezekiel’s words: “By your blood shall you live” (Ezekiel 16:6) has some very literal implications."
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  minimus

  JWs only want to be like the early Jews when it's convenient. The rabbis have it correctly.
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  RubaDub

  The answer is right in your question ... it is a "Jewish Belief"

  If the Jews believe or do it, it must not be good.

  As a rule, we don't follow Jewish beliefs or customs (except for amount of tipping in restaurants and stuff like that).

  Rub
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  EndofMysteries

  to rubadub - not eating blood was right there with not eating pork. the commandment to not eat blood was not given to anybody else other than jews. On the christian side it was said to continue to observe that practice.

  Jews down to today don't eat blood and don't eat pork, if anything they would be the most strict on blood transfusions if that would have been implied
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  adamah

  The Jews are thought of by Xians as God's Chosen Ones who blew their shot at the big-time when they rejected and crucified Christ!

  So although Xians hijacked the Jewish Holy Scriptures (the Tanakh), pay lip-service to the importance of properly understanding the original context, and say their Lord and Personal Savior was Jewish, they have no problem referring to the Jews as a hard-headed people (an ancient insult found in the Bible that's tantamount to calling someone a numb-skull), since Xians (and esp the JWs) are the chosen ones now!

  Ask any Xian, and if they're honest, they'll tell you that the Jews snoozed and they losed, a statement which conclusively proves Jews have no monopoly on personal narcissicism, but many others often over-estimate their self-worth (believing their own personal fables).

  EOM said- Jews down to today don't eat blood and don't eat pork, if anything they would be the most strict on blood transfusions if that would have been implied

  Jewish dietary kashrut/kosher prohibitions against consuming blood are not related to the issue of accepting blood transfusions, since the Jewish dietary prohibitions against pork and blood arise from DIFFERENT Levitical law which explicitly exclude consuming those substances.

  Instead, JWs try to make Genesis 9 say something it actually doesn't say, based on their botched translation of the word 'blood' (Hebrew word, 'dam', which is singular and refers to blood found in a living being; it's plural form 'damim', conveys a completely different meaning of bloodguilt, AKA the guilt associated with killing some human). The confusion arises since the first part is related to not eating animal blood (singular) along with the animal flesh, but then God changes the subject by explaining the prohibition against blood-shed (spilling of HUMAN blood by another human, or even by animals (eg oxes)). Two completely different topics, although both are related only in that the subject of both is related to blood.

  Hence JWs are in the dark of what the scriptural passage is subtly trying to convey in Hebrew, and botch their translation in the NWT (as discussed in my blog article of how JWs completely miss the boat on their blood transfusion policy based on Noah's Flood, and hence many die for it):

  http://awgue.weebly.com/does-jehovahs-witnesses-blood-policy-reflect-they-understand-noahs-flood.html

  So much for the claims about the need to properly understand the original Hebrew cultural context of the Tanakh (AKA Old Testament), huh?

  Adam