Blood donating?

Maxee

Regarding the new light on blood and the different components we need to be aware of I think it will be very difficult for individuals to figure out what they can choose to take and what not.

Regardless of the status the aithful and discreet slave has assigned each of these components one thing should still be kept in mind. Even the smallest amount of blood fraction requires a lot of blood most of this though blood donations.
For eg:
Albumin is often used to treat burns. A typical treatment for third degree burns (30-50 %) requires 600 grams albumin. Producing this amount requires about 45 litres of whole blood. How can anyone call this "a small fraction?"1Hemophiliac preparations (Factor VIII and IX): We mentioned hemophilia earlier. Effective treatment requires a preparation called factor VIII, which assists in clotting and is made of the pooled blood of many individuals. How hopeless is the claim that these components are "small fractions" is shown by the enormous amounts of blood needed to keep a hemophiliac alive:

It takes about 9000 kilograms of whole blood to make one 0.1 gram dose of Factor VIII. A person suffering from severe hemophilia typically requires several doses a year.

This really brings into the question the GB now have to think about how the rest of the world will view what could looks like hypocrisy and selfishness due to the fact that witnesses do not donate blood. How can they point the finger at christendom without seeing the double standard that may come about from these blood changes. Its a wonder the Red Cross doesn't jump on them

With all these new lights does anyone think they are becoming more and more like mainstream religions ?

They seem to be able to hop in and out of bed with christondom at their will. Jimmy Swaggert Thát big full page advertisment they took in the New York Times which cost about $85,000.00 regarding the taxation problem in France and freedom of speech. The asking of the Catholic Church to support them in their battle for tax free status in France and allowing themselves to be advertised in a Catholic Journal.

Now with this blood thing.....I just gotta wonder????????

Pathofthorns

Those figures are stagarring. Is there anyway I could verify them for myself? (Not that I don't trust you, just am looking into the subject just need some confirmation)

Do you know if there is anything recent in print that states we are not permitted to give blood?

It appears if handling and processing such quantities of blood are acceptable, how does one harmonize the scriptural command to "pour the blood out on the ground"? I'm going in circles trying to understand this whole blood issue these days.

Maxee

Pathofthorns
It is staggering isn't it .Why are we not permitted to see both sides of the story? Why is it so hard for the writing dept to write an article with out being unbiased.

The Watchtower has some info:

(The Watchtower, June 15, 1985, p. 30)
"Each batch of Factor VIII is made from plasma that is pooled from as many as 2,500 blood donors."

(Awake! Oct. 8, 1988, p. 11)
"Dr. Margaret Hilgartner of the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center said: "A severe hemophiliac is exposed to the blood of 800,000 to 1 million different people every year."

Also the medical data came from was supplied to C. O. Jonsson by Kabi Pharmacia in Stockholm.

And this link goes into more detail on what blood fractions really are
http://www.ajwrb.org/basics/abstain.shtml
As far as not donating blood I always felt it was one of those unspoken rules like not donating to charities or the UNICEF and the like due to the teaching in the bible that the world is fading away. I am sure I am not the only one who believed this. The attitude has always been we don't need to contribute to these funds because we know Jehovah is going to fix everything.

I hope this helps you out. If you want any more info I am more than happy to supply it.

waiting

Dear Maxee,

Thanks for your post, could you tell us where or what your source material is? I've read about France & problems, never seen a full fledged discussion of it.

What ad?

What Catholic journal and where is source for asking Catholics to come to bat for them in France?

Sure would appreciate information - thanks.

As for your question about blood donations in view that some components take massive quantities of blood to obtain:

Isn't that how traditionally JW's have viewed charities? We don't give to them, but if we need them, we take from them? Same type of standard is being applied.

This may not be the written message in either case, but on a local level, this sometimes is the reality.

I'm trying very hard to qualify my statements - but the thoughts are the same.

Maxee

.

Edited by - Maxee on 11 June 2000 11:10:44

Maxee

This has a copy of the ad in the New York times
http://www.watchtowernews.org/nytimes.htm

I am currently doing a search to get the information on the Cathlic Journal re The witnesses and France.
i wi;ll post it when I find it.
I am not very good at saving information.

Maxee

I could be wrong about us being able to give to charities. The Society in its role asWatch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania and
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.
received $5000.00 from this group called the charitable gift fund. I think this is the fund who is looking after the Planned Giving for the Kingdom Preaching Work fund the society recomends. I posted on it in main
Here is link hope it works.
[url] http://www300.charitablegift.org:80/annual/index.shtml[/url]
if page turns up click annual reports then grant recipients, then click w,

Has anyone seen any thing in the publications considering this money is also contributing to our ministry work globally?

Maxee

I could be wrong about us being able to give to charities. The Society in its role asWatch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania and
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.
received $5000.00 from this group called the charitable gift fund. I think this is the fund who is looking after the Planned Giving for the Kingdom Preaching Work fund the society recomends. I posted on it in main
Here is link hope it works.
[url] http://www300.charitablegift.org:80/annual/index.shtml[/url]
if page turns up click annual reports then grant recipients, then click w,

Has anyone seen any thing in the publications considering this money is also contributing to our ministry work globally?

Pathofthorns

From the Society's perspective, there is nothing wrong with giving to charities. However, many charities have "religious connections" which would disqualify most Witnesses from donating. All articles in the publications highlight fraud and that many donations don't get to their intended destination.

Due to this, most Witnesses do not donate, and most even feel there is something "wrong" in doing so. Contrast this mentality to the scriptures where giving to the poor is given frequent mention.

Pathofthorns

Andyman

Maxee:

Yes I too find it hard to understand the blood policy these days. Like someone said to me once, "it's like making a cake, you can eat all the ingredents seperatly, but you can put them together and eat at as a whole cake!"

As for donatating blood to help with all the JW's who use the fractions, I also believe that this should be done. If the society says JW's can take the fractions, then JW's should be able to replenish the supply that is being drained.

As for the charity issues I agree with Waiting, if the society allows the use of these charities when someone in the congregations need them, then we should be allowed to donate to them to help out. I know that some JW's use the food banks, go to food distribution give aways by the government, etc. and some DO contribute to these cuases, but most don't.

I remember an elder telling me about the WASTE of money donating to things like Green Peace, Save the whales, etc., and how much better the society could use that money. But from what I can see the only thing the society is doing is building things like Patterson, and more Branch offices around the world. I also have heard that many poor countries need Kingdom halls but are unable to repay the loans to build them. I have talked to brothers that have come back from these countries where they helped build Branch offices, but the people were meeting under trees or out in the open because they had no hall. Has anyone else heard stories like this?

Take care.

Andyman:

Blood donating?

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