Just donate, The blood will save a life. don't tell anyone. F the watchtower
Donating Blood a Disfellowshipping Offense?
by HiddenPimo 25 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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RubaDub
First of all, if you just did it, the odds would be very slim that anyone would even know. I doubt there are any JW's that work at a blood bank.
Second, if someone did see you, you could just say that you were giving it for one of the acceptable fractions such as for hemophilia or some other "acceptable" use.
The worse that would happen would be that they would tell you not to do it anymore since you may stumble someone.
Rub a Dub
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Fadeaway1962
Questions FromReaders
● In view of the seriousness of taking blood into the human system by a transfusion, would violation of the Holy Scriptures in this regard subject the dedicated, baptized receiver of blood transfusion to being disfellowshiped from the Christian congregation?
The inspired Holy Scriptures answer yes. About the middle of the first “Christian” century the twelve apostles of Christ met with the other mature representatives of the congregation at Jerusalem to determine what should be the Scriptural requirement for the admission of non-Jews into the Christian congregation. The twelve apostles and other representative men of the Jerusalem congregation as met together on this occasion to decide this vital question were Jews or circumcised proselytes, and, as such, they had been up until Pentecost of A.D. 33 under the prohibition contained in the Mosaic law against eating or drinking the blood of animal creatures. In that Mosaic law at Leviticus 17:10-12 God said to the Jews: “As for any man of the house of Israel or some temporary resident who is residing for a while in your midst who eats any sort of blood, I shall certainly set my face against the soul that is eating the blood and I shall indeed cut him off from among his people. For the soul of the flesh is in the blood, and I myself have put it upon the altar for you to make atonement for your souls, because it is the blood that makes atonement by the soul in it. That is why I have said to the sons of Israel, ‘No soul of you should eat blood and no temporary resident who is residing for a while in your midst should eat blood.”’
Those Jewish Christians had now come under the new covenant that had been validated by the pouring out in death of the blood of Jesus Christ, the Mediator between God and men. What, then, was their decision as to the requirements to lie imposed upon Gentile believers for admission into the Christian congregation? The decree setting forth their decision replies: “The apostles and the older brothers to those brothers in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia who are from the nations: Greetings! . . . For the holy spirit and we ourselves have favored adding no further burden to you, except these necessary things, to keep yourselves free from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things killed without draining their blood and from fornication. If you carefully keep yourselves from these things, you will prosper. Good health to you!” (Acts 15:23-29) Thus for all Christian believers the apostolic decree under the guidance of God’s holy spirit declared that among the things necessary for them was the keeping of themselves free from blood and from things killed without draining their blood. Years later that decision was still in force upon Christians according to Acts 21:25. That decision has never been revoked, because it is God-given and still applies to Christians today who are dedicated, baptized believers, faithfully following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, who was born a Jew over 1900 years ago.
Under God’s law as mediated by the prophet Moses toward the nation of Israel those Jews or circumcised proselytes who violated God’s prohibition against eating or drinking animal blood were to be cut off from his chosen people. According to the apostolic decree as handed down by that conference in Jerusalem, the Christian congregation was under obligation to do a similar thing toward those who ate or drank animal blood. Blood transfusions were not in vogue in apostolic days. Nevertheless, although the twelve apostles and their fellow members of the Jerusalem congregation may not have had such a thing as the modern blood transfusion in mind, yet the decree handed down by them included such a thing in its scope. The medical profession today admits that blood transfusion is a direct feeding of the blood vessels of the human body with blood from another person or other persons that the practitioner of blood transfusion says is necessary for the survival of the recipient.
God’s law definitely says that the soul of man is in his blood. Hence the receiver of the blood transfusion is feeding upon a God-given soul as contained in the blood vehicle of a fellow man or of fellow men. This is a violation of God’s commands to Christians, the seriousness of which should not be minimized by any passing over of it lightly as being an optional matter for the conscience of any individual to decide upon. The decree of the apostles at Jerusalem declares: “If you carefully keep yourselves from these things, you will prosper.” Hence a Christian who deliberately receives a blood transfusion and thus does not keep himself from blood will not prosper spiritually. According to the law of Moses, which set forth shadows of things to come, the receiver of a blood transfusion must be cut off from God’s people by excommunication or disfellowshiping.
If the taking of a blood transfusion is the first offense of a dedicated, baptized Christian due to his immaturity or lack of Christian stability and he sees the error of his action and grieves and repents over it and begs divine forgiveness and forgiveness of God’s congregation on earth, then mercy should be extended to him and he need not be disfellowshiped. He needs to be put under surveillance and to be instructed thoroughly according to the Scriptures upon this subject, and thereby be helped to acquire strength to make decisions according to the Christian standard in any future cases.
If, however, he refuses to acknowledge his nonconformity to the required Christian standard and makes the matter an issue in the Christian congregation and endeavors to influence others therein to his support; or, if in the future he persists in accepting blood transfusions or in donating blood toward the carrying out of this medical practice upon others, he shows that he has really not repented, but is deliberately opposed to God’s requirements. As a rebellious opposer and unfaithful example to fellow members of the Christian congregation he must be cut off therefrom by disfellowshiping. Thereby the Christian congregation vindicates itself from any charge of connivance at the infraction of God’s law by a member of the congregation through blood transfusion, and it upholds the proper Christian standard before all the members of the Christian congregation, and keeps itself clean from the blood of all men, even as the apostle Paul did who promulgated to the various Gentile congregations the apostolic decree handed down at Jerusalem.—Acts 20:
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RubaDub
Fadeaway ...
A 60 year old WT article will not hold much weight, especially with all the changes in the blood doctrine in the past 20 years or so.
As I mentioned above, if you were seen by another JW and said you were donating it for other "allowable" purposes, you might get a slap on the hand, told not to do it again, but that would be it. Unless, of course, if you were on their radar for other things.
Rub a Dub
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Fadeaway1962
Rub a Dub
When you type in donating blood in JW library this reference comes up if was not revalent would have been removed.
The question raised was are there any reference to this in JW publications.
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Ding
The October 15, 2000 WT has an article which states, "Nevertheless, Jehovah’s Witnesses respect the principles God included in it, and they are determined to ‘abstain from blood.’ Hence, we do not donate blood, nor do we store for transfusion our blood that should be ‘poured out.’ That practice conflicts with God’s law."
It doesn't mention DFing and I don't know if anything has changed now that fractions are acceptable.
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RubaDub
Fadeaway ...
I understand. You are correct.
I was just speaking from a practical standpoint. If you tell the elders you are donating whole blood for the purpose of transfusing it to someone it would typically be far different than if you explained you specified the blood to be fractioned into "allowable" fractions.
Just my thoughts but it would depend on the BOE and how you are viewed in the congregation.
Rub a Dub
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Doctor Who
*** w05 3/15 p. 18 par. 8 "You Were Bought With a Price" ***
They knew that Elena, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, would not donate blood or accept blood transfusions.
*** w00 10/15 p. 30 Questions From Readers ***
When donating and transfusing blood became common in the 20th century, Jehovah’s Witnesses understood that this practice conflicted with God’s Word.
*** w00 10/15 pp. 30-31 Questions From Readers ***
Occasionally, a doctor will urge a patient to deposit his own blood weeks before surgery (preoperative autologous blood donation, or PAD) so that if the need arises, he could transfuse the patient with his own stored blood. However, such collecting, storing, and transfusing of blood directly contradicts what is said in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Blood is not to be stored; it is to be poured out—returned to God, as it were. Granted, the Mosaic Law is not in force now. Nevertheless, Jehovah’s Witnesses respect the principles God included in it, and they are determined to ‘abstain from blood.’ Hence, we do not donate blood, nor do we store for transfusion our blood that should be ‘poured out.’ That practice conflicts with God’s law.
*** w92 8/1 p. 25 Letting Their Light Shine in India ***
Because of accepting the truth, they had refused to join a college strike and also would not donate blood during a blood-collection campaign spearheaded by the student organizer.
*** w77 7/1 p. 410 Insight on the News ***
Moreover, God’s law to his people of ancient times specified that blood, when taken from a body, was not to be used for anything, but was to be disposed of. (Deut. 12:16) Later, Christians were specifically required to ‘abstain from blood.’ (Acts 15:28, 29) So, ‘donating blood as sacrifice’ is neither effective nor approved by God.
*** w61 1/15 p. 64 Questions From Readers ***
If, however, he refuses to acknowledge his nonconformity to the required Christian standard and makes the matter an issue in the Christian congregation and endeavors to influence others therein to his support; or, if in the future he persists in accepting blood transfusions or in donating blood toward the carrying out of this medical practice upon others, he shows that he has really not repented, but is deliberately opposed to God’s requirements. As a rebellious opposer and unfaithful example to fellow members of the Christian congregation he must be cut off therefrom by disfellowshiping.
Props to blondie who answered this many years ago....
https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/222784/jehovahs-witnesses-can-donate-blood
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HiddenPimo
Thank you Blondie and Dr Who. That’s what I was looking for. I have donated blood many times and am not PIMO since July 2019. This was a question posed by my non baptized brother. These are great references ...
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alanv
Watchtower would be ok if you were just somehow just donating some fractions, but you cant do that, so you would also be donating parts of blood that Watchtower bans. But clearly they are trying to keep away from this subject of donating blood