***Please Note:  The YORWW Congregation Does NOT Advocate The Transfusion Or Usage Of Any Whole Blood, Blood Components, Or Blood Products In Compliance With The Divine Law Recorded At Acts 15:28, 29***

In the past few years, we have seen some major policy changes on blood in how God's Name People (Jehovah's Witnesses) are to view the blood policy, as handed down by the Governing Body.  However, when closely examined, some of these changes can be very confusing to some who have accepted them as truly "new light."  Therefore, let's consider the following information presented below, very carefully, in the light of God's Word and contemplate actually what these recent changes could mean to us as worshipers of the True God, Jehovah.

Please find below a few of the MAJOR CHANGES made by the Watchtower Society on the blood policy in recent years. Please take your time and read all of them as the pages appear for you, automatically.

MAJOR CHANGES

 

Well, after considering all the information above, does these policy changes seem confusing to you?  To many concerned Jehovah's Witnesses themselves, these changes appears to present a dilemma of sorts that we are all caught up in.  Actually in the beginning as you have noticed, the blood policy was easy to understand, straightforward. However, in later years, they become very clouded and murky as time progressed under the leadership of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, since this particular arrangement was founded in December 1975.

To help us get a clear picture in our minds of exactly what this information means, here is a graph taken from the June 15, 2004 Watchtower Magazine study article entitled, "Be Guided By The Living God," page 22, to help us see:

As you can see from the graph above, the Governing Body decided to make it possible for all Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide, to take blood fractions and yet claim they were honoring God's clear command to "abstain from blood." (Acts 15:28, 29) They made this possible by saying the plain command to "abstain from blood" was actually, a "matter of conscience" for each individual Jehovah's Witness. 

However, lets reason upon what is shown above in the chart taken from the June 15, 2004 Watchtower magazine. (Please review.) Now, did you notice that now, since June of the year 2000, Questions From Readers pages 29-31 (and re-emphasized with the release of the June 15, 2004 Watchtower magazine), Jehovah's witnesses are now allowed to take Red Cell fractions, White Cell fractions, Platelet fractions, and finally Plasma fractions. In the case of Red Cell fractions, Jehovah's witnesses are now allowed to take hemoglobin which represents about 97% of the makeup of the Red Cell. Yes, Jehovah's Witnesses can now take fractions from all four (4) components of blood. This is a fact. (See also article on "Governing Body's Approval of Cow's Blood For Jehovah's Witness Transfusion".) In fact, there was no mention in the above chart or the articles written that specify whether any particular part of the Red Cell components or White Cell components, etc., etc., were off limits for Jehovah's witnesses to take. Did you notice this?

When we think back, Jehovah's Witnesses originally held the clear viewpoint of total abstention blood should be observed for all Christians. (Acts 15:28, 29) For example, lets look at what the Insight On The Scriptures publication (1988) plainly says on the original view of taking blood. It says:

*** Insight Book Volume 1 p. 344 Blood ***

In the Bible, the soul is said to be in the blood because blood is so intimately involved in the life processes. God's Word says: "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." (Leviticus 17:11) For like reason, but making the connection even more direct, the Bible says: "The soul of every sort of flesh is its blood." (Leviticus 17:14) Clearly, God's Word treats both life and blood as sacred.

Also in the same Insight Book Volume 1, under the subheading, "Proper Use of Blood," page 344, it adds:

As shown above, there was only one use of blood that God ever approved, namely, for sacrifice. He directed that those under the Mosaic Law offer animal sacrifices to make atonement for sin. (Leviticus 17:10, 11) It was also in harmony with His will that His Son, Jesus Christ, offered up his perfect human life as a sacrifice for sins. -- Hebrews 10:5, 10.

Then on the next page of Insight Book Volume 1 [page 345] under the subheading, "Under the Mosaic Law," it says:

Anyone who ate blood of any sort of flesh was to be 'cut off from among his people.' Deliberate violation of this law regarding the sacredness of blood meant being "cut off" in death. -- Leviticus 17:10; 7:26, 27; Numbers 15:30, 31.

And down a little farther down on the same page of the Insight Book Volume 1 [page 345] it adds:

Under the Christian arrangement, the governing body of the first-century Christian congregation, under the direction of the holy spirit, ruled on the matter of blood. Their decree states: "For the holy spirit and we ourselves have favored adding no further burden to you, except these necessary things, to keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication. If you carefully keep yourselves from these things, you will prosper. Good health to you!" (Acts 15:22, 28, 29) The prohibition included flesh with the blood in it ("things strangled").

This same book also adds on next page of Insight Book Volume 1 [page 346] further reasoning:

About seven years after the Jerusalem council issued the decree, Christians continued to comply with the "decision that they should keep themselves from what is sacrificed to idols as well as from blood and what is strangled and from fornication." (Acts 21:25)

Therefore we can see given the above comments taken from the Insight Book Volume 1, we realize fully the Watchtower Society under the Governing Body's direction, knows full well what God's Word, the Bible has to say on this subject of taking in blood. So then, why are they saying to God's Name People that a clear commandment of God can be sidestepped as a matter of conscience?   Yes, why are they saying now it is entirely permissible for God's Name People, Jehovah's Witnesses, yes since 1978, to take blood fractions or products made with blood derivatives in them? Also, are these recent Blood Policy Changes really true "NEW LIGHT" from Jehovah God? What do you think?

Actually, if we are truly honest about this entire matter, we would have to say the Watchtower Society, under the Governing Body's direction, is telling us as Christians NOT to take whole blood or it's four primary components BUT we CAN take fractions of components of whole blood, into our bodies.  But really, are not blood fractions, blood components themselves, a part of whole blood?  Is this reasoning sound, reasonable, or dishonest, misleading, deceitful -- which?

Not surprisingly, we've found people often fall prey to "intellectual dishonesty" and reveal by their private reasoning, that they do not really want to hear the truth, preferring instead "to have their ears tickled." (2 Timothy 4:3)

For example, what if you were allergic to peanuts? Would you then conclude that you could consume PEANUT OIL or perhaps PEANUT BUTTER or for that matter, anything else extracted from the peanut, and think that you were safe? Of course not! Therefore, if God's Word, the Bible, clearly says NOT to take blood, but even ABSTAIN completely from it, doesn't it mean for us to NOT take parts, components or fractions of blood, no matter how small or minute those parts are? Isn't that a reasonable conclusion to reach?

Some important questions to ask ourselves:

· Am I one who would rather have my "ears tickled" or do I want to adhere to Divine Law completely, as God's Word recommends? -- 2 Timothy 4:3; 1 John 5:3

· Why has the Governing Body been showing an obvious STEADY DECLINE in their spiritual outlook on the use of blood over the years?  And why are so many Jehovah's Witnesses NOT aware of this decline?

· Finally, could the so-called "New Light" Blood Policy Changes received from the Governing Body in recent years, have anything to do with the acute RISE IN LAWSUITS against the Watchtower Society over the World Wide Blood Policy of Jehovah's Witnesses?  

After considering all the above and the information from the Watchtower Society's publications and from God's Word, the Bible, ask yourself…

IF THE NON-CONSUMPTION OF BLOOD IS TO BE VIEWED AS A DIRECT COMMAND FROM GOD, THEN HOW CAN MEN MAKE IT A MATTER OF CONSCIENCE?

So in conclusion...

            “...what does this all mean for you, as one of Jehovah's Witnesses?”

Think About It!

© 1994 - 2024  Donald C. Burney

IT MEANS THIS:   Because of the current Blood Policy, the congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses on a world wide scale, we would have to admit, has indeed become completely polluted, contaminated and have become as "leaven" before God as a result of the Governing Body's wicked decision to allow individuals within the congregations at large, to accept BLOOD FRACTIONS, BLOOD COMPONENTS or BLOOD PRODUCTS, which are manufactured from blood derivatives. Furthermore, in making such a wicked decision, clearly exposes this vile group of men to be the infamous "Man of Lawlessness" of Bible Prophecy (since their conception in the year of 1975).  Who thereby have caused God's Name People, Jehovah's Witnesses today to be shown as utter DISGRACEFUL HYPOCRITES before ALL mankind earth wide today and outright TRANSGRESSORS of God's Unchangeable Law and Commandment to "ABSTAIN" from blood, totally! -- See Luke 12:1; Galatians 5:9; Acts 15:28, 29; Acts 21:25; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12.

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