Can you imagine reading Acts 15:28-29 and believing that this applies to all blood and blood products that enter the human body in any shape or form? For years and still currently, Jehovah's Witnesses have preached and enforced their members this interpretation. If any witness were to use their own discretion on this and allow a blood transfusion, they would be disfellowshipped, loosing contact with their family members and so called freinds. Of course, most are fully convinced in their own minds that this is the correct interpretation, since the "faithful and discreet slave", the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, God's supposed chosen channel of communication, interprets it this way.

But this goes much further, for RH factor, Rogam, shots, which contain blood globulins, are allowed by the Watchtower Society to be given to pregnant mothers, without disfellowshipment and are considered to be a matter of conscience. Hemopheliac factors VIII and IX are also allowed, which are taken out of whole blood that has been stored on shelves. And yet witnesses are not allowed to store their own blood for surgery, and are quoted Leviticus 17 and Deuteronomy 12:24, that the blood must "be poured out on the ground" and therefore cannot be stored. Do you see the contradictions here? Blood is also broken down into parts and the Watchtower decides which parts are a major component and not allowed and which parts are minor components and a matter of conscience. What men have the authority to determine this? Where in the bible does it state that plasma cannot be allowed, while globulins can? Certainly this is a case where men are taking matters into their own hands. Are they not responsible?

The most tragic of this teaching are the losses of thousands of innocent lives. Thousands of children are also included in this obedience to the Watchtower organization, who claim to be God's imperfect representative. As they change their views over the years on blood components, vaccinations and organ transplants, they remind their members how they are simply imperfect men who are part of "Jehovah's Organization", never standing still, always progressing foward and obtaining "new light" "refining their understanding." Unfortunately the old light has cost many lives until the new light has come along. True, the men are imperfect like anyone else and for this they do not claim any responsibility, but to enforce disfellowshipment to those who do not obey their ruling and to have thousands of innocent persons die, do make them responsible and blood guilty. (Proverbs 4:18)

Case in point, at a district convention Nathan Knorr, the president of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society gives a talk stating that "recieving an organ transplant is nothing short of cannablism." There are of course Watchtower articles that follow, going along with this interpretation, enforcing all of Jehovah's Witnesses to obey this restriction on medical organ transplants, or be disfellowshiped and shunned by all of their freinds and family.

Notice the following Watchtower and Awake magazine articles written by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society that condemn organ transplants.

The Watchtower of 11/15/72 Questions from readers states:

QUESTION: "Is there any Scriptural objection to donating one's body for use in
medical research or to accepting organs for
transplant from such a source?-W. L., U.S.A. "
ANSWER: "...Those who submit to such operations are thus living off the flesh of another human. That is cannibalistic. However, in allowing man to eat animal flesh Jehovah God did not grant permission for humans to try to perpetuate their lives by cannibalistically taking into their bodies human flesh, whether chewed
or in the form of whole organs or body parts taken from others."

The Awake Magazine of 6/8/68 page 21 states:

"There are those, such as the Christian witnesses of Jehovah, who
consider all transplants between humans
as cannibalism..." [Note: not on 1993/1995 CD-ROMs]

Years later, this supposed "faithful and discreet slave" class, the Watchtower Society, refines their understanding and drops their rigid view on this interpretation of organ transplants.

Notice this Watchtower article of 3/15/80 on page 31 Questions from Readers:

" ... there is no Biblical command pointedly
forbidding the taking in of other human tissue. ... It is a matter for
personal decision. (Gal. 6:5) The congregation judicial committee would
not take disciplinary action if someone accepted an organ transplant."

The Watchtower Society completely defend themselves and claim no responsibility for the loss of many lives, after all they are simply imperfect men and have never claimed to be infallible, as many Watchtower articles have stated.

One man, who has two grandsons, finds out they both have a disease that affects the liver. They are both only around 8 years old. To be obedient to God, according to the Watchtower Society's interpretation, this man does not allow his two young grandsons to obtain liver transplants, resulting in both of their deaths. Then around 10 years later, the Watchtower Society refines their understanding with "new light" and reverses their decision on organ transplants, allowing all of Jehovah's Witnesses to recieve them. One can only ask, who was this man obedient to when he allowed his two grandsons to die? God or a man's organization who assumed the position as God's "slave class" with the threat of disfellowshipment to those who do not obey? Are not the men who take the lead, the Governing Body, responsible for the loss of these lives? Are they any less blood guilty then Christendom and every other religion, who they constantly condemn?

Can you imagine how devasting this was to this man, seeing both his young grandsons die? The only comfort he had, was knowing he did it to be loyal and faithful to God. Even this does not take away most of the pain. Then to find out his loyalty was misplaced to men and not to God, would certainly increase his pain and anguish as the Watchtower Society reverses their decision. Now how would he feel? How would you feel? To make matters even worse, the Watchtower Society evades any responsibility and give no apoligies, rather they shift the blame to the individual witnesses as being too eager and reading too much into the Watchtower articles. Meanwhile your two precious grandsons are dead and you not only miss them terribly, but feel responsible and guilt ridden. This true story is only one example out of thousands.

Each individual must learn that God does not have any human spokesman or "slave class" on earth. Rather, any who do claim this are one of the many groups who are fulfilling the role of the "man of lawlessness" that Apostle Paul wrote about and acting as "masters over one's faith." (2 Thessalonians 2:3-5; 2 Cor 1:24) No men have the ultimate truth on God and divine right to enforce rules and regulations of the thousands of unclear teachings in the bible, with the alternative of disfellowshipment, for we see "in a hazy mirror, until the complete arrives." And if we do see any religious groups who are shunning others and causing innocent deaths because of those who do not obey their man made interpretations of the thousands of unclear teachings in the bible, then history and living examples should show us, not to follow them or become part of their group. For their teachings are spiritual poison.

Certainly, there are direct moral teachings in the bible that are black and white, such as murder, rape, stealing, adultery and more, however there are much, much more that are not black and white, but grey or conscience matters and must be personally decided by each individual. Any religious organization that attempts to take these conscience matters and turn them into a black or white ruling, are "going beyond the things written" being dangerous to one's physical, emotional and spiritual health and should be completely avoided. (1 Cor 4:6)

Lightbearer's EscapeFromWatchtower.com