[Carrie32377]

I have heard that Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in medicine or blood transfusions. This concerns me because at the age of 13 a blood transfusion saved my life. Would Jehovah's Witnesses actually let their child die before giving them a transfusion? All in the name of religion? What religion would teach that, and what kind of mother would allow it?

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Name : Carrie32377, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 22, City : Norfolk, State : VA Country : United States, Occupation : student, Social class : Middle class, 

[Chandra]

I am so glad you asked that question, and the answer is an emphatic no. It would be a clear violation of Bible principles to allow our child to die if there were a way to save them. We do believe in medicine and going to doctors. We get sick just like everyone else! But according to the scripture at Acts 15:29 (as well as other scriptures), God clearly states that his worshippers should stay away from taking in blood. This would mean in any form: eating and drinking (as some ancient cultures had the custom), as well as transfusions. While we don't accept blood transfusions,we do use non-blood alternatives such as saline solutions and other types of blood volume expanders. In fact, medical (and legal) cases regarding Jehovah's Witnesses show we are actually pioneers in the field of bloodless surgery. Doctors are realizing (admitting?) that there are alternatives that are much safer and have a lower rejection rate than real blood. Blood alternatives may well eliminate the problem of tainted/infected blood or blood-type mixups. For more information on this, try www.watchtower.org or www.jw-media.org. A note of caution, though: These are the ONLY official sites for Witnesses. I personally don't trust anywhere else on the Web for info on Witnesses because I've come across many, many lies. If you really want to know more, try these sites, or even better, go to the Kingdom Hall in your area and start asking them questions. Ask for proof of what they belive. Many people shy away from asking Jehovah's Witnesses about their religion. Why? I don't know. I think most people would rather guess or assume or stick with their own opinions rather than seek the truth from the source. I wish more people were like you.

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Name : Chandra, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 27, City : Detroit, State : MI Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Chris S.]

It is true that Jehovah's Witnesses refuse to have other people's blood put into their own bodies. This is because God's Word, the Bible forbids it. However, that does not mean we refuse any kind of medical treatment. We are very happy to use the many 'safe' alternatives, and it may surprise you to learn that that when a list of people refusing blood transfusions was compiled a few years ago, Jehovah's Witnesses were not at the top. Most common were surgeons and their relatives, Informed people, and some others whom I can't remember off the top of my head. I am willing to give more details if you wish. Jehovah's Witnesses have done some sterling work in the field of bloodless medicine and have received praise from the BMA many times.

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Name : Chris S., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 39, City : Lincoln, State : NA Country : United Kingdom, Occupation : Business owner, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Jim R]

I can't believe that anyone would split a hair so finely as to believe that a transfusion is against scripture. Taking in blood? That verse in Acts 15:29 pertains to sacrificing. Has nothing to do with the subject of vital life saving transfusions. Apples and oranges in comparision. My daughter in law would be dead as of this month had it not been for such a transfusion. Other blood products would not have saved her and I know her to be called by God to be a minister of the faith. Her life is more important to me than to let her die because we or her husband refused transfusions of blood. That is a willful act of murder.

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Name : Jim R, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Pentecostal, Age : 54, City : Jacksonville, State : NC Country : United States, Occupation : Information Technology, Education level : Technical School, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Eugene]

I am not a Jehovah's witness so I stand to be corrected. The Bible forbids the eating or drinking of blood and as far as I understand it, Jehovah's witnesses believe that if you were to physically drink blood, it would enter your system. Similarly, if you were to get a blood transfusion, you would be getting the blood into your system - this would be equivalent to eating it. Perhaps a Jehovah's witness could let us know if this is indeed the argument against blood transfusion.

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Name : Eugene, City : Johannesburg, State : NA Country : South Africa, 

[Jem]

*burp* that sucks

User Detail :  

Name : Jem, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 18, City : Bakersfield, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

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