The Watchtower has used many printed pages defending the doctrine that Jesus’ return is invisible, but can find only a few scriptures that seem to support this doctrine and only by the misapplication of scripture. However, when reading the Watchtower publications one can find much human reasoning to try to support Jesus’ invisible return, even quoting Sir Isaac Newton as an authority on this subject and perhaps the father of the teaching. (See Watchtower July 15 1906 page 229 and Kingdom Proclaimers book chapter 5 page 46 footnote)
But, let’s look at the Biblical evidence. Jesus said in Matthew 24:30, “And then the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in lamentation, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory”.
The Watchtower’s reasoning book responds to this scripture on page 341: ‘Will Christ return in a manner visible to human eyes? John 14:19: “A little longer and the world will behold me no more, but you [Jesus’ faithful apostles] will behold me, because I live and you will live.” (Jesus had promised his apostles that he would come again and take them to heaven to be with him. They could see him because they would be spirit creatures as he is. But the world would not see him again."
By misapplying John 14:19 The Watchtower says Jesus will not be seen. But, what do other scriptures say? Notice the following Scriptures:
Daniel 7:13; “I kept on beholding in the visions of the night, and, see there! With the clouds of the heavens someone like a son of man happened to be coming; and to the Ancient of Days he gained access, and they brought him up close even before that One.”
Matthew 24:27; For just as the lightning comes out of eastern parts and shines over to western parts, so the presence of the Son of man will be
Matthew 26:64; “Jesus said to him: “You yourself said [it]. Yet I say to YOU men, from henceforth YOU will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Mark 13:26; “And then they will see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory.”
Mark 14:62; “Then Jesus said: “I am; and YOU persons will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
Luke 21:27; “And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”
1Thessalonians 4:16; “Because the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a commanding call, with an archangel’s voice and with God’s trumpet, and those who are dead in union with Christ will rise first.”
Hebrews 9:28; “So also the Christ was offered once for all time to bear the sins of many; and the second time that he appears it will be apart from sin and to those earnestly looking for him for [their] salvation.
Acts 1:11; “And they said: “Men of Gal´i·lee, why do YOU stand looking into the sky? This Jesus who was received up from YOU into the sky will come thus in the same manner as YOU have beheld him going into the sky.”
Revelation 1:7; “Look! He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, and those who pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in grief because of him. Yes, Amen.”
The reasoning book says this of Acts 1:11; “What is the meaning of Jesus’ coming “in the same manner” as he ascended to heaven? Acts 1:9-11: “While they [Jesus’ apostles] were looking on, he was lifted up and a cloud caught him up from their vision. And as they were gazing into the sky while he was on his way, also, look! two men in white garments stood alongside them, and they said: ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus who was received up from you into the sky will come thus in the same manner as you have beheld him going into the sky.’” (Notice that this says “the same manner,” not the same body. What was the “manner” of his ascent? As verse 9 shows, he disappeared from view, his departure being observed only by his disciples. The world in general was not aware of what happened. The same would be true of Christ’s return.)”
Of Revelation 1:7 the reasoning book says:
“What is meant by his ‘coming on the clouds’ and ‘every eye seeing him’?Rev. 1:7: “Look! He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, and those who pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in grief because of him.” (Also Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27) What is indicated by “clouds”? Invisibility. When an airplane is in a thick cloud or above the clouds, people on the ground usually cannot see it, although they may hear the roar of the engines. Jehovah told Moses: “I am coming to you in a dark cloud.” Moses did not see God, but that cloud indicated Jehovah’s invisible presence. (Ex. 19:9; see also Leviticus 16:2; Numbers 11:25.) If Christ were to appear visibly in the heavens, it is obvious that not “every eye” would see him. If he appeared over Australia, for example, he would not be visible in Europe, Africa, and the Americas, would he? In what sense will ‘every eye see him’? They will discern from events on earth that he is invisibly present. Also referring to sight that is not physical, John 9:41 reports: “Jesus said to [the Pharisees]: ‘If you were blind, you would have no sin. But now you say, “We see.” Your sin remains.’” (Compare Romans 1:20.) Following Christ’s return, some persons show faith; they recognize the sign of his presence. Others reject the evidence, but when Christ goes into action as God’s executioner of the wicked, even they will discern from the manifestation of his power that the destruction is not from men but from heaven. They will know what is happening because they were warned in advance. Because of what is overtaking them, they will “beat themselves in grief.” Who are “those who pierced him”? Literally, Roman soldiers did this at the time of Jesus’ execution. But they have long been dead. So this must refer to people who similarly mistreat, or ‘pierce,’ Christ’s true followers during “the last days.”—Matt. 25:40, 45.”
When we consider all of this explanation for two very simple passages it saddens me. First of all in Acts 1:11 the phrase, “in the same manner” when translated from the original language literally means “the same way”. Secondly, Scripture does not say that every eye will see Him at the same time. Even so, for any organization to say that Jesus could not appear to everyone at the same time, they are limiting Jehovah and using human reasoning. After all even man has the technology to beam TV broadcasts instantaneously and simultaneously all around the globe with satellites for all to see. Jehovah’s ability is much, much greater than this or than we can even imagine. (2Chronicles 2:6, 1Corinthians 2:9)
Concerning those who pierced him the Watchtower seems to have overlooked the fact that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. (John 5:28-29, Acts 24:15) Does this exclude those who pierced him? NO! They have to fall into one of these two categories, either righteous or unrighteous. According to the Philippians 2:10-11 every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord! This shows that ALL in the graves will HAVE to be resurrected. John 5:28-29 says: "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves shall hear His voice and come forth, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have practiced evil to the resurrection of condemnation." NKJV
When using God’s Word the Bible, the weight of preponderance clearly says that Jesus’ return is visible, it's audible and it will be literal! There are hundreds of prophecies regarding Jesus that have been fulfilled, and they have been fulfilled literally. So, why does the Watchtower take the words that Jesus Himself said, “Then they will see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory” (Mark 13:26), and insist that this is not true? When comparing Scriptures that say Jesus’ return is literal to those that may appear to say it is not, there is much more Bible evidence to support the truth of Jesus being visible upon his return. Yes, every eye will see Jesus coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Can You Understand the Bible?
Following are some passages from the Watchtower publication (What Does the Bible Really Teach) Statements from the "Teach" book will be in green text. I will follow the "Teach Book" quotes with quotes from the Watchtower which will be in light purple text. I will type my interjected thoughts in black text. Please take notice as to whether there is any contradiction between the green and the light purple text, while keeping in mind that both were published by the Watchtower.
Bible Teach book Pages 8-9 paragraphs 3 - 5:
3 "Think about the question on the cover of this book, the questions raised in the preface, or those at the beginning of this chapter. These are some of the most important questions you can ask. Yet, many people have given up trying to find the answers. Why? Does the Bible have the answers? Some feel that its answers are too hard to understand. Others worry that asking questions could lead to shame or embarrassment. And some decide that such questions are best left to religious leaders and teachers. What about you?
4 Very likely you are interested in getting answers to life’s big questions. No doubt you sometimes wonder: ‘What is the purpose of life? Is this life all there is? What is God really like?’ It is good to ask such questions, and it is important that you do not give up until you find satisfying, reliable answers. The famous teacher Jesus Christ said: "Keep on asking, and it will be given you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and it will be opened to you."—Matthew 7:7.
5 If you "keep on seeking" for answers to the important questions, you will find that the search can be very rewarding. (Proverbs 2:1-5) Despite what other people may have told you, there are answers, and you can find them—in the Bible. The answers are not too hard to understand. Better yet, they bring hope and joy. And they can help you to live a satisfying life right now. To begin, let us consider a question that has troubled many people."
I find these comments interesting. Paragraph 3 said:
And some decide that such questions are best left to religious leaders and teachers.
Isn't this what the witnesses do? They believe NOTHING without interpretation from the organization. Paragraph 5 says:
The answers are not too hard to understand.
I strongly AGREE with this comment. However, the organization does not. Look at these comments from the Watchtower. I give all references so you can see I do not take them out of context.
Watchtower 10/1/94 page 8 box
All who want to understand the Bible should appreciate that the “greatly diversified wisdom of God” can become known only through Jehovah’s channel of communication, the faithful and discreet slave.
Watchtower 10/1/67 page 587 paragraph 9
Thus the Bible is an organizational book and belongs to the Christian congregation as an organization, not to individuals, regardless of how sincerely they may believe that they can interpret the Bible. For this reason the Bible cannot be properly understood without Jehovah’s visible organization in mind.
This is a BOLD statement. If this is true, then what is the role of the Holy Spirit? (John 16:13)
Watchtower 12/1/81 page 27 paragraph 4
No matter where we may live on earth, God’s Word continues to serve as a light to our path and a lamp to our roadway as to our conduct and beliefs. (Ps. 119:105) But Jehovah God has also provided his visible organization, his “faithful and discreet slave,” made up of spirit-anointed ones, to help Christians in all nations to understand and apply properly the Bible in their lives. Unless we are in touch with this channel of communication that God is using, we will not progress along the road to life, no matter how much Bible reading we do.
I personally DO NOT believe that God's Word the Bible is so limited or hard to understand that we will not progress no matter how much Bible reading we do! If Jehovah's Witnesses really believe this perhaps they should just get rid of their Bibles and read only the Watchtower publications. Why muddy the waters by reading something that has to be interpreted?
Watchtower 10/1/67 page 591 paragraph 3
Make haste to identify the visible theocratic organization of God that represents his king, Jesus Christ. It is essential for life. Doing so, be complete in accepting its every aspect. We cannot claim to love God, yet deny his Word and channel of communication. We cannot accept apostolic teaching, yet reject our commission to teach others. We cannot accept the house-to-house ministry, yet ignore God’s moral requirements in everyday living. We cannot live an exemplary life, yet remain apathetic to the issue soon to be settled. We cannot preach the end of this system of things, yet seek to acquire all that this world has to offer in security or material benefits. Jehovah’s visible organization is based firmly on the twelvefold foundation of the “apostles of the Lamb,” with Jesus Christ himself being the foundation cornerstone. (Rev. 21:14, 19, 20; Eph. 2:20-22) Therefore, in submitting to Jehovah’s visible theocratic organization, we must be in full and complete agreement with every feature of its apostolic procedure and requirements.
NOWHERE in the Bible will you find ANYTHING suggesting that an organization is needed for life! This is truly human thinking and it puts the Watchtower organization in the place of Jesus! THIS IS DANGEROUS THINKING! Where is the scriptural reference for this statement? Now that we see how the Watchtower organization views itself, let's look at how the Watchtower views the Catholic Church and then you decide how the organization differs.
Watchtower 10/15/1956 page 617 paragraph 1
“CHILDREN of the Roman Catholic Church are told not to accept any doctrine that does not originate with the church. Further than that, they are told that the ordinary priest and even the bishops are not authorized to interpret the Bible.”
Watchtower 3/15/63 page 169-170 paragraph 6
Thus, though probably possessing a Bible and freely speaking of it as God’s Word, in reality these professed friends of the Bible are in a false position and, in effect, contradict themselves. This is well illustrated by the following quotation from a Roman Catholic publication. Under the heading, “How Catholics Regard the Bible,” we read: “Catholics . . . cherish the highest esteem and veneration for the Bible as the inspired Word of God, and regard it as a treasure of unique value.” What finer expression of confidence could you want? But wait! The next sentence reads: “But they [Catholics] consider that the Bible was never intended to be the sole and adequate Rule of Faith, partly because it is not a sufficiently exhaustive account of all Christ’s teaching, partly because its expressions of doctrine are not always clear and need authoritative interpretation.” With your confidence in the Bible now undermined, you are then told that the authority of the Catholic church is the divinely provided means for preserving Christ’s full teaching for all time. In other words, it is not the voice of God’s Word, but, rather, the voice of the Catholic church that should be heeded as having full and final authority.
Just think about it. The organization has actually become like the Catholic Church, which they have criticized many times for believing they were the sole authority and interpreter of the Bible for the people. Ask yourself, how is this different from the Watchtower organization? In almost every Watchtower magazine you can read of how we need to submit to and obey the faithful and discreet slave and their interpretation of the Bible. According to the Bible, we are to submit to and obey ONLY Jehovah and Jesus Christ! (Psalm 118:8-9, Acts 5:29)
Bible Teach book Pages 8-9 paragraphs 3 - 5:
3 "Think about the question on the cover of this book, the questions raised in the preface, or those at the beginning of this chapter. These are some of the most important questions you can ask. Yet, many people have given up trying to find the answers. Why? Does the Bible have the answers? Some feel that its answers are too hard to understand. Others worry that asking questions could lead to shame or embarrassment. And some decide that such questions are best left to religious leaders and teachers. What about you?
4 Very likely you are interested in getting answers to life’s big questions. No doubt you sometimes wonder: ‘What is the purpose of life? Is this life all there is? What is God really like?’ It is good to ask such questions, and it is important that you do not give up until you find satisfying, reliable answers. The famous teacher Jesus Christ said: "Keep on asking, and it will be given you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and it will be opened to you."—Matthew 7:7.
5 If you "keep on seeking" for answers to the important questions, you will find that the search can be very rewarding. (Proverbs 2:1-5) Despite what other people may have told you, there are answers, and you can find them—in the Bible. The answers are not too hard to understand. Better yet, they bring hope and joy. And they can help you to live a satisfying life right now. To begin, let us consider a question that has troubled many people."
I find these comments interesting. Paragraph 3 said:
And some decide that such questions are best left to religious leaders and teachers.
Isn't this what the witnesses do? They believe NOTHING without interpretation from the organization. Paragraph 5 says:
The answers are not too hard to understand.
I strongly AGREE with this comment. However, the organization does not. Look at these comments from the Watchtower. I give all references so you can see I do not take them out of context.
Watchtower 10/1/94 page 8 box
All who want to understand the Bible should appreciate that the “greatly diversified wisdom of God” can become known only through Jehovah’s channel of communication, the faithful and discreet slave.
Watchtower 10/1/67 page 587 paragraph 9
Thus the Bible is an organizational book and belongs to the Christian congregation as an organization, not to individuals, regardless of how sincerely they may believe that they can interpret the Bible. For this reason the Bible cannot be properly understood without Jehovah’s visible organization in mind.
This is a BOLD statement. If this is true, then what is the role of the Holy Spirit? (John 16:13)
Watchtower 12/1/81 page 27 paragraph 4
No matter where we may live on earth, God’s Word continues to serve as a light to our path and a lamp to our roadway as to our conduct and beliefs. (Ps. 119:105) But Jehovah God has also provided his visible organization, his “faithful and discreet slave,” made up of spirit-anointed ones, to help Christians in all nations to understand and apply properly the Bible in their lives. Unless we are in touch with this channel of communication that God is using, we will not progress along the road to life, no matter how much Bible reading we do.
I personally DO NOT believe that God's Word the Bible is so limited or hard to understand that we will not progress no matter how much Bible reading we do! If Jehovah's Witnesses really believe this perhaps they should just get rid of their Bibles and read only the Watchtower publications. Why muddy the waters by reading something that has to be interpreted?
Watchtower 10/1/67 page 591 paragraph 3
Make haste to identify the visible theocratic organization of God that represents his king, Jesus Christ. It is essential for life. Doing so, be complete in accepting its every aspect. We cannot claim to love God, yet deny his Word and channel of communication. We cannot accept apostolic teaching, yet reject our commission to teach others. We cannot accept the house-to-house ministry, yet ignore God’s moral requirements in everyday living. We cannot live an exemplary life, yet remain apathetic to the issue soon to be settled. We cannot preach the end of this system of things, yet seek to acquire all that this world has to offer in security or material benefits. Jehovah’s visible organization is based firmly on the twelvefold foundation of the “apostles of the Lamb,” with Jesus Christ himself being the foundation cornerstone. (Rev. 21:14, 19, 20; Eph. 2:20-22) Therefore, in submitting to Jehovah’s visible theocratic organization, we must be in full and complete agreement with every feature of its apostolic procedure and requirements.
NOWHERE in the Bible will you find ANYTHING suggesting that an organization is needed for life! This is truly human thinking and it puts the Watchtower organization in the place of Jesus! THIS IS DANGEROUS THINKING! Where is the scriptural reference for this statement? Now that we see how the Watchtower organization views itself, let's look at how the Watchtower views the Catholic Church and then you decide how the organization differs.
Watchtower 10/15/1956 page 617 paragraph 1
“CHILDREN of the Roman Catholic Church are told not to accept any doctrine that does not originate with the church. Further than that, they are told that the ordinary priest and even the bishops are not authorized to interpret the Bible.”
Watchtower 3/15/63 page 169-170 paragraph 6
Thus, though probably possessing a Bible and freely speaking of it as God’s Word, in reality these professed friends of the Bible are in a false position and, in effect, contradict themselves. This is well illustrated by the following quotation from a Roman Catholic publication. Under the heading, “How Catholics Regard the Bible,” we read: “Catholics . . . cherish the highest esteem and veneration for the Bible as the inspired Word of God, and regard it as a treasure of unique value.” What finer expression of confidence could you want? But wait! The next sentence reads: “But they [Catholics] consider that the Bible was never intended to be the sole and adequate Rule of Faith, partly because it is not a sufficiently exhaustive account of all Christ’s teaching, partly because its expressions of doctrine are not always clear and need authoritative interpretation.” With your confidence in the Bible now undermined, you are then told that the authority of the Catholic church is the divinely provided means for preserving Christ’s full teaching for all time. In other words, it is not the voice of God’s Word, but, rather, the voice of the Catholic church that should be heeded as having full and final authority.
Just think about it. The organization has actually become like the Catholic Church, which they have criticized many times for believing they were the sole authority and interpreter of the Bible for the people. Ask yourself, how is this different from the Watchtower organization? In almost every Watchtower magazine you can read of how we need to submit to and obey the faithful and discreet slave and their interpretation of the Bible. According to the Bible, we are to submit to and obey ONLY Jehovah and Jesus Christ! (Psalm 118:8-9, Acts 5:29)
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Blood Transfusions, Are They Wrong?
The Watchtower Society’s requirement that Jehovah’s Witnesses must refuse to accept blood transfusions dates back to 1945. Misinterpreting the Old Testament prohibition against eating animal blood as a routine food item, the Watchtower Society began teaching that receiving a blood transfusion was “eating human blood”. The Watchtower teaches Jehovah’s Witnesses to believe that receiving an infusion of human blood into their body’s circulatory system is the exact same thing as eating or ingesting blood into their body’s digestive system. Please notice the following statements.
The Watchtower, July 1, 1951 p-414 said, “A patient in the hospital maybe fed through the mouth, through the nose, or through the veins. When sugar solutions are given intravenously it is called intravenous feeding. So the hospital’s own terminology recognizes as feeding the process of putting nutrition into one’s system via the veins. Hence the attendant administering the transfusion is feeding the patient through the veins, and the patient receiving it is eating through his veins.”
Reasoning from the Scriptures P.73 Par.1 asks and answers, “Is a transfusion really the same as eating blood? In a hospital, when a patient cannot eat through his mouth, he is fed intravenously. Now, would a person who never put blood into his mouth but who accepted blood by transfusion really be obeying the command to “keep abstaining from . . . blood”? (Acts 15:29) To use a comparison, consider a man who is told by the doctor that he must abstain from alcohol. Would he be obedient if he quit drinking alcohol but had it put directly into his veins?”
At first glance this may sound reasonable, yet this is a faulty analogy. Just stop and think for a moment. What happens when alcohol gets into the stomach? While it is digested, it is not digested the same as food as some may think. Alcohol is first absorbed directly through the stomach and intestinal linings into the blood stream. Then the liver gradually digests it by breaking it down into fatty acids and water.
What happens when blood gets into the stomach? If blood is eaten, the ingested blood enters the body’s digestive system, where the blood would be treated by the body exactly the same as it would treat any food. Just as the food you eat, ingested blood would be completely digested and broken down into proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and waste, which are then either assimilated or excreted by the body.
Now, to deal with the Watchtower's analogy, what happens when alcohol is put directly into the blood stream intravenously? Again, the liver breaks down the alcohol into fatty acids and water. However, what happens to donor blood when it is put directly into your blood stream intravenously? The blood performs its normal functions. It stays in the blood stream and functions as blood! So is the blood digested? NO! Is it broken down and consumed by the body for nourishment? Absolutely Not! This makes it perfectly clear that taking a blood transfusion is not, and cannot be a form of eating the blood because the fact is the blood isn't even digested.
This helps us to see that taking alcohol through the veins or the mouth has the same result. Namely, the alcohol is broken down and digested by the liver. Yet when human blood is transfused into a body’s circulatory system, the transfused human blood remains to be human blood and continues to function as human blood. Therefore the blood's function is actually that of a vital organ like a liver, heart, etc.
The Watchtower uses scriptures that speak about the blood of slaughtered animals to teach Jehovah’s Witnesses that blood is “sacred” because blood is the “symbol of life”. Then, they turn around and require Jehovah’s Witnesses to sacrifice their own “life” to maintain the alleged “sacredness” of a “symbol” of the very thing they are sacrificing — their life.
In other words, Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse to acknowledge that the Watchtower doctrine on blood places a higher value on the SYMBOL (which is blood) than it does on the THING SYMBOLIZED (life). In fact, the Old Testament scriptures permitted the eating of un-bled animal meat which the Bible treats exactly the same as eating animal blood itself. In isolated occasions, when humans needed to eat un-bled meat in order to sustain their own human life, the Mosaic Law permitted such, but then required the eaters to fulfill the requirements of being “unclean” for a few days. (Lev 17:13-16) Thus, the Bible teaches that the sustaining of human life was more “sacred” than maintaining the sacredness of animal blood. To do otherwise would be doing exactly what the Watchtower Society does. It would make the SYMBOL (Blood) more SACRED than the THING SYMBOLIZED (Life).
The Watchtower organization is leading Jehovah’s Witnesses to disobey God and violate the Holy Scriptures in one of the most serious ways possible. Because humans were created in God’s image, (Gen 1:26) God considers human life sacred (Gen 3:8-16, Ex 20:13). A Jehovah’s Witness who sacrifices their SACRED LIFE in order to maintain the sacredness of a SYMBOL of that SACRED LIFE varies little from those who profane life by committing suicide.
Jehovah’s Witness Elders who teach and police this doctrine have unknowingly become accessories to murder for the sake of remaining loyal to an organization. The Bible is clear about how God views murder, and how He deals with murderers. (Ex 21:22-24) This twisting of scripture has led to the pointless deaths of numerous Jehovah’s Witnesses in the past, and it will continue to lead to the pointless deaths of many more Jehovah’s Witnesses in the future.
The Watchtower, July 1, 1951 p-414 said, “A patient in the hospital maybe fed through the mouth, through the nose, or through the veins. When sugar solutions are given intravenously it is called intravenous feeding. So the hospital’s own terminology recognizes as feeding the process of putting nutrition into one’s system via the veins. Hence the attendant administering the transfusion is feeding the patient through the veins, and the patient receiving it is eating through his veins.”
Reasoning from the Scriptures P.73 Par.1 asks and answers, “Is a transfusion really the same as eating blood? In a hospital, when a patient cannot eat through his mouth, he is fed intravenously. Now, would a person who never put blood into his mouth but who accepted blood by transfusion really be obeying the command to “keep abstaining from . . . blood”? (Acts 15:29) To use a comparison, consider a man who is told by the doctor that he must abstain from alcohol. Would he be obedient if he quit drinking alcohol but had it put directly into his veins?”
At first glance this may sound reasonable, yet this is a faulty analogy. Just stop and think for a moment. What happens when alcohol gets into the stomach? While it is digested, it is not digested the same as food as some may think. Alcohol is first absorbed directly through the stomach and intestinal linings into the blood stream. Then the liver gradually digests it by breaking it down into fatty acids and water.
What happens when blood gets into the stomach? If blood is eaten, the ingested blood enters the body’s digestive system, where the blood would be treated by the body exactly the same as it would treat any food. Just as the food you eat, ingested blood would be completely digested and broken down into proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and waste, which are then either assimilated or excreted by the body.
Now, to deal with the Watchtower's analogy, what happens when alcohol is put directly into the blood stream intravenously? Again, the liver breaks down the alcohol into fatty acids and water. However, what happens to donor blood when it is put directly into your blood stream intravenously? The blood performs its normal functions. It stays in the blood stream and functions as blood! So is the blood digested? NO! Is it broken down and consumed by the body for nourishment? Absolutely Not! This makes it perfectly clear that taking a blood transfusion is not, and cannot be a form of eating the blood because the fact is the blood isn't even digested.
This helps us to see that taking alcohol through the veins or the mouth has the same result. Namely, the alcohol is broken down and digested by the liver. Yet when human blood is transfused into a body’s circulatory system, the transfused human blood remains to be human blood and continues to function as human blood. Therefore the blood's function is actually that of a vital organ like a liver, heart, etc.
The Watchtower uses scriptures that speak about the blood of slaughtered animals to teach Jehovah’s Witnesses that blood is “sacred” because blood is the “symbol of life”. Then, they turn around and require Jehovah’s Witnesses to sacrifice their own “life” to maintain the alleged “sacredness” of a “symbol” of the very thing they are sacrificing — their life.
In other words, Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse to acknowledge that the Watchtower doctrine on blood places a higher value on the SYMBOL (which is blood) than it does on the THING SYMBOLIZED (life). In fact, the Old Testament scriptures permitted the eating of un-bled animal meat which the Bible treats exactly the same as eating animal blood itself. In isolated occasions, when humans needed to eat un-bled meat in order to sustain their own human life, the Mosaic Law permitted such, but then required the eaters to fulfill the requirements of being “unclean” for a few days. (Lev 17:13-16) Thus, the Bible teaches that the sustaining of human life was more “sacred” than maintaining the sacredness of animal blood. To do otherwise would be doing exactly what the Watchtower Society does. It would make the SYMBOL (Blood) more SACRED than the THING SYMBOLIZED (Life).
The Watchtower organization is leading Jehovah’s Witnesses to disobey God and violate the Holy Scriptures in one of the most serious ways possible. Because humans were created in God’s image, (Gen 1:26) God considers human life sacred (Gen 3:8-16, Ex 20:13). A Jehovah’s Witness who sacrifices their SACRED LIFE in order to maintain the sacredness of a SYMBOL of that SACRED LIFE varies little from those who profane life by committing suicide.
Jehovah’s Witness Elders who teach and police this doctrine have unknowingly become accessories to murder for the sake of remaining loyal to an organization. The Bible is clear about how God views murder, and how He deals with murderers. (Ex 21:22-24) This twisting of scripture has led to the pointless deaths of numerous Jehovah’s Witnesses in the past, and it will continue to lead to the pointless deaths of many more Jehovah’s Witnesses in the future.
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