This was just released in English on JW.org. (I’ll put all the links in the description field of this video.)
So it appears that everything is a matter of conscience except for taking a full-on blood transfusion.
How this next part will be applied remains to be seen. (Also from the same web page announcement.)
So, if a witness has a full blood transfusion, do the congregation elders get involved?
The big question is why now and why the rush. They’ve released this in English, with other languages to follow. Normally, they release everything at once, but this was too urgent for that.
I mean we’re talking about a policy that goes back to the mid-1940s. It’s a policy that was given teeth in 1961 when a Witness could be disfellowshipped for receiving a blood transfusion. That’s 67 years ago. For 67 years, a Witness could be expelled from the congregation and shunned by all his or her friends and family and now suddenly, that’s all changed. Is this the leading of the holy spirit, or is it an organization trying desperately to do damage control in light of growing government probes into harmful and dangerous policies?
This announcement is for the press, but for Witnesses there is a Governing Body update #6, also just released and also only in English at the moment. Let’s get into it.
After talking about international assemblies and disaster relief, Governing Body member Geoffrey Jackson gets down to the meat of this update.
We realize that life is a precious gift from Jehovah. As Psalm 36:9 says, Jehovah is the source of life. Jehovah's people have always endeavored to reflect his view of the sacredness of life. This is why we refuse to support wars or to take the lives of unborn children, And we avoid recklessness that could result in the loss of life.
Really. Look at this Awake! Magazine of May 22, 1994. How many children, like those pictured here, gave up their lives for a belief that you are now changing from a command of God to a matter of conscience? You say you avoid recklessness that could result in the loss of life, and you have the audacity to say such a thing while ignoring the loss of life that could have been prevented had you made the No Blood policy a matter of conscience back in 1961 when you made it obligatory?!
The Governing Body claims they avoid recklessness that could result in the loss of life, but those are just the things one says for the sake of public relations. The facts speak of a different reality.
Additionally, Jehovah connects the sacredness of life with blood. In his command to Noah at Genesis 9:4, Jehovah said, Only flesh with its life, its blood, you must not eat. Under the direction of Holy Spirit, the apostles issued a similar command that Christians should abstain from blood.
It's recorded at Acts 15:28-29. 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, From blood, from what is strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you carefully keep yourselves from these things, you will prosper. Good health to you!
These men claim to be Bible scholars led by God’s holy spirit. If we accept that, then since 1961, the holy spirit was telling them to disfellowship anyone who violated the No Blood policy. What? And now the holy spirit has changed its mind?
Have you ever wondered why the Jewish congregation would counsel the congregation in the pagan gentile city of Antioch to abstain from those four things? I mean there are many things that Christians are supposed to avoid, so why focus on eating unbled meat, things sacrificed to idols, sexual immorality, and blood?
Because those were all things practiced in pagan worship. Pagan temples were not places for solemn worship and quiet prayerful meditation. They were like night clubs where you went to eat, drink, sacrifice to your favorite God, and sleep with men and women prostitutes, and yes, drink blood.
The holy spirit wasn’t telling them to avoid life-saving medical procedures. That verse closed with “Good health to you!” That hardly makes sense if it is denying you a procedure that could save your life.
This means that Christians don't eat unbled meat. But this command is more than a dietary restriction. It's an opportunity for each of God's servants to reflect Jehovah's view of life. Obedience to this command includes avoiding the consumption of blood. And since the underlying principle is respect for life, it also includes avoiding blood guilt caused by murder or by careless or reckless conduct that could result in the loss of life.
Jackson says the underlying principle is “respect for life.” Okay, now reason with me on his Geoffrey. Which is more important, the symbol or the thing is symbolizes? If blood is used to symbolically represent life, then do we hold the symbol as of greater importance than the thing is symbolizes. Do we sacrifice life to uphold the symbol?
Geoffrey speaks of avoiding blood guilt caused by murder or careless or reckless conduct. Does the man not see the irony?
Who was the first murderer? Jesus reveal his name when speaking with members of the Governing Body of Israel.
“Why do you not understand what I am saying? Because you cannot listen to my word. You are from your father the Devil, and you wish to do the desires of your father. That one was a murderer when he began, and he did not stand fast in the truth, because truth is not in him. When he speaks the lie, he speaks according to his own disposition, because he is a liar and the father of the lie.” (John 8:43, 44)
Jesus calls Satan a murderer, yet the devil never actually pulled out a weapon and killed Eve, did he? No, he murdered her by seducing her with his words. He led her to her death. For 80 years, the Governing Body has told Jehovah’s Witnesses that if they take a blood transfusion, they are sinning against God and could lose out on everlasting life. For over 60 years, they’ve reinforced that teaching with the severe punishment of shunning. Now they’re changing the policy, but what about their blood guilt. How many have they murdered just as Satan did by inducing Eve to take a course of action contrary to her welfare?
In all of those areas, Jehovah's Witnesses have shown a determination to reflect Jehovah's view that life and blood are sacred.
Not Jehovah’s view, Geoffrey—Your view and that of your cohorts. If it had been Jehovah’s view, then there would be no need to change it now after 80 years.
With regard to blood, Jehovah's Witnesses have understood Acts 15 to mean they should not consume whole blood, either by mouth or by transfusion, and that they should not donate blood. This position has protected Jehovah's people spiritually and physically.
No, it hasn’t! It hasn’t protected them physically. I personally know of a newborn who lost its mother because she was faithfully following the commands of men as doctrines of God. A widower with a newborn because mommy was lied to.
Believing commands of men taught as doctrines of God is never a protection, neither spiritually or physically.
Furthermore, the Bible does not comment on the use of a person's own blood in medical and surgical care. Therefore, like other choices about healthcare, each Christian must make his own decision about the use of his own blood in all medical and surgical care.
This scriptural clarification allows each Christian to do as stated in Galatians 6:5: Each one will carry his own load.
After further prayerful consideration, the Governing Body has decided that this same principle applies to the 4 primary components of whole blood— that's red cells, white cells, plasma, and platelets— that are derived from another person's blood.
So now, after 80 years, the Governing Body after further prayerful consideration has decided… not Jehovah, not Jesus, not the holy spirit, but the men of the Governing Body have decided what is good for you and what is bad for you.
First, they decided it was okay now to have a blood transfusion if you were using your own stored blood. That was a change. Now they’re allowing you to use the four major components, but not blood as a whole if it’s not yours.
This is like saying, you can eat bacon, you can eat lettuce, you can eat tomato, and you can eat bread. That’s okay. But if you make a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich, you’re sinning.
The Governing Body continues to regard this as a very serious matter. However, since the Scriptures don't comment on the various products that may be derived from blood, we recognize that, in harmony with 1 Corinthians 4:6, we're not authorized to go beyond the things that are written.
Then pray tell Geoffrey old boy, why did you go beyond the things that are written for the past 80 years, huh?
Brothers and sisters, we know this is a lot of information for you to take in. But what's the main point? Jehovah's Witnesses don't accept transfusions of whole blood, nor do we donate whole blood to be transfused to others. We also don't eat blood or unbled meat. However, whether to accept components or fractions derived from another person's blood is a decision for each Christian to make.
Give it time and I’m sure you’ll see them apply this reasoning—after prayerful consideration, of course—to the blood transfusions. They are trying to back out of a policy that is causing them enormous financial headaches. They thought the end would come before the end of the 20th century. They thought they’d never have to face the consequences of the abysmal misapplication of Bible principles and misinterpretation of Bible prophecies. But we’ve just entered the second quarter of the 21st century and the hounds are at the door.
You’ll notice the complete lack of contrition on their part. No apology will be forthcoming, because they don’t want the legal exposure admitting they were wrong would bring upon them. They want you to believe they were just doing the best they could and if people died unnecessarily because of their ineptitude, well, too bad, so sad.
I was raised from infancy as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. I served as an elder for forty years in Canada, Colombia and Ecuador. I was a zealous member of Jehovah’s Witnesses Organizaiton. Perhaps there are many of you watching this who were or are zealous believers in the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses. It’s hard to realize that you’ve been wrong for so long, in my case, 60 years. But take heart from Paul’s words about himself.
“I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who imparted power to me, because he considered me faithful by assigning me to a ministry, although formerly I was a blasphemer and a persecutor and an insolent man. Nevertheless, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and with a lack of faith. But the undeserved kindness of our Lord abounded exceedingly along with faith and the love that is in Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 1:12-14)
Now is the time to accept the grace of God, or as Witnesses like to call it, the undeserved kindness of Jehovah, and break free from enslavement to men. The oft-repeated phrase, “the Governing Body has decided” is an abomination and reeks of idolatry. “Get out of her my people,” says the Lord at Revelation 18:4.
We no longer follow men. We follow the Christ.
“If you carefully keep yourselves from these things, you will prosper. Good health to you!” (Acts 15:29)
If you want to see real in-depth research into this issue, check out the links to a series of articles on the Beroean Pickets web site listed in the description of this video.
Thank you all.