Reformed Reflections

Sects and Cults
Jehovah Witnesses: Life-style

The Jehovah Witnesses are dedicated to Jehovah, but they have no concern for His world. Their one purpose is to gain more converts. Why be interested in operating orphanages or old-age homes if the world is going to be destroyed soon? They watch for the signs of the times, but no effort is made to alleviate the needs caused by these signs.

1. Human government

The only true citizenship is in "Jehovah's New World Society." World powers, governments and political parties are allied with Satan. Therefore, the JW don't vote or hold public office. They refuse to salute the flag of any nation or perform military service. In Canada, children of the JW have received the right to excuse themselves from class during the singing of 0 Canada; as in their view, the national anthem expresses patriotism, which is "idolatry."

2. Blood Transfusion

NO BLOOD TRANSFUSION! As a God-fearing Christian and a believer of God's Word, the Bible, I hereby demand that blood, in any way, shape or form, is NOT to be fed to my body, however blood substitutes may be used in case of extreme loss of blood.

Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh, Leviticus17:14.
(Card carried by Jehovah's Witnesses)

The refusal to have a blood transfusion has caused more furor and has given more publicity to the JW than any of their other practices and teachings. In Holland, a JW couple was refused permission to adopt a child on the grounds that parents are allowed to adopt only - if they intend to give medical treatment of a preventive or healing nature, when beneficial for the life and the well-being of the child. The JW couple had stated their explicit refusal to have a doctor give a blood transfusion.

Why do JW oppose blood transfusion even if the life of the patient is at stake? Because they see blood transfusion as "feeding on blood." They base their' view on their literal and absurd interpretation of Gen. 9:4; Lev.3:7; 7:27; 17:10; 11, 14 and Acts 15:20,29. They write: "Examine the Scriptures carefully and notice that they tell us to `keep free from blood' and to abstain from blood.' (Acts 15:20,29). What does this mean? If a doctor were to tell you to abstain from alcohol, would that mean simply that you should not take it through your mouth but that you could transfuse it directly into your veins? Of course not! So, too, `abstaining from blood' means not taking it into our bodies at all."

James W. Sire in Scripture Twisting comments: "But a blood transfusion is not eating. A transfusion replenishes the supply of essential, life sustaining fluid that has otherwise drained away or become incapable of performing its vital tasks in the body. A blood transfusion is not even equivalent to intravenous feeding because the blood so given does not function as food. The Jehovah's Witnesses argument is based on false analogy."

Futhermore, the biblical evidence offered has nothing to do with blood transfusion as a modern medical means of life support. Dr. Anthony A. Hoekema says: ... the blood prohibited in the Levitical laws was not human but animal, and what was forbidden was the eating of this blood with the mouth, since God had appointed the blood of animals as a means of making atonement. Scriptural prohibitions against the eating of blood have nothing to do with the infusing of blood into the veins for medicinal purposes."

Johan D. Tangelder
August, 1983