Why Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Avoid Blood Transfusions?

Christian Pure Team

·

Summary

  • Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that blood is sacred and represents life, leading them to refuse blood transfusions as a matter of faith.
  • Key Bible passages guide their stance on blood, including Genesis 9:4, Leviticus 17:10,14, and Acts 15:28-29, which they interpret as commands to abstain from blood.
  • While they strictly prohibit certain types of blood products, individual conscience allows for some acceptance of blood fractions and procedures using their own blood under specific conditions.
  • Accepting a blood transfusion can lead to disciplinary actions within the community, highlighting the seriousness of this belief in their faith and identity.

Understanding Our Neighbors: Why Jehovah’s Witnesses Abstain From Blood Transfusions Hello friends! Isn’t it a wonderful thing when we take a moment to understand the hearts and beliefs of those around us? In our journey of faith, we meet people from all walks of life, each striving to honor God in their own special way. Sometimes, questions pop up about practices that might seem a little different from what we’re used to. One of those questions often involves our neighbors,…

Continue reading with a subscription

Get unlimited access to all our premium content and exclusive features.

Subscribe Now

Enjoy unlimited access, cancel anytime.

Bibliography (Click to show)

Bibliography:

  1. Jehovah's Witnesses and the Question of Blood – JW.ORG, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/Jehovahs-Witnesses-and-the-Question-of-Blood/Jehovahs-Witnesses-and-the-Question-of-Blood/
  2. Jehovah's Witnesses—The Surgical/Ethical Challenge – JW.ORG, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/How-Can-Blood-Save-Your-Life/Jehovahs-Witnesses-The-SurgicalEthical-Challenge/
  3. The stance of Jehovah's Witnesses on the use blood and Hospital Liaison Committee – PMC, accessed May 4, 2025, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3092969/
  4. A point of contention: the scriptural basis for the Jehovah's Witnesses' refusal of blood transfusions. – Carroll Collected, accessed May 4, 2025, https://collected.jcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1061&context=theo_rels-facpub
  5. Jehovah's Witnesses | Blood Transfusion: Bioethics & Law | JW.ORG …, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.jw.org/en/medical-library/blood-transfusion-bioethics-medical-law/
  6. Transfusion-Alternative Health Care​—Meeting Patient Needs and Rights – JW.ORG, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.jw.org/en/medical-library/videos/blood-transfusion-patient-needs-rights/
  7. Medical Information for Clinicians of Jehovah's Witnesses – JW.ORG, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.jw.org/en/medical-library/medical-information/
  8. What Does the Bible Say About Blood Transfusions? – JW.ORG, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/bible-about-blood-transfusion/
  9. Jehovah's Witnesses and blood transfusions – Wikipedia, accessed May 4, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah%27s_Witnesses_and_blood_transfusions
  10. Why Don't Jehovah's Witnesses Accept Blood Transfusions? – JW.ORG, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/jehovahs-witnesses-why-no-blood-transfusions/
  11. Why do Jehovah's Witnesses abstain from blood? – The BMJ, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.bmj.com/rapid-response/2011/10/28/why-do-jehovahs-witnesses-abstain-blood
  12. JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES – Kentucky Hospital Association, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.kyha.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CulturalGuidelines-JehovahsWitness.pdf
  13. Ethical and legal aspects of refusal of blood transfusions by Jehovah's Witnesses, with particular reference to Italy – PMC, accessed May 4, 2025, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3934270/
  14. Acts 15:28, 29 – Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY, accessed May 4, 2025, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/s/r1/lp-e?q=Acts+15%3A28%2C+29%3B+21%3A25&fc%5B%5D=g&p=par
  15. In Leviticus 17:10-11, why do we refuse to accept blood transfusions? – Quora, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.quora.com/In-Leviticus-17-10-11-why-do-we-refuse-to-accept-blood-transfusions
  16. Jehovah's Witnesses and Blood Transfusions: Their Use of Scripture in Their Blood Doctrine, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.equip.org/articles/jehovahs-witnesses-blood-transfusions-use-scripture-blood-doctrine/
  17. Acts 15:29 You must abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell. – Bible Hub, accessed May 4, 2025, https://biblehub.com/acts/15-29.htm
  18. God's Word on the Sanctity of Blood – EARLY CHRISTIAN BELIEFS, accessed May 4, 2025, https://earlychristianbeliefs.org/gods-word-on-the-sanctity-of-blood/
  19. Has the Watchtower Society ever approved of blood transfusions in the past? – Quora, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.quora.com/Has-the-Watchtower-Society-ever-approved-of-blood-transfusions-in-the-past
  20. Religious and Ethical Position on Medical Therapy and Related Matters – JW.ORG, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.jw.org/en/medical-library/medical-information/ret/religious-ethical-position/
  21. Bioethical aspects of the recent changes in the policy of refusal of blood by Jehovah's Witnesses – PMC, accessed May 4, 2025, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1119307/
  22. Jehovah's Witnesses and Blood Products, accessed May 4, 2025, https://profedu.blood.ca/sites/default/files/2022-03/Sickkids%282021%29%20TC%20Day%204.pdf
  23. How Do I View Blood Fractions and Medical Procedures Involving My Own Blood?, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.jw.org/en/library/kingdom-ministry/km200611/How-Do-I-View-Blood-Fractions-and-Medical-Procedures-Involving-My-Own-Blood/
  24. Jehovah's Witnesses and Refusal of Transfusion, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.dbth.nhs.uk/document/patt84/
  25. Minor Blood Fractions | Allegheny Health Network, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.ahn.org/services/medicine/bloodless-medicine/faq/minor-blood-fraction
  26. Blood Fractions and Surgical Procedures | God's Love – JW.ORG, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/gods-love/blood-fractions-surgical-procedures/
  27. Quality Alternatives to Transfusion – JW.ORG, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/How-Can-Blood-Save-Your-Life/Quality-Alternatives-to-Transfusion/
  28. Saving a Thousand Lives a Year: Reforming Watchtower's Policy on Blood – Part One, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.openmindsfoundation.org/blog/saving-thousand-lives-year-reform-watchtowers-policy-blood-transfusions-part-one/
  29. T.H. BINDLEY, The Apology of Tertullian (1890), accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.tertullian.org/articles/bindley_apol/bindley_apol.htm
  30. The Apology of Tertullian: Then and Now – Modern Reformation, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.modernreformation.org/resources/essays/the-apology-of-tertullian-then-and-now
  31. Apology Chapter 40 – Tertullian – Logos Virtual Library: Catalogue, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.logoslibrary.org/tertullian/apology/40.html
  32. Acts 15 and the Apostolic Decree : r/Christianity – Reddit, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/Christianity/comments/l1ubm1/acts_15_and_the_apostolic_decree/
  33. How do modern Christians ensure this: "..that you abstain…from blood, from the meat of strangled animals.." Acts 15:29, Council of Jerusalem : r/OrthodoxChristianity – Reddit, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/OrthodoxChristianity/comments/kwyw8n/how_do_modern_christians_ensure_this_that_you/
  34. Decree of the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) Part 2: The Decree's Purpose – GCI Archive, accessed May 4, 2025, https://archive.gci.org/articles/decree-of-the-council-of-jerusalem-acts-15-part-2-the-decrees-purpose/
  35. Book of Acts 15 | Passion For Truth, accessed May 4, 2025, https://passionfortruth.com/articles-2024/acts-15/
  36. Acts 15:29 Study Bible: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality, from which if you keep yourselves, it will be well with you. Farewell." – Bible Hub, accessed May 4, 2025, https://biblehub.com/study/acts/15-29.htm
  37. Always Abstain from Food Offered to Idols? | Catholic Answers Q&A, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.catholic.com/qa/abstain-from-food-offered-to-idols
  38. Enduring Word Bible Commentary Acts Chapter 15, accessed May 4, 2025, https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/acts-15/
  39. Can someone explain acts 15:29? : r/Christianity – Reddit, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/Christianity/comments/2zg0p7/can_someone_explain_acts_1529/
  40. Apologeticus – Wikipedia, accessed May 4, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apologeticus
  41. Tertullian's Apology: A Summary and Reflection – Boonstra Babble, accessed May 4, 2025, https://nickboonstra.com/2023/04/28/tertullians-apology-a-summary-and-reflection/
  42. CHURCH FATHERS: Apology (Tertullian) – New Advent, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0301.htm
  43. The apology of Tertullian, accessed May 4, 2025, https://ia801303.us.archive.org/33/items/apologyoftertull00tert/apologyoftertull00tert.pdf
  44. The Apology, translated by Wm. Reeve, (1709 reprinted 1889) – The Tertullian Project, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.tertullian.org/articles/reeve_apology.htm
  45. The Real Presence – Church Fathers, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.churchfathers.org/the-real-presence
  46. Early Church Evidence Refutes Real Presence | One Fold Blog – WordPress.com, accessed May 4, 2025, https://onefold.wordpress.com/early-church-evidence-refutes-real-presence/
  47. Early Church Fathers Upholding Transubstantiation in Their Own Words – Ascension Press, accessed May 4, 2025, https://media.ascensionpress.com/2018/03/08/heres-the-early-church-fathers-upholding-transubstantiation-in-their-own-words/
  48. Fathers of the Church on the Eucharist – The Real Presence, accessed May 4, 2025, http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/father/fathers.htm
  49. Did the Early Church Fathers believe the Eucharist was symbolic? : r/Catholicism – Reddit, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/Catholicism/comments/70yl96/did_the_early_church_fathers_believe_the/
  50. Early Church Fathers, prior to Nicaea, did not believe in the physical presence of Christ in the Eucharist : r/DebateACatholic – Reddit, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/DebateACatholic/comments/wy1gop/early_church_fathers_prior_to_nicaea_did_not/
  51. Did the Early Church Teach Transubstantiation? – The Master's Seminary Blog, accessed May 4, 2025, https://blog.tms.edu/did-the-early-church-teach-transubstantiation
  52. What does Acts 15:29 mean? | BibleRef.com, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.bibleref.com/Acts/15/Acts-15-29.html
  53. Is It Wrong To Eat Blood (Acts 15:29)? – Jack Cottrell, accessed May 4, 2025, https://jackcottrell.com/is-it-wrong-to-eat-blood-acts-1529/
  54. Are Christians Forbidden to Eat Blood? – The Gospel Coalition, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/christians-forbidden-eat-blood/
  55. Acts 15: Two Laws? – R. L. Solberg, accessed May 4, 2025, https://rlsolberg.com/acts-15-two-laws/
  56. Explain Acts 15:29 : r/Christianity – Reddit, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/Christianity/comments/cvbocz/explain_acts_1529/
  57. Development of Jehovah's Witnesses doctrine – Wikipedia, accessed May 4, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Development_of_Jehovah%27s_Witnesses_doctrine
  58. Factsheet: Jehovah's Witnesses – Religion Media Centre, accessed May 4, 2025, https://religionmediacentre.org.uk/factsheets/jehovahs-witnesses/
  59. No Blood—Medicine Meets the Challenge – Online Video Library | JW.ORG Videos English, accessed May 4, 2025, https://tv.jw.org/#en/mediaitems/pub-ivnb_x_VIDEO

Discover more from Christian Pure

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

RedditWhatsApp
Share to...
CopyLinkedInMastodonPinterestPrintRedditSMSThreadsWhatsAppBlueskyVK