How could any Jehovah Witness?

The Jehovah's Witness will tell you that the Bible says the spirit is in the blood, so no transfusions are allowed.

However, the Bible was written long before our modern knowledge of anatomy and physiology. We now know that the spirit is not in the blood. The blood is simply a circulatory system to move nutrients and waste products around the body. Don't forget that many diseases are also blood-born.

It may be time for some religious zealots to take a long look at their beliefs. The Bible was passed on by word of mouth for generations before it was ever written. We all know that stories change as they are told from one person to another. The Bible should not be taken literally. The lesson in the Bible are put in terms of the people's understanding at that time. We need to take these stories figuratively to apply them to our world today.

Every day I learn one more thing. I did not know they let their child die.... How ignorant and cruel people One of the answers says that it is in the bible. Oh well it does not say much about the bible, does it? I hope I never come accross a nurse or doctor that is a Jehovah Witness. I do not think they could embrace this sort of thinking but when it comes to being brainwashed particularly when young everything is possible

I think the answer is because they are sadistic cruel people and on top ignorant

I was lucky my parents were not Jehovah Witness Otherwise I may be dead now

This comes more from the old testament when animal sacrifices were the norm. The law said that the blood was not to be consumed, and something about the run off of blood was not to be touched. So the JW being brainwashed and only doing as they are told, misread the bible again and came up with this little gem. Not only do they not believe in blood transfusion, but any blood products, fresh frozen plasma, some albumin and some immunizations as well.

EDIT: Acts 15:28-29 in KJV

15:28. For it hath seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us to lay no further burden upon you than these necessary things:

15:29. That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

(From blood, and from things strangled... The use of these things, though of their own nature indifferent, was here prohibited, to bring the Jews more easily to admit of the society of the Gentiles; and to exercise the latter in obedience. But this prohibition was but temporary, and has long since ceased to oblige; more especially in the western churches.)

It is my understanding that that religion is considered a cult religion. They are basically brain washed . They take the bible literally without acknowledging the fact that the passage referring to not drinking blood was spoken of about Roman warriors who would drink the blood of their slain enemy to make them strong. That has no application to medical transfusions of today, as such was not even conceived of at the time.

In fact the bible they read is not the same bible as ours. I know this to be true as they used to stop by my house and one day I accepted a copy of their bible and compared it to mine. They prey on people who don't know the bible. Not only was the wording changed but it was changed in such a way to convey completely different meanings. I threw their bible in garbage and whenever they stopped at my house I would use the opportunity to set them straight. Needless to say, they stopped coming to my house.

It is much like the beliefs of Christian scientists who refrain from Doctors and believe that positive thoughts can cure. Lets not forget back in the day when we thought blood letting was a sane and viable practice!

Let their child die? Jehovah's Witnesses welcome a number of medical procedures that may help them and their children. Blood transfusions violate Acts 15:28, 29: “The holy spirit and we ourselves [the governing body of the Christian congregation] have favored adding no further burden to you, except these necessary things, to keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled [or, killed without draining their blood] and from fornication. If you carefully keep yourselves from these things, you will prosper. Good health to you!” (There the eating of blood is equated with idolatry and fornication, things that we should not want to engage in.)

What do you have to say to parents who slowly kill ther children by smoking cigarettes?

I don't agree with it, but they do it. That's what they believe, that's why sometimes the state needs to intervene.

Because they have been brainwashed by religion.

JW don't witness for God.

Because they are a cult.