Wouldn't God want us to choose life?

An intervention aimed to challenge the mindset regarding refusal of blood transfusion among Jehovah's witnesses.

To many, the decision to reject life saving medical treatment is incomprehensible. Still, many people that are part of a religious group with a specific conviction do exactly that. It has long been known that Jehovah's witnesses do not agree with the procedure of blood transfusion as it, according to their belief, goes against the teaching of the Bible. This conviction jeopardizes the lives of many Witnesses around the world, people whose lives in many cases could have been saved.

When considering such a complex matter there are two questions in specific that come to mind; How can people of the same religion interpret their holy scriptures so differently? And who is right? I believe there are not any clear cut answers to those questions, however, it is of significance to discuss this issue as it - in many cases - actually is a matter of life and death.

So, what does the Bible say?

Followers of Jehovah are basing their standpoint on a few Bible verses, for example: "But flesh (meat) with...blood...ye shall not eat" (The Bible, Genesis 9:4), and "...No soul of you shall eat blood...whosoever eateth it shall be cut off." (The Bible, Leviticus 17:12-14) Could it simply be that it is a matter of misinterpretation and that Jehovah's witnesses interpreted the verses in their most general terms? Whereas most other Christians interpret these verses as referring ”to the actual eating of meat containing blood.” (B.A. Robinson, 1996) From a personal point of view, I interpret it as the latter.

What about the children?

”The Jehovah's Witnesses urges its members to refuse to accept blood transfusions and to not allow them to be given to their children.” (B.A. Robinson, 1996) To respect the health choices made by adults is one thing, but to stand by and let a child die for no good reason (if there ever is such a thing) is a completely different matter. Not only is it a legal matter, but it goes against the beliefs and values that probably most of us share. Having that said, I do not believe that Jehovah's witnesses are evil for preeching this, as it ”appears to be motivated by faith and not by a death wish” (B.A. Robinson, 1996). And I assume that the faith in this case is based on good will. But the question is, where do we, or should I say societal institutions, draw the line? How tolerante should one be when it comes to risking a child's life? In some countries there are laws saying that social services have the right to temporarily intervene by power of attorney if the parents refuse their child life saving treatment, whereas in other countries it is not as easy.

What does other Christians say?

Other Christians that oppose the convictions of Jehovah's witnesses often claim that ”God is the God of life” (The Bible, Mark 3:4), and ”wonder at such needless loss of life” (B.A. Robinson, 1996). There are also several Christians with authoritarian positions that question Jehovah's witnesses' refusal of blood transfusion, one of them being Bishop Goic who wrote that ”God is not a God of the dead but of the living” (Mark 12:27) and that "... respecting the conscience of each person [does not override the duty] to safeguard respect for life." (2008) 

Choosing life

So, would not God want us to choose life, rather than death? I believe so, I do not think that choosing to save the life God has given you is a wrong doing, and it will not have any effect on the life after this - one thing does not exclude the other. Hence, I hope that this article could at least trigger people to challenge their interpretations and consider the fact that it might be of significance to adapt your beliefs to the modern world. 

References

B.A. Robinson (1996) ”Jehovah's Witnesses (WTS) opposition to blood transfusions: Biblical passages. Opposition to WTS policies.” Religious Tolerance. Retreived from: http://www.religioustolerance.org/witness13.htm

Bishop Alejandro Goic (2008) "Bishop explains Catholic position in response to death of Chilean woman who refused blood transfusion." Catholic News Agency. Retreived from: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/