This scavenger bus runs over Watchtower’s blood taboo and leaves it flat.
How?
The situation
Watchtower’s blood doctrine is ultimately based upon the Noachian Decree of Genesis Chapter 9.[1] This biblical text contains a prohibition against eating the flesh of animals without killing them first, and against eating blood of animals slaughtered for food. Watchtower extends this prohibition onto all blood no matter the source.
As Watchtower tells the story, prior to the biblical flood worshippers of God did not eat animal flesh, and after the flood animal flesh was permitted as food so long as the animal was first killed and then the flesh was bled.[2] If true, this would mean worshippers of God were not eating any sort of blood no matter the source, with the sole exception of residual blood remaining in bled flesh of animals killed for food.
The problem
Watchtower’s blood taboo depends on many things, but one in particular is that Noah would have had no basis for assuming he could consume blood even if it was from a source other than a living animal or a living animal he killed to eat its flesh.[3]
As it turns out, before, during and after the flood ancient Noah did have a reason to assume he could consume blood. The text of Genesis 6:21 records an event leading up to the flood where Noah is given an instruction by God:
“[T]ake for yourself every sort of food that is eaten; and you must gather it to yourself, and it must serve as food for you and for them.”—(New World Translation, published by Watchtower)[3]
This instruction addresses food for eating. God gave Noah express permission to gather and use as food “every sort of food that is eaten.” One sort of food eaten was/is carrion, and carrion is unbled flesh.
So, as it turns out, before, during and after the flood Noah did have a reason to assume he could consume blood if it was from a source other than a living animal or a living animal he killed to eat its flesh. Noah had permission from none other than God Himself to consume blood.
Eating carrion flesh may sound ghastly, but historically it is a useful resource for food. Regardless, the point is that blood is obtainable from sources other than killing. Carrion is such a source. Blood used in contemporary transfusions is another such source because this blood is donated freely and no one is killed to obtain it.
The bus of a problem
Watchtower teaching underpins this presentation of information and its conclusion because specifically Watchtower teaches that scavenger animals were created to eat carrion.[5]
Watchtower's own busload of scavengers flattens its blood transfusion taboo.
The aftermath
▪ Noah had a reason to assume he could consume blood.
▪ The Noachian Decree admittedly issued a prohibition “in relation to killing animals.”
▪ Blood used in transfusion medicine is not obtained by killing.
▪ In contemporary terms Noah would be free to donate blood to save a life and free to accept transfusion of blood should it be necessary to save his life or that of one of his children.[6]
Marvin Shilmer
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References:
1. United in Worship, published by Watchtower, 1983, p. 149.
2. Insight on the Scriptures, Vol. 1, published by Watchtower, 1988, p. 345.
3. “While the command not to eat the blood with the flesh of animals admittedly was given to Noah in relation to his killing animals for food, he would have no basis for assuming that he could eat blood otherwise.”—(Watchtower letter dated May 30, 2001, p. 1, available at: To An Elder — 2001 Watchtower letter on blood.
4. An alternate translation reads: “[G]et yourself some of every kind of food that is eaten, and stow it with you, so as to have it for your eating and for theirs.”—(Gen. 6:21, The Bible in Living English, translated by Steven T. Byington, published by Watchtower, 1972)
5. “[The cockroach] is essentially a scavenger, doing the work for which he was created: returning trash, garbage, and dead carcasses to the earth.”—(Awake!, published by Watchtower, Jan. 22, 1992 p. 22)
6. See also the article God gave Noah express permission to eat blood.
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