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“What's In The Blood”
Categories: JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES, OLD TESTAMENT, RELIGIONSLeviticus 3:17, along with other similar passages, forbids believers to eat any blood. The Jehovah's Witnesses don't accept blood transfusions and won't eat meat with blood in it for this reason. My question is: how can you eat blood if blood is liquid… isn't it? And also, someone said in order to eat something, you have to digest it. You don't digest blood transfusions, right? So what exactly does Leviticus 3:17 mean?Sincerely,
Blood Donor
Dear Blood Donor,
It is possible to eat blood if it is prepared as a dish (i.e. blood sausage, blood pie, etc.); however, it would be wrong to do so (see "Blood In The Pudding" for New Testament teachings on that subject). This verse, however, doesn't address why Jehovah's Witnesses don't accept blood transfusions. The reason JW's don't get blood transfusions is because "the life is in the blood" (Deu 12:23). They improperly apply an Old Testament teaching that dealt with eating to a medical treatment in the world of the New Testament. Christians are not under the Old Testament law (Gal 3:23-25). The Old Testament still provides many faithful examples and principles, but its specific laws have been nailed to the cross (Col 2:14). The Old Testament law has faded away and been replaced by the perfect law of liberty in Christ (Jas 1:25). Read "Out With The Old?" for further details on the place of the Old Testament in the life of a christian.
