RE-POST My post was lost: According to Jehovah Witnesses in Bulgaria JW's can and do have blood transfusions?

I was the last to believe it until I Googled Blood Transfusions+Jehovah's Witnesses + Bulgaria and the Bulgarian WTS allows Blood transfusions whole ones. Anyone else shocked or not?
Is it that they know how this is not in the Bible only the eating of blood is in the Bible and not allowed. Also that Blood and blood type products can be lifesaving?
Why just in Bulgaria?

WTS= Watchtower Society

Answers appreciated.

STAX: Don't trust me look it up for yourself. I was just as stunned.

I find it sad that there are different rules for different people. And that people are blinded and cheated out of a true relationship with Jesus Christ, usually because other "Christian" cults are spreading false teachings.:( It does make me cry

Wow, I did not know this! When did that happen? It doesn't surprise me in the least bit though.

Are you familiar with what happened to the faithful JWs in Malawi in the 60s? The governing body forbade them from paying 25 cents to receive a party card (in a one-political party state) saying that they supported the gov't. Thousands of JWs in Malawi were raped, murdered, gang-raped, and tortured because of this. Meanwhile, in Mexico the same governing body allowed brothers in Mexico to bribe the police to report that they served in Mexico's army.

How dangerously hypocritical they are his mind boggling.

Yes.

It is true that technically a Jehovah's Witnesses in any part of the world including Bulgaria can and sometimes do have blood transfusions. However, it is also true that such a person has publicly announce they no longer wish to be witnesses by such an act.

Side note: Jehovah's Witnesses do not refuse life saving medical treatments, they simply will not break what they believe to be God's law shown in other question and answers:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

I guess if you are a Jw and dying because you need a blood transfusion, you need to take a trip to Bulgaria!
On a serious note, I have noticed that Jws since the days of 1975 have progressively become just another religion. They do not seem so different to me anymore. To be honest I cannot make up my mind whether this is a good thing, or a bad thing!

What a bunch of hate filled garbage!!! This stupid garbage says "giving individual Jehovah's Witnesses complete freedom of choice regarding".
That's no different then anywhere else in the world. All Jehovah's Witnesses have freedom of choice in this matter. Their Bible trained conscience and their love for Jehovah would not allow them to take blood in any form. Jehovah's Witnesses are not taking blood in Bulgaria.

I guess Bulgarian Jehovah Witnesses are smarter than the other varieties. Don't spread the word about them or they'll have to join the Jehovah Witnesses Protection program.

Real Jehovah's Witnesses would not take blood under any circumstances. It doesn't matter what some stupid human government says, God's laws come first.

So wrong you are.

Yes, but this has been going on since 1998:


News from Bulgaria

On March 9, 1998, the European Commission of Human Rights accepted a settlement between the government of Bulgaria and the Christian Association of Jehovah鈥檚 Witnesses in which Bulgaria, in exchange for a significant concession from the Witnesses, agreed to recognize the Witnesses as an official religious organization.

The Bulgarian government, in order to reach an agreement, will now provide civilian service for conscientious objectors to military service (Information Note No. 148, <http://194.250.50.201/eng/E276INFO. 148.html>). The compromise made by the Society is far more noteworthy. The Society agreed, regarding blood transfusions, that 鈥渕embers should have free choice in the matter for themselves and their children, without any control or sanction on the part of the association鈥?(Ibid.; emphases added).

A press release distributed in 1997 by the Commission clearly explains the understanding of the Commission and the Bulgarians of the Society鈥檚 stated position:

In respect of the refusal of blood transfusion, the applicant association [i.e., the Jehovah鈥檚 Witnesses] submits that there are no religious sanctions for a Jehovah鈥檚 Witness who chooses to accept blood transfusion and that, therefore, the fact that the religious doctrine of Jehovah鈥檚 Witnesses is against blood transfusion cannot amount to a threat to 鈥榩ublic health鈥?(Press Communiqu茅 Issued by the Secretary to the European Commission of Human Rights, Application No. 28626/95, <>;http://www.dhcommhr.coe.fr/eng/28626CP.E... emphasis added).

This concession seems to be a remarkable reversal of Watchtower doctrine, raising the question: will Jehovah鈥檚 Witnesses now be allowed to receive blood transfusions, or was the Society disingenuous in its agreement?

http://www.watchman.org/jw/bloodbulgaria...
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Do any of the congregations, elders, and members in the U.S.A. know about this in Bulgaria?

No wonder why this organization is so freagen screwed up. It's all such a cult and if it's allowed in Bulgaria, what does that tell you about the organization?? IT IS A SELECTIVE CULT AND IS NOT UNITED AS THEY LIKE TO BRAG!

This is such crap. That's all I heard, "no blood transfusions", blah blah blah... It's all such a sham. I feel so embarrassed to have even belonged to this organization.

For those who say this cannot be so, here is a copy of the agreement: http://www.scribd.com/doc/3988302/Jehova...

It's my understanding that the Bulgarian government felt that the WBTS was violating the rights of Bulgarian JWs by prohibiting transfusions. According to the agreement, the WBTS is unable to take ANY action against a JW who agrees to receive a transfusion.

EDIT: in reading through some of the other answers, I think it's escaped them that this is NOT an edict from the WBTS saying "blood transfusions are ok if you live in Bulgaria." To repeat what I wrote above: the Bulgarian Government viewed this as a HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUE, because it viewed the threat of "disfellowshipping" -- or any other threat of punishment -- to be an illegal act of coercion. All the Government made the WBTS agree to was that it would not take any form of retribution against Bulgarian JWs if they received a transfusion. This is not the same as saying the WBTS has authorized blood transfusions. I'm not a JW, but I must (in all fairness) say this.