Some people understandably dismiss the thought that the Watchtower blood doctrine can be reformed. They believe the doctrine is too entrenched, and that too many lives have been lost for the Governing Body to ever be able to reform the doctrine. Others would argue that the Watchtower is too far gone to be reformed. That there is nothing worth saving, and even advocate for the complete destruction of the organization.
When AJWRB talks about reform we refer to modifications in the policy and in the lives of those who have been subject to the policy, namely individual Jehovah’s Witnesses and their children. In these terms, it’s quite apparent that substantive reform is ongoing and has been for many years.
One need only study the history of the doctrine over the past eight decades to appreciate just how radically the doctrine has already been reformed. The changes are truly staggering when viewed objectively. Additionally, there are already hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of current and former Jehovah’s Witnesses, and those who are somewhere in the middle,who already question or reject the doctrine and will accept blood transfusions when needed.
In this section of the website you will find a large selection of articles that explore various aspects of reform. We will attempt to address some of the key questions including:
- What has AJWRB been able to accomplish?
- What would an acceptable blood policy look like to AJWRB?
- How should someone approach their Jehovah’s Witnesses family members or friends.
- How can I supportAJWRB in its effort to reform the Watchtower blood policy?
Concluding Thoughts
AJWRB thanks you for taking the time to consider this information on blood. Assuming you are a Jehovah's Witness and have read all of the information, the next step for you will be to research the scriptures and references cited through out these pages. We feel that...
Questions for Those who Believe in the Watchtower Blood Policy
One of the most effective ways we have found in assisting other Witnesses to analyze the WTS blood doctrine is through the use of questions. The following questions have been used by AJWRB members and physicians in different parts of the world. If you are...
Silenced – The Rado Vleugel Story
My name is Rado Vleugel. I was born on January 1, 1973 in the city of Amsterdam while fire crackers where making a lot of noise. The January 15, 1994 Watchtower page 22 tells something about my history as a Witness of Jehovah: "Rado, mentioned earlier, was six years...
Debbie Shard’s Story
I was raised as a Jehovah's Witness in a family with a long history as members, going back to 1910. And I grew up truly believing it was the truth. However, there were many issues, as I grew older that disturbed my conscience and so I want to tell my story. My dad was...
Jehovah’s Witnesses, Blood Transfusions, and the Tort of Misrepresentation.
After the death of her mother, we were contacted by Kerry Louderback-Wood. She later wrote the following article for the Journal of Church and State's Autumn 2005 issue. The article shows how the Watchtower Society might be held legally responsible for failure to...
Blood Transfusion: Letter of Understanding
The following article is republished from the Blog of Marvin Shilmer and demonstrates that the Watchtower Society (WTS) is continuing to quietly back down from their once firm position on the use of blood for Jehovah's Witness minors - particularly with respects to...
H.L.C. Elders Speak Out
A Group of Hospital Liaison Committee (HLC) Members Speak Out HLCs are sat up in most parts of the earth by the Watchtower Society (hereafter WTS) to assist Witnesses in finding cooperative physicians who are willing to provide bloodless treatment. In their dealings...
Watchtower Approves HemoPure
Watchtower Approves HemoPure (Bovine Hemoglobin) for Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses have long been known for their rejection of blood and blood-component transfusion, even when it is necessary to save life. In a remarkable change in policy, the Witnesses’...