[Found Goat]

After reading a rather interesting passage in Christopher Vasey's book, on the history (and overall eventual success) of blood transfusions (as can be perused in chapter 3 of his The Spiritual Mysteries of Blood), it brought to mind a certain tax-exempt real estate & publishing empire whose volunteer workers & financial contributors are notoriously known for their being adamantly opposed to receiving blood transfusions, and who make the claim the Bible is in full support of this stance, pointing as they often do to Acts chapter 15 and the account of the Jerusalem Council, as the supposed primary scriptural foundation for this arguably heterodox, denominational doctrine of theirs.

It is verse 20, in particular, of Acts 15, that is often referenced by these ones, wherein we find blood condemned alongside other major sins, such as idolatry and fornication.

Although Christians are said to be no longer under the Mosaic law, said verse apparently seems to indicate there are some exceptions to this, but does the prohibition on blood in this Bible text imply the receiving of life-sustaining, medicinal use of blood, as in modern-day transfusions, or does it strictly refer to the consuming of animal blood, a restriction as was part of Judaism's dietary law; as recorded in various Old Testament passages (Deuteronomy 12:23-25; Leviticus 17:10-14)?

Later in Acts 15, in verse 29, Jesus-followers are instructed once again to abstain from, among other things, blood. It would seem that if the ingesting of animal blood is forbidden the Christian, then how more so the intaking of human blood, intravenously; something which vehement opposers of the standard hospital practice place on par with cannibalism and vampirism!

Even so, the Bible says nothing remotely against donating blood, and so it is that some self-professing Christians may be against being a blood donee but not necessarily opposed to being a blood donor.

Incidentally, does anyone know what becomes of the blood given to labs when patients are tested during annual checkups? Is all this abundant biological fluid simply disposed of, or does some if not most of it, upon being properly screened and deemed to be safe, wind up in blood banks?

I ask, because if blood is so sacred to Yahweh, you would think even allowing a doctor or nurse to extract blood from one's veins, with the fleshly aim of potentially extending one's temporary life as a sinful human, would also be something detestable to the Life-Giver, who through the shed blood of the Atonement (Ephesians 1:7) offers true life eternal, instead of just a few extended years that blood given to a medical lab might offer a believer.