celebration of the immaculate conception of the virgin Mary, and hundreds of fires were lighted everywhere to frighten away the evil spirits. In some cases hot coals are taken into the homes so that no evil spirit will take refuge there. It was observed on Thursday that a large image of the “virgin” was carried from one church to another. Following this image were eight other images, all supposed to represent angels. On Friday night this ceremony was repeated when the “virgin” and her angels were returned to the church of origin. It is a very ceremonious procession and is made somewhat weird in the night by the carrying of lanterns and lighted candles on poles. People line the streets to observe the procession, and many move along with it, selling various kinds of foods and trinkets. The men who bear the statue of the “virgin” on their shoulders pay so much per block for the privilege of carrying her. And those who actually carry her back into the church building, which is considered the greatest privilege of the ceremony, pay the most money. This certainly emphasizes the need of liberty for the captives.

Thursday night a good service meeting was had at the Salón del Reino in Guatemala city, and on Friday evening 184 brethren were present for the opening of the assembly. There were young and old, the oldest being a brother of 80 years. He had traveled 120 miles to attend the convention and felt this might be his last because, as he said, “I’m getting rather old to travel.” But his vision of the Kingdom is clear and he is an active publisher. It is his earnest desire to have help in the preaching in his town. One sister with eight children, who also manages several Bible studies each week, was there too. Great zeal is shown by many in preaching the Word.

Saturday was devoted to field service, principally the distribution of 60,000 handbills which had just arrived from Brooklyn on Thursday. In the afternoon and evening there was a full program of talks. Sunday morning seven brothers and nine sisters symbolized their consecration in a small pool in the park on the edge of town. The attendance of 425 at the public meeting on Sunday afternoon made glad the hearts of all the brethren. This was a figure 173 more than any previous public meeting in the country. All agreed that this was the best convention yet in Guatemala.

Monday, December 12, after dinner, all the brethren at the Branch home piled into the bus that was to take Brother Morgan to the airport; and shortly, with our driver leaning on the horn, we were under way. Sometimes it seems that the brakes are a safety factor second only to the horn. As we passed down the streets we glimpsed the beautiful National Palace, an architectural credit to the city. But it still bears the marks of the last revolution, for its pretty light-green stone surface is pock-marked with small shell holes; and here and there one sees a large hole. However, we were soon at the airport and it seemed as though the visit was all too brief. Here again the brethren were happy that the visit was not completely over, because Brother Knorr was coming in a few days. He arrived on the 20th of December.

The plane Brother Knorr took out of Mexico City left promptly and, having a good tail wind, it arrived early at the Guatemalan airport. He landed and was going through the customary procedure for entering the country, but none of the brethren had arrived to meet him. They were all very much embarrassed when they did arrive and found Brother Knorr already there. All were very cheerful, though, and one would think from the joy they all expressed that a convention was on in full force. They had planned a meeting for that night. All the people of good-will had been invited. So there was arranging of chairs at the Kingdom Hall to be done; and we were delighted to see that 225 persons turned out. The subject discussed was the yeartext, “Preach the word,” and it was pointed out how important it is for the brethren to prepare to be on their own. They should not work just because the Society had a Branch office there, or a missionary home; but each person in the truth should be ready to continue should all be scattered as the brethren in Jerusalem were when persecution became heavy against the early church. All should be ready to “preach the word” everywhere. While there has been no opposition to the preaching in Guatemala, and the message is received well, it must be expected that the Devil will bring pressure to bear from some source to disturb the tranquillity of the organization.

There were many problems to discuss with regard to the Branch and the work yet to be done in Guatemala. There are more than 3 ¹/₂ million people in the country, and at the present time there are 188 publishers on the average, with a peak of 218 last year. However, expansion is very noticeable in Guatemala, for at the time of the last visit there were only twenty-five publishers on the average in the whole country. That was three and one-half years ago. Plans were made this time to send more Gilead graduates to Guatemala, probably ten to work in other cities. And the graduates of Gilead now in the country are going to work not only towns they are in, but on specified days in certain months they will move out into some of the villages to see what can be done to establish companies. More visits will be made by the Branch servant to the four companies already established, and to a number of isolated brethren. There is a lot to do in Guatemala and the brethren are anxious to do it. After spending two happy days in Guatemala, the president of the Society was on his way to San Salvador, following the route his secretary had taken.

Letter

FURTHER ON BLOOD TRANSFUSION

October 28, 1949

Dear Madam:

Answering yours of the 14th instant re blood transfusion: The method of giving blood transfusions today may not follow the normal human procedure as when slaughterhouse men drink the warm blood of animals they have killed or as when people eat blutwurst or blood sausage with its congealed blood. But just because the manner of administering the blood is different is not proving that God’s law concerning blood does not cover or apply to transfusion of HUMAN blood. Whether by eating or drinking or transfusing blood, in all cases it is basically the transferring of blood from one organism human or animal to another organism, and this basic transfer of blood is what God’s Word condemns and forbids to his consecrated people. Just because a blood transfusion does not quench a person’s thirst or satisfy a person’s hunger is beside the point: the transfer of the blood remains an undeniable fact.

And why did God forbid the transfer of blood from another creature’s organism to the partakers seeking some sort of relief, whether relief of hunger, thirst or blood depletion? Search the law of God given in the Bible, if you please, and in no case will you find that the reason why God forbids such transfer of blood is in any way a health reason, to avoid corruption, contamination or infection. The reason is a higher one than that, and your letter shows you have ignored or overlooked that higher reason. At the very beginning, when God established the everlasting covenant with Noah regarding the sanctity of our blood, he made plain this higher reason, when he said: “But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.” (Genesis 9:4) The blood is the life of the flesh, and for that reason God restricted the use of blood to propitiatory sacrifices for his holy altar. Note that no health reason is given when God says on the atoning value of the blood: “And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, that eateth any manner of blood, I will set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. [Why?] For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life. Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood. And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, who taketh in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten; he shall pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust. For as to the life of all flesh, the blood thereof is all one with the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of NO MANNER of flesh; [why?] for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.”—Leviticus 17:10-14, Am. Stan. Ver.; see also Deuteronomy 12:16, 23-27.

It was in harmony with this fundamental significance of the blood that David refused to drink water brought him at the risk of men’s lives and said: “My God forbid it me, that I should do this thing: shall I drink the blood of these men that have put their lives in jeopardy?” (1 Chronicles 11:18, 19) In harmony with this vital significance of blood Jesus said: “He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me, and I in him.” (John 6:54-56, Am. Stan. Ver.) It is his blood that makes propitiation on God’s antitypical holy altar for our human souls. Hence without the shedding of his blood there is no remission or forgiveness of our sins. (Hebrews 9:14-22) That is the only use of human blood that does any real good to humankind, and we should, therefore, not pretend to do mankind a service by a misuse of human blood contrary to the very essence of God’s law.

Blood transfusion is blood transfusion whether done by the crude methods of 1492 or by the more refined methods of 1949. Though modern blood transfusion does not kill the blood donor, it is taking part of his life and reducing his vitality and misappropriating his blood under the specious claim of doing good. The Bible speaks of quenching fire, and the pouring out of water in order to save combustible property from a fire is a far-fetched comparison with blood transfusion for medical purposes, because God’s law does not forbid quenching fire with water but his law is very specific regarding the disposal of blood. The figures you cite on the enormous use of blood in the U.S.A. in medical practice just goes to show the tremendous blood bill that God has to settle with mankind at the battle of Armageddon for their violation of his everlasting covenant regarding the sacredness of creature blood.

True, Jesus “told his disciples to heal the sick and he gave the order unconditionally. There were no buts attached to it”. But records at Matthew 10, Mark 6 and Luke 9 and 10 do not show he authorized them to perform blood transfusions or other violations of the everlasting covenant to do so. He gave them miraculous powers, and the only thing like medical practice is that “they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them”.—Mark 6:13, Am. Stan. Ver.

Sincerely yours,

WATCH TOWER BIBLE & TRACT SOCIETY

[For our previous letters on this subject see the Watchtower issue of December 1, 1949, pages 367, 368, under the heading “On Blood Transfusion”.]

Field Experience

BIBLE STUDY STARTED WITH WBBR LISTENER

“A young Catholic mother sent a letter to WBBR, requesting more information. I received the letter from the station and made the call. She had lost her only son of ten years of age through drowning, but when she sought comfort from her priest she was told his death was a judgment from God for her not having been a good Catholic. She had implored the priest to spare her son the fire of purgatory, but to no avail. Frantic, unable to eat or sleep, she contemplated suicide. Then by chance she tuned in on WBBR. She heard of a new world of peace without death, she heard of the dead being asleep, resting until a resurrection, when God would bring them back again to a cleansed earth. Hope sprang up in her heart and she had written for someone to call on her. She had asked that the caller come in the forenoon, as her husband would not be home, for she supposed her husband opposed her listening to WBBR. But when I called her husband was unexpectedly home, yet as I discussed world conditions and God’s purposes to bring in a new world of righteousness he nodded in agreement. I finally asked how he had gained so much knowledge. To his wife’s amazement he said that every evening, while she put the children to bed, he had been listening to WBBR! I immediately arranged for a study in that home, and now the mother and one daughter are active in Jehovah’s service.”—New York city publisher.