All those particular laws you have just mentioned were part of the Mosaic law of Israelite times. These laws reflect the tradititions, cultures and protocols of ancient Israelite times - not the times of now (a 21st century society). Those laws no longer became applicable when Jesus came to Earth, because a better set of laws replaced them - the laws of Christ. God promised: "Look! There are days coming, . . . and I will conclude with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah a new covenant; not one like the covenant that I concluded with their forefathers." The Ten Commandmentsthe nucleus of the Mosaic Lawwere written on stone tablets. But of the new covenant, Jehovah said: "I will put my law within them, and in their heart I shall write it."Jeremiah 31:31-34.
But did you not say that you believe in the bible 100%? Therefore, since these were the words and commandments of God, you would be disobeying him, no? How can you say that these rules are not to be followed and others are? Why don't we not follow other rules, and say we can "still learn from them"?
This is a very wide topic, and I may start a thread on it to go through every avenue and misconception. For now, I'll keep it short but sweet: As Jehovahs Witnesses, we believe that you should accept the Bible in full or not at all. In the Bible, Blood is a very sacred thing to God, and he say Genesis 9:4 says: "Only flesh with its soulits bloodYOU must not eat., Leviticus 17:14 says : "For the soul of every sort of flesh is its blood by the soul in it. Consequently I said to the sons of Israel: "YOU must not eat the blood of any sort of flesh, because the soul of every sort of flesh is its blood. Anyone eating it will be cut off." And finally, a NT prohibition (Acts 15:29): "To keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication.. This is the main skeletal structure of why we don't accept blood - because the Bible says we should'nt. I will elaborate more on this at a later time.
Ahh, but to say that you accept the bible in full, and then not to follow it literally would be hypocritical. You are not to
eat the blood, it doesn't say you can't recieve transfusions. Every peice of meat you eat will have some blood in it. That's where the taste comes from (hemoglobin from the blood). Are you all vegetarians? There is also blood in eggs (chicken menstruation), and milk (Cows regularily have bleeding sores, because they have been engineered to have udders far too large for their bodies. Some of this blood and pus get in the milk.). Before you say that these are animals, and thus, do not count, read your quote again. "
YOU must not eat the blood of any sort of flesh...". It says "any sort of flesh". I presume meat is flesh.
The reason why that is not true is because the Bible cannot be considered a normal book. The Bible is not inspired because it says so, but because of it's works and fruitage. Druidus, name me another book which was written over a period of 1000's of years, has prophecies which have come true 100's of years before they were told, were written by prophets who lived in different time periods who had never met eachother but the Bible's message still remains harmonious, was scientifically correct in an era where scientific knowledge was poor, and has archaelogical evidence to support it's message?
Zathutra (sp?), a prophet from around the same region as the biblical prophets, was killed for his predictions, because they were against the bible. The predictions came true. Show me these "predictions" that came true. What about the Vedic texts? The myriad other "holy" books? I recall, one of them had
drawings of flyable aircraft!
Nostradamus also predicted much. However, biblical predictions are even more vague then his, and thus, open to speculation, not considered fact. The bible's message is harmonius? Why was the God of the old testament more like a sadistic ruler who favoured one child, and the God of the new testament like a loving martyr who favoured none? It's works and fruitage? Why aren't the other holy books considered the word of God to you, then?
P.S. Sorry if I sound hostile, I most certainly am not, just eager to ask questions.