>From today's(Jun 15,2000) London Times:


     U-turn on blood transfusions by
                 Witnesses

      BY RUTH GLEDHILL, RELIGION CORREPONDENT
  JEHOVAH'S Witnesses are to be allowed to accept
  blood transfusions after an extraordinary U-turn by
  leaders of the controversial religion.

  Elders have decreed that Jehovah's Witnesses who accept
  blood transfusions under life-or-death conditions will no
  longer face excommunication from their religion.

  The move represe nts the biggest climbdown in the
  movement since the predicted Armageddon failed to
  materialise as forecast in 1975.

  Under the change to Watch Tower practice, blood
  transfusions have officially been relegated to a
  "non-disfellowshipping event".

  The decision, arrived at by a secret meeting of the
  12-member world governing body at the movement's
  headquarters in New York, was dismissed as a "slight
  adjustment" by the religion's leaders.

  It follows decades of adverse publicity about adults and
  children who have died or come close to death because of
  their faith. Only last week, a Jehovah's Witness, Brent
  Bond, from Nottingham, who lost five pints of blood in a
  machete attack, renounced his faith just seconds before he
  lost consciousness so that he could have a lifesaving blood
  transfusion. Realising that his mother would never grant
  consent for a transfusion, he told paramedics: "I'm no
  longer a Jehovah's Witness. I give my consent to a
  transfusion."

  In January a young mother, Beverly Matthews, 33, of
  Stockport, died after refusing an emergency blood
  transfusion.

  In March last year the Association of Anaesthetists issued
  new guidelines stating that Jehovah's Witnesses could be
  allowed to die if they refused transfusions.

  Letters have already been sent to elders throughout
  Britain, where there are about 130,000 Jehovah's
  Witnesses, explaining that they should no longer expel
  members who accept blood, as well as to the elders of the
  six million adherents worldwide. Elders will then advise
  their local hospital liaison committees, who liaise between
  Jehovah's Witnesses and medical staff.

  Jehovah's Witnesses view life as a gift from God,
  represented by blood. They interpret certain Bible
  passages to mean that they cannot accept any form of
  blood transfusion. The teaching on blood itself has not
  changed, but until now any Jehovah's Witness who
  consciously accepted blood or who allowed their child or
  baby to have a blood transfusion, even if they knew they
  would die without it, has faced "disfellowship".

  Paul Gillies, spokesman for the Jehovah's Witnesses, who
  have their British headquarters in Mill Hill, North London,
  said that not taking blood was still a "core value" of the
  religion. "It is quite possible that someone who was under
  pressure on an operating table would take a blood
  transfusion because they did not want to die. The next day
  they might say they regretted this decision. We would then
  give them spiritual comfort and help. No action would be
  taken against them. We would just view it as a moment of
  weakness." He said that even if the Jehovah's Witness did
  not repent, they would not be expelled but would merely
  be viewed as having "dissociated" themselves from the
  religion.

  Geoffrey Unwin, a former Jehovah's Witness who now
  writes about the religion under the name James King, said:
  "Jehovah's Witnesses who are excommunicated are then
  branded as apostates or anti-Christ and friends and
  relatives within the movement are instructed to avoid their
  company, not even speaking to them should a chance
  meeting occur in the street."

  He predicted widespread anger about the change and said
  he knew of two former members who were considering
  legal action. "I know someone who was kicked out just
  for questioning this teaching. They were shunned by all
  their friends and neighbours and had to move house."


Your friend,
<+]::-{)}  (Cyberpope(the Bishop of ROM!))


.... nfx v3.1 2+2=5 (for exceptionally large values of 2)                     
--- SBBSecho 2.00-Win32
 - 0rigin: Collin County Station (1:124/6308)
---
þ RIMEGate(tm)/RGXMod V1.13 at BBSWORLD * Info{at}bbsworld.com

((( s.r.c.b-s is a moderated group.  All posts are approved by a moderator. )))
((( See http://members.iglou.com/bible for details about this group.        )))
---
þ RIMEGate(tm)/RGXPost V1.14 at BBSWORLD * Info{at}bbsworld.com

---
 * RIMEGate(tm)V10.2áÿ* RelayNet(tm) NNTP Gateway * MoonDog BBS
 * RgateImp.MoonDog.BBS at 3/25/03 11:06:00 AM