From http://www.ajwrb.org/basics/breaking.shtml
Breaking News
Dateline: June 15, 2000
We began receiving reports in late May that the Governing Body of Jehovah's
Witnesses had recently decided that
Jehovah's Witnesses who accept blood transfusions would no longer be subject to
investigation by congregation judicial
committees. While these reports came from sources we deem reliable, it appears
that the reports were incomplete or that
the original decision was modified at some point.
We must emphasize that as of this writing we are yet to see any of the
correspondence that has supposedly been sent to
branch offices or local congregations. The following remarks will address
comments made by a London Bethel WTS
representative to the London Times and assume that he had accurate information
concerning the new policy.
While the WTS has in fact ceased disfellowshiping JW who accept blood
transfusions, it will from this point forward be
understood that one who accepts blood will have unilaterally disassociated
themselves from the WTS, unless they express
remorse and sincere repentance that satisfies local elders. Read the BBC story
that appeared on June 14, 2000.
Individual who are "disassociated" Jehovah's Witnesses are treated identically
to those who are disfellowshiped. They are
shunned by Jehovah's Witness friends and denied normal family relations with JW
family members. So this is in fact a minor
change and is primarily a diversionary tactic aimed at reducing the WTS's
liability in these cases. It is also possible that the
WTS is attempting to deflect some of the criticism it has been receiving in
medical journals in recent months over the
contradictions and inconsistencies in the policy and improve its position with
some European governments who feel that the
WTS is a dangerous sect.
It should be noted that the WTS only uses "disassociation" in special cases. For
example, if a person is charged with
violating WTS policies but refuses to appear before a judicial committee to face
expulsion or disfellowshiping, he has the
option to simply "disassociate" himself. This can be done by writing a letter to
the congregation or telling two elders that he
no longer considers himself a Jehovah's Witness. As mentioned earlier the entire
congregation will treat him as an
unrepentant sinner and shun him. If a congregation member refuses to shun him,
they too will be disfellowshiped or
disassociated.
The other special case where "disassociation" is used is when a Jehovah's
Witness joins the military. To avoid potential
problems with governments, the individual will not be charged and asked to
appear before a judicial committee. Rather, the
congregation simply makes an announcement that they
"disassociated" themselves. In this way the WTS hopes to avoid
difficulties with the authorities.
As can be seen from the above, "disassociation" is basically a streamlined or
"fast track" to expulsion and shunning. The
WTS has got itself caught up in nightmare and is struggling to find some way to
disentangle itself from a tragic and
misguided policy that has claimed untold numbers of JW lives. We suggest that
you check this site frequently as we will
post any significant developments or news that might further clarify matters.