Hawk, I sent the following letter before I read your post oooops! But I don't think it's bad. We'll see what happens and I plan on being the "squeaky wheel" since we know this reporter is interested in religions.
In response to the article on the Mormons and Shunning by William Lobdell:
William Lobdell's article on the Mormon's shunning, really hit the nail on the head to a victim of this same abusive policy through the Watchtower Society - legal entity for the Jehovah's Witnesses.
Although the Watchtower's official media website makes the claim that "Those who simply cease to be involved are not shunned..." thousands who have tried it know better!
I know of no other religion which will shun a member for simply approving a blood transfusion to save their child's life. From 1967 to 1980 anyone who received an organ transplant was said to have committed "cannibalism...living off the flesh of another" (Watchtower 11/15, 1967) and subsequently shunned by the congregation. The same reasoning and scriptures which were used by the Watchtower to condemn organ transplants are currently applied to blood therapies.
Compounding the situation, many hospitals have set up "Hospital Liaison Committees" with the local congregations and upon the admittance of any JW, an elder is notified. This puts extreme durress on the JW to refuse potentially life-saving blood products, knowing that if they do not they will be shunned by all of the congregation, including their own relatives.
Some Jehovah's Witnesses find themselves having to deny that they are JWs out of fear of being found out to have received a blood product not on the current "approved" list of the Watchtower - a list which is continually changing. Only recently have fractions of all of the major blood components been added to the approved list, disregarding the fact that thousands have lost their lives due to refusing those very items. It is difficult to imagine being in the position of having to decide between living and losing your family or dying. Many choose the latter.
While the Mormon leadership - the "Quorum of the Twelve Apostles" seem to be making some attempts at "embracing" non members and former members, the "Governing Body" of Jehovah's Witnesses have not even recognized that the shunning practice for those who leave due to conscience reasons, many times their inability to comprehend the arbitrary nature of the blood doctrine, violates the most basic of human rights and liberties. For more information go to www.ajwrb.org
