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From: cs193bah@unm-la.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Litmus test for Witnesses in L.A.
Message-ID: <287@unm-la.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 7-May-85 22:31:54 EDT
Article-I.D.: unm-la.287
Posted: Tue May  7 22:31:54 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 10-May-85 08:10:28 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: Univ. of New Mexico, Los Alamos
Lines: 48



>From the Los Alamos Monitor, Sunday, April 28th:
************************************************

The growing emphasis on nuclear and conventional weapons work
at Los Alamos National Laboratory has led several members of
the local Jehovah's Witnesses congregation to decide that they
will eventually leave their LANL jobs, church elders said.

"It has been brought to our attention that in light of what the
lab is doing now it would be adverse to Scriptures if we continue
to work there," said Elder Frank Diebold, a LANL engineer.

However, the decision is up to each individual, and wasn't
mandated by church officials, stressed Elder Lloyd Smith, also a
LANL engineer.

"As long as the weapons work was played down by the lab, you could
go for years and not realize they were making weapons," Smith said.
"Of course, we knew all along they were involved in weapons research,
and we stayed away from those kind of jobs.

"Now it's so prominent.  We still don't do anything that has to do
with weapons, but by association, we are guilty."

"We are not looking for publicity...We have nothing against our
fellow townspeople or our neighbors.  If they work for the lab--
no matter what they do for the lab--it is their own business.
We certainly don't want to condemn someone if they're making
weapons."

This isn't the first time such issues have been raised in Los Alamos.
Last year, the Catholic Church in Los Alamos approached the same
issues, but came up with different conclusions.

Jehovah's Witnesses were founded in 1872, and feel their religion--
the worship of almighty god revealed in the Bible as Jehovah--is the
oldest on earth.  They refuse blood transfusions, and refuse to bear
arms, salute the flag or participate in secular government, says a
brief description in a reference book.

		*********************************

[Posted without comment]
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bill peter                                ihnp4!lanl!wkp