To shun someone, according to The Free Dictionary is to avoid social contact with, or to stay away from, a person. According to Wikipedia, shunning often involves implicit or explicit shame for a member who commits acts seen as wrong by the group or its leadership.
What JW.org says…
…about Shunning Members
Those who were baptized as Jehovah’s Witnesses but no longer preach to others, perhaps even drifting away from association with fellow believers, are not shunned. In fact, we reach out to them and try to rekindle their spiritual interest.
We do not automatically disfellowship someone who commits a serious sin. If, however, a baptized Witness makes a practice of breaking the Bible’s moral code and does not repent, he or she will be shunned or disfellowshipped. The Bible clearly states: “Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.
”—1 Corinthians 5:13.
What of a man who is disfellowshipped but whose wife and children are still Jehovah’s Witnesses? The religious ties he had with his family change, but blood ties remain. The marriage relationship and normal family affections and dealings continue.
Disfellowshipped individuals may attend our religious services. If they wish, they may also receive spiritual counsel from congregation elders. The goal is to help each individual once more to qualify to be one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Disfellowshipped people who reject improper conduct and demonstrate a sincere desire to live by the Bible’s standards are always welcome to become members of the congregation again.
What AvoidJW.org says…
…about Shunning Members
Although JW.org says that Jehovah’s Witnesses who no longer preach or drift away from association are not shunned, in practise this is not true. Jehovah’s Witnesses will consider such a member as “bad association” and so will avoid social contact with them. This is shunning. The only ones who will “reach out to them and try to rekindle their spiritual interest” are the elders.
Jehovah’s Witnesses regularly disfellowship and shun many who commit a serious sin even if they DO NOT make a practice of breaking the Bible’s moral and even if they DO repent. Why? Because the determination of repentance is open to interpretation. Shepherd the Flock of God (2010) page 91/2 states: ‘the degree of regret (repentance) ought to be commensurate “With the degree of deviation”‘ and ‘an individual may have gone so far into sin that he may not be able to demonstrate sufficient repentance.‘ Both statements are NOT SUPPORTED by scripture.
Even though JW.org says that normal family relationships continue when a father is disfellowshipped, in practise this is rarely the case. In many situations, their children will shun them. This is especially true if they are baptized Jehovah’s Witnesses and have moved away from home. Also, the Watchtower fails to mention how family relationships are greatly affected when other family members are disfellowshipped. For example, parents will shun children who are disfellowshipped and no longer live at home; the same is true about siblings – where one is disfellowshipped, the other sibling or siblings will shun him or her.
Although disfellowshipped individuals may attend Jehovah’s Witness services, they continue to be shunned. The member who is disfellowshipped is completely ignored by all at the Kingdom hall; it is as though they are non-existent.
Shepherd the Flock of God (2010)
Images of Pages 91 & 92
It has been the practice of the Jehovah’s Witnesses to dissociate (SHUN) members for some really stupid things.. My Sister was shunned for wearing her skirt too short . I was all for them till they started changing the words in the bible around….
As a shunned for 42 years person I can tell you you are full of garbage! I was put on the streets at 13 so don’t lie! Own up to what you REALLY do!
Curious. Who is talking garbage? The JW dot org – or avoid JW dot org?
Also may I add, that it is disgusting what you have went through. Kudos to you for making it out alive.
Please do not believe that all Jehovah’s Witness’s are bad, your parents just had extremist ideas. I know many Jehovah’s Witness’s and some of their children do not believe in their religion, they only ask them why and leave them to do there own thing (just look after themselves on Tuesday nights and on Sunday), when they are 18 they have a choice to leave the religion, but they would be welcomed back if they chose to stay.
Your parents were just bad people and they put a bad name on the other Jehovah’s Witness’s. I feel sorry for you but they are not all bad, it is a shame when the small few put a bad name on the Jehovah’s Witness’s. Your parents just failed in their duties as parents.
It is a policy of the organization to shun people because once you’re disfellowshipped, nobody can talk to you, call you, text you or email you for any reason with the exception for very limited things such as business or medical reasons, but even at that, there are witnesses who will ignore those as well.
Disfellowshipping is a very brutal practice that the organization had picked up on five years after 1947 when it stated in the Awake magazine that the Catholic church was excommunicating people, and the Watchtower organization said that it was an unbiblical and pagan practice. Then just a short five years later, the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses implemented that very practice into their religion and now, people get excommunicated all of the time.
So how is that something that is unscriptural and pagan now being used in the organization that claims to be God’s organization? To tell you the truth, absolutely no religion is the true religion because it isn’t about religion at all. It is about having a relationship with Jesus himself, not some organization and its human rules and such. The Watchtower organization is just full of it if you know what I mean. They never were God’s organization and they never will be either.
Disfellowshipping is a brutal and evil practice that destroys families, lives and even causes death in some cases. The Watchtower organization is a brutal regime similar to North Korea. It should be shut down, dissolved and banned from all nations of Earth.