Mandated Shunning is a Crime

by Lee Marsh 125 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Lee Marsh

  Mandated Shunning is on the rise around the world with devastating effects on millions of people. Shunning that is mandated by organized groups to its members is a form of both physical and psychological violence against those people being shunned and cut off from their family and life-long relationships. Mandated Shunning means that the shunning is ordered from the top down. It isn't just one person giving another the cold shoulder. it stems from orders from the group leaders to stop talking to eating with, or having any relationship with a person.
  

  
  

  Mandated Shunning is also harmful to those who do the shunning as they are left with little choice but to exclude—pretend the shunned don’t exist—even close family members. Both the shunned and those who do the shunning lose meaningful relationships and often suffer severe consequences, which include mental health issues, debilitating depression and even suicide.

  
  

  Shunning is a Crime (SIAC) is a new initiative to end Mandated Shunning. It was started by people who have experienced shunning and/or understand how harmful and widespread it is. Their aim is for governments and the law to recognize Mandated Shunning for what it is: a type of organized bullying with severe consequences. It is especially harmful to children of all ages.

  
  

  Their primary focus is to get people to tell their stories about being shunned. These stories will then be instrumental in helping to change laws, one country at a time.

  
  

  Victims from 6 groups—Jehovah’s Witnesses, Exclusive Brethern, Bahá'í Faith, Amish, Hassidic Jews and Scientologists—are being encouraged to tell their stories. These 6 groups number over 50 million members and ex-members. But they are not the only groups that practice Mandated Shunning, and stories from victims from other coercive groups are encouraged.

  
  

  All the many religious and political groups that practice mandated shunning operate globally. Therefore, the response to it needs to be global, requiring an international collaboration.

  Please help to bring an end to Mandated Shunning.

  
  

  Visit the SIAC website for more information: https://www.shunningisacrime.org

  
  

  You can also write to SIAC at: [email protected]
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  FatFreek 2005

  Good post, Lee Marsh.

  I've been out of WT for 45 years but the shunning from my two children didn't begin shunning till sometime after the Ray Franz debacle.

  The children are now 63 and 60 years old respectively.
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  Lee Marsh

  I am ashamed to admit that I shunned other people. Some I thought deserved it and I probably would have done it even if there was no rule about shunning.

  Others, I hated shunning them. I saw how much it hurt their family members even if I never saw how much it hurt the person.

  Mouthy, an long-term poster here, became probably one of the first ex-JW activists in Canada. Glad if I am just a shadow of what she did to help others who left and were shunned.

  Of the two I knew who went back, they both left again.

  I never went back. I was done and would not submit to the shame they wanted to place on me.

  Although my sister was never baptized, my mother was told to shun her due to her lifestyle. As a result and after many attempts, she finally succeeded in committing suicide.

  For some people, leaving the Witnesses, is a breath of fresh air and they move forward with their lives. At some point they realize it wasn't enough to get out of it but they had to get it out of them.

  Some of us become activists and try our best to help others.

  Some get so depressed that they find that drugs and alcohol only numb the pain for so long. Then suicide seems the only way to stop the pain.

  We all bear the scars.

  This really has to stop.

  Orders to shun people cannot continue to happen. Shunning is a Crime hope to make it illegal for any organized group to force its members to shun anyone for any reason. It has to stop.
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  EasyPrompt

  Visit the SIAC website for more information: https://www.shunningisacrime.org
  

  (Just took the survey 🫶)
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  NotFormer

  What about freedom of association? I should be allowed to avoid people I have nothing in common with. What is the dividing line between shunning and the avoidance of those we distrust or otherwise dislike for whatever reason?

  BTW, I have never been a JW and I think that their shunning policies are reprehensible. Giving governments power to force association is hardly the way to resolve things.
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  Hopeless1

  “Giving governments power to force association is hardly the way to resolve things.”

  I agree with you, surely it must be left to an individual’s conscience, how can it be right to force anyone to shun or not shun, based on rules and regulations of any government, religion or other power-seeking organisation?
  
  
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  jhine

  I don't think that making forced shunning illegal would take away an individual's rights to avoid people they don't like .

  It would simply stop people like the GB of the Org. from forcing people to shun against their will .

  It won't mean that people can be forced to associate with someone they don't trust or like or have nothing in common with .

  Jan from Tam.
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  Phizzy

  " I agree with you, surely it must be left to an individual’s conscience, how can it be right to force anyone to shun or not shun... "

  That is NOT what is being campaigned for, the individual's Human Right to exercise THEIR conscience will never cease to be.

  But the Shunning as practiced by J.W org. and other high Control Groups, is mandated from the top, and members are coerced to not use their own conscience, whatever the Org, claims, we ALL know this.

  I have had one lovely old "Sister" on the 'phone to me in tears because she was forced to shun a lifelong friend and her immediate family. There ARE a huge number of J.W's who would not shun given the freedom to use THEIR conscience !
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  PetrW

  To me, this demand smacks a bit of "compulsory solidarity" (a modern term in the EU associated with taking in illegal immigrants).

  On the one hand, I can feel like a victim of someone from the JWs ordering my family members to stay away from me. On the other hand, it is also true that I am not ready to retreat from my positions either, or more accurately: the fact that relatives are with the JWs doesn't bother me, but I am not going to "lower" myself to re-enter the same river 😎

  I think the command form of the verb "to love" => could only be used by God. If the governments of this world do it too, it usually leads to the death of a large number of people or in other words: more people always die in the process than should hypothetically have been saved if nothing had been done... I don't trust governments a priori 😁
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  NotFormer

  The terms "forced shunning" and "mandated shunning" are correct. But the campaign is called "Shunning is a Crime". It is not a crime for me or anyone else to shun a member of NAMBLA (not the National Association of Marlon Brando Look-Alikes, the other NAMBLA), or the KKK or neo-Nazis. Sloppy wording will not solve anything, especially when there are governments more than willing to deprive us of yet more human rights. The slogan makes me think more of thought crime, rather than real crime.