Jehovah's Witnesses or former Jehovah's Witnesses who hold dissenting opinions and beliefs from the official teachings of the Governing Body are labelled False teachers" and "apostates", considered a threat, and must also be shunned.
"How can we protect ourselves against false teachers? The Bible’s counsel regarding how to deal with them is clear. (Romans 16:17; 2 John 9-11) “Avoid them,” says God’s Word. Other translations render that phrase “turn away from them,” “keep away from them,” and “stay away from them!” There is nothing ambiguous about that inspired counsel. Suppose that a doctor told you to avoid contact with someone who is infected with a contagious, deadly disease. You would know what the doctor means, and you would strictly heed his warning. Well, apostates are “mentally diseased,” and they seek to infect others with their disloyal teachings. ( 1 Tim. 6:3, 4) Jehovah, the Great Physician, tells us to avoid contact with them. We know what he means, but are we determined to heed his warning in all respect. What is involved in avoiding false teachers? We do not receive them into our homes or greet them. We also refuse to read their literature, watch TV programs that feature them, examine their Web sites, or add our comments to their blogs." - The Watchtower, 2011 7/15, pp. 15-19