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Citation? As a member the LDS church, I have never been urged to shun those who have left, and find the idea extremely deplorable.

wavefunction 10y ago
Many Jack and Jill Mormons in Utah where I lived for a while, and folks there as well whom had gotten themselves stricken from the records. I also learned from native Utahns that they had been ostracized in high school for not being part of the LDS community. It happens, we're all human. All we can try to do is do better. I did meet many fine folks there as well, among the best the world has to offer.
- willismichael 10y ago
  Fair enough. I grew up outside of Utah, and having spent a number of years living in Utah I must admit that it has people that haven't ever learned how to have a positive relationship with somebody of a different belief system. It's not nearly as big of a problem outside of Utah though.
  - RUG3Y 10y ago
    I've spent a lot of time in Utah and I know people who have been cut off from family because they choose to leave the church.
    - cookiecaper 10y ago
      There are people who do it. The Church advises them not to.
- cookiecaper 10y ago
  There's a big difference between "some adherents do this" and "the Church urges and encourages [shunning]". The exact opposite is the case. The Church heartily discourages shunning and teaches people that their good example and continued friendliness is even more important for people who've gone off the path than people who are still on it, children and relatives not excluded. Children taking foray outside of the faith's bounds is by no means rare. It happens all the time in Utah. Many faithful adults in Utah were such teenagers/young adults themselves and understand that patience and kindness will win the day and help the child find the path back. Check anti-Mormon forums and they can't stop whining that, far from being shunned, publicly embarrassed, or harmed, the Church continues to send welcoming representatives to ask if they'd like to come back. They also regularly complain that their own family members continue to invite them back. I'm sure that can get annoying after you've made your wishes clear, but it's basically the opposite of shunning. In my large extended Mormon family (14 aunts and uncles, over 50 first cousins, hundreds of second cousins, etc), probably 65-70% of them no longer practice the faith. I don't know of a single individual who has been shunned. Everyone continues to be welcome to all family functions, everyone continues to discuss and share. The process of someone leaving the faith is not easy and may be painful for both sides, but cutting off communication/shunning people is heavily discouraged, and it doesn't happen often. Some faiths do require or encourage shunning, including Jehovah's Witnesses, whom Mormons are often confused with because both use door-to-door missionaries, but Mormonism is not one of them. It's a very important distinction. I lived in Utah for a long time and worked with many mixed Mormon/non-Mormon groups. Everyone seems to get along very well and respect each other despite differing beliefs (with only a few very rare exceptions).

wavefunction 10y ago

Many Jack and Jill Mormons in Utah where I lived for a while, and folks there as well whom had gotten themselves stricken from the records. I also learned from native Utahns that they had been ostracized in high school for not being part of the LDS community. It happens, we're all human. All we can try to do is do better. I did meet many fine folks there as well, among the best the world has to offer.

willismichael 10y ago
Fair enough. I grew up outside of Utah, and having spent a number of years living in Utah I must admit that it has people that haven't ever learned how to have a positive relationship with somebody of a different belief system. It's not nearly as big of a problem outside of Utah though.
- RUG3Y 10y ago
  I've spent a lot of time in Utah and I know people who have been cut off from family because they choose to leave the church.
  - cookiecaper 10y ago
    There are people who do it. The Church advises them not to.
cookiecaper 10y ago
There's a big difference between "some adherents do this" and "the Church urges and encourages [shunning]". The exact opposite is the case. The Church heartily discourages shunning and teaches people that their good example and continued friendliness is even more important for people who've gone off the path than people who are still on it, children and relatives not excluded. Children taking foray outside of the faith's bounds is by no means rare. It happens all the time in Utah. Many faithful adults in Utah were such teenagers/young adults themselves and understand that patience and kindness will win the day and help the child find the path back. Check anti-Mormon forums and they can't stop whining that, far from being shunned, publicly embarrassed, or harmed, the Church continues to send welcoming representatives to ask if they'd like to come back. They also regularly complain that their own family members continue to invite them back. I'm sure that can get annoying after you've made your wishes clear, but it's basically the opposite of shunning. In my large extended Mormon family (14 aunts and uncles, over 50 first cousins, hundreds of second cousins, etc), probably 65-70% of them no longer practice the faith. I don't know of a single individual who has been shunned. Everyone continues to be welcome to all family functions, everyone continues to discuss and share. The process of someone leaving the faith is not easy and may be painful for both sides, but cutting off communication/shunning people is heavily discouraged, and it doesn't happen often. Some faiths do require or encourage shunning, including Jehovah's Witnesses, whom Mormons are often confused with because both use door-to-door missionaries, but Mormonism is not one of them. It's a very important distinction. I lived in Utah for a long time and worked with many mixed Mormon/non-Mormon groups. Everyone seems to get along very well and respect each other despite differing beliefs (with only a few very rare exceptions).