This was my experience as well (Utah native). I did not experience any shunning when I left, nor have others in my extended family. Any shunning I have seen wa

This was my experience as well (Utah native). I did not experience any shunning when I left, nor have others in my extended family. Any shunning I have seen was due to other factors than merely leaving, such as the reasons behind leaving (one of my cousins was shunned for drug dealing and running from the law, not for leaving). The Mormon church has a lot of experience with people leaving and appears to handle it pretty well in general. Of course leaving a religion is a hard and often agonizing decision and is painful personally, and people sometimes project these feelings onto others.