My parents-in-law have accused my wife and I of attempted fraud, of corrupting their son, of slandering them (hahahaha, the truth is much better than any lie!!) associating with disfellowshipped persons, etc.
My father said he was going to do something about it...he wants to straiten things out with the elders because he thinks it isn't right that my wife and I are "informally marked".
I told him to stop being naive, and that if he defended us, eventually that he would be marked, and if he fought that, disfellowshipped.
When we left my parents house last nite, I was looking into the face of a broken man. He just didn't understand the power that the elders, (even elders wives) have to destroy someone's reputation, and 'standing'. Now, don't get me wrong, I am far beyond worrying about my "standing", but I still have some very close friends that are "in" and it would hamper our relationship if my wife and I were ex-comm'ed.
As of now, my wife and I are technically still 'in', but even being an ex-witness is starting to sound nasty. i just want to erase that part of my life; my wife wants to even more than me.
Any of you have family members leave because of the way they you were shunned? Almost everyone of mine are leaving because of it.
ashi-
"I pray that I may never see the desert again-hear me God."-Robert Bolt