Pistoff: Instead of seeing shunning as a matter that is debatable and up to each family, they frame it as loyalty to Jehovah.
Again the SHUNNING VIDEO is completely differing from the image that is showed in public interviews that JW are very senisible and reasonable people.
Lately I saw an interview with an elder at Tyrol TV, after the filmcrew accompanied the family in their daily activies as JW, they filmed at home and asked the sweet daughter, how she came to her decision to become baptized with 16. She said it was a free decision.
Than the father was asked if he heard of the critics from ex-JWs who argue it would have heavy consequences to leave the group. The elder answered that in his town such a case did never appear. To the next question what would happen if one of his children decided not be become a witness he answered, that in such a case the family would sustain like it is, only they would "probably" not speak so much about religion together. (That looks quite reasonable)
What was not asked or mentioned is that after baptism the matter is a more difficult one and "peer pressure/peer shunning" happens, it becomes a matter of LOYALTY to rules of the organisation and that each familymember and the whole congregation shuns the person not anymore interested in the faith as a unrepentend sinner. Therefore many young ones considere better twice to get baptized. Later there hardly room anymore for to say something like: "oh, i didnt consider the baptism really seriously enough, I would like to annul it or undo it and later think about the matter again okay".
"Shunning can be the act of social rejection, or emotional distance. In a religious context, shunning is a formal decision by a denomination or a congregation to cease interaction with an individual or a group, and follows a particular set of rules. It differs from, but may be associated with, excommunication.
Social rejection occurs when a person or group deliberately avoids association with, and habitually keeps away from an individual or group. This can be a formal decision by a group, or a less formal group action which will spread to all members of the group as a form of solidarity. It is a sanction against association, often associated with religious groups and other tightly knit organizations and communities. Targets of shunning can include persons who have been labeled as apostates, whistleblowers, dissidents, strikebreakers, or anyone the group perceives as a threat or source of conflict. Social rejection has been established to cause psychological damage and has been categorized as torture[1] or punishment.[2] Mental rejection is a more individual action, where a person subconsciously or willfully ignores an idea, or a set of information related to a particular viewpoint. Some groups are made up of people who shun the same ideas.[3] [note of me: the last link is about the "flat earth society"
read further https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shunning
