SIMON- Thanks for posting this article. Interesting and a good thing that the courts supported the people being shunned in this case- perhaps it will either set a precedent or at least get courts and judges to start looking at shunning as an abhorrent act - which it is.
A quote in the article by the writer though that this court case , " has brought the RARELY USED practice of religious shunning into the spotlight " is a curious comment. I agree the court case HAS brought religious shunning into the spotlight. But the writer shows his lack of knowledge regarding the practice of shunning by saying religious shunning is " rarely used ". Mormons , Scientologists, Catholics, Jehovah's witnesses, Amish, Hutterites , I mean the list goes on and on of many forms of religion worldwide that use shunning to punish or cut off members who disagree with their respective religion's views.
That little comment inserted by the writer saying religious shunning is " rarely used " - indicates to me that he's trying to make organized religion appear better than it really is- that only " marginal " groups use religious shunning claiming it " rarely " happens.
But other than that, it's a great article which I hope gets the public' s attention towards the common practice of religious shunning