Forgiveness Versus Shunning - What Does the Bible Reveal?

Forgiveness

Christians were exhorted to FORGIVE repeatedly, not SHUN perpetually.

The Bible tells us at Matthew 12:31 that "every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven" (barring the one unforgivable sin). In light of that, shunning goes against the spirit of the scriptures and could be said to be the antithesis of true Christlike love, because those who shun, refuse to forgive repeatedly as Christians have been instructed to do. 

Shunning

In stark contrast, groups that teach members to shun into perpetuity do not teach or practice the forgiveness outlined for Christians in the scriptures, nor do they forgive those they view as their "enemies," those who no longer believe in their interpretations or in their teachings.

Forgiveness Versus Shunning - What Does the Bible Reveal?
A search for Bible words related to forgiveness, yields interesting results:

• forgive: 121 results
• forgiven: 55 results
• forgive them: 32 results
• forgiveness: 15 results
• forgave: 8 results
• forgiving: 7 results
• forgive others:  2 results
• must forgive: 1 result

So, it is safe to say that the divine record, in the 240 times that words related to forgiveness appear, has MUCH TO SAY to say about forgiveness.

Conversely, a search for words related to shunning, returns what results?

• shun: 23 results 
• shunned: 3 results 
• shunning: 0 results
• shunner: 0 results 
• shun others: 0 results
• shun them: 0 results 
• must shun: 0 results

And none of these 26 instances of shun and shunned were in the context of cutting someone off forevermore unless they returned to the fold.

Shun in the Biblical Context
Shun, as it is mentioned in the Bible, was to:

1. Shun evil. That is a slightly different oyster from shunning another person, isn't it? To shun evil means that an individual has to take personal responsibility to not engage in evil practices.

     2. In a second rendering, it talks about the poor being shunned by neighbors and relatives.

Clearly, the Biblical shunning was far different from its modern-day counterpart used by high-control groups and cults.

Read the scriptures relating to the words shun and shunned.