"United We Stand" Anti-Shunning Walk-Out Campaign

WOULD YOU... WALK OUT? 
Whether we participate willingly or unwillingly in shunning, we are still participants and our participation enables those perpetrating it and thus, gives shunning its power


A family stands up during a religious meeting and announces that they will no longer shun friends and family, nor will they financially support any group that demands and enforces this. And they walk out.

Encouraged by their example, soon, other members plan a group action and they stand up and say, "United we stand against shunning, and united we stand against those that teach and enforce shunning; united we stand in refusing to financially support any group that breaks apart families." And they walk out.

Before a big event, like a revival, or assembly, or convention, members reach a consensus on how many want to join their campaign, then they attend and en masse, stand and announce, "United we stand against shunning friends and family, united we stand against organizations that force members to do this, united we stand against giving financial support to groups that shun." And in front of many onlookers, this group gets up and single file, in a long (visible) line, walks out.

Those who are already being shunned and who are part of ex-member groups might also consider forming a group and attending upcoming events where no one knows them and taking a stand. In some respects, they are better-positioned. How so? If they are being shunned, they have nothing left to lose. They have already lost friends and family, so taking a public stand doesn't entail further loss.

Like a Drop in a Pond... Ripples Could Become a Wave
While standing, making a brief announcement, and leaving voluntarily may take only minutes, these actions have potential for long-term impact. 

Imagine this happening: walkouts causing a stir that by word-of-mouth spreads the news like wildfire (and hopefully, gives ones who disagree an impetus to join with others and take action); walkouts that are at first dismissed as random acts, but later recognized as a growing trend; people realizing that others are taking a stand against shunning and those same people considering joining the movement; a member exodus, emptying meeting places and convention centers, and a major drying up of donations. If this were to happen, can you imagine how soon policies around shunning would change? 

Show Me the Money
You may be familiar with the term "useless eaters." Conspiracy theorists conjecture that the world's elite view any who aren't paying into the system as deserving of extermination, that resources are being wasted on these ones. In a similar scenario, shunning controls "resources" in a somewhat different fashion. How so?

Those who leave and who are subsequently shunned, no longer financially support the shunning group, do they? Take it one step further: ex-members could be viewed as "useless eaters." They are no longer contributing free man hours or anything else, so it's to the group's advantage to ensure that these ones are not a drain on future resources that could go to the shunning group. By convincing active members to shun completely, as if dead, friends and family members, this ensures that those shunned are cut out of inheritances, and thus, the shunning group stands a better chance of receiving a cut from the cash cow. If ex-members weren't treated as pariahs, if their friend and relatives were allowed to maintain normal and close relationships with them, they just might be in line for inheritances.

Shunning controls inheritances. Money that would have gone to a family member, now goes elsewhere, often straight into the coffers of the shunning group.

It's High Time to Reclaim Friends and Families
Shunning won't end on its own. It's time people took back their personal power and their families

Shunning takes discipline well outside the bounds of reason and outside the walls of churches. There is no justification for it because Christians were exhorted to forgive repeatedly, not shun perpetually. There is no good reason to place someone in an unforgiven state, when the Bible clearly tells us that there is only one unforgivable sin. When victims of absolutist propaganda realize this, they can take steps to combat this abuse of fellow humans and refuse to go along with those who insist on it.

Shunning will only continue as long as it is supported by unwilling and willing participants. Refuse to perpetrate it, refuse to support groups that insist on it, and shunning will end. We all have a choice: remain passive and continue to suffer the loss of those most important to us or decide to take a stand against religious tyranny.

Please sign the petition and visit our advocacy page to learn what you can do.

The time has come for shunning to end! YOU, yes, YOU can make it happen.