The following excerpts are taken from a "BBC NEWS MAGAZINE" article entitled, "Park Romney: Why he turned against the Mormon church" dated 3/25/12.

Park Romney (cousin of Mitt Romney) said, "I became convinced that it's (mormon church) a fraud,"....
Park Romney, 56, is a former Mormon high priest, who turned against the church...

Ex-mormons tend to be the church's most outspoken critics.
One thing that particularly agitates them is "shunning" - allegations that former church members are denied access to family members who remain in the church.

Park claims this has happened to him.
"I am alienated from my family," he told the BBC.
"Their doctrine, their protocol and their culture as enforced by bishops encourages the families to disassociate themselves from the apostate."

Mormon Church elder Jeffrey Holland DENIES SHUNNING OCCURS. (emphasis added)
"We don't use that word and WE DON'T KNOW THAT PRACTICE." (emphasis added)
"If I had a son or a daughter who left the Church or was alienated or had a problem, I can tell you I would not cut that child out of family life," he states....
"But we are 14 million and growing."

Of course, he says "It wouldn't happen in my family...." all the while denying that it happens in thousands of other families, including the Romney family.

Someone needs to ask Romney if his cousin would be allowed to attend family events like temple weddings. It isn't the family that is doing the shunning. It's the church policy.

"We don't use that word and WE DON'T KNOW THAT PRACTICE."
"If I had a son or a daughter who left the Church or was alienated or had a problem, I can tell you I would not cut that child out of family life."

How will Elder Holland sneak his son or daughter through temple security to attend a family wedding?
Oh, he won't? He'll make them sit outside?
Exactly what does he think shunning means?

Wait a darn minute, isn't he supposed to say, "I don't know that we don't know that practice?"

It is another layer of plausible deniability, so I am sure the PR department will be visiting him soon.

What about the Temple Recommend Interview where they ask if you associate with, or even just have sympathy with, apostates?

If you cannot "associate" then you must avoid.

Isn't avoiding, by any other name, shunning?

Anagrammy

Or outer circle. Maybe I wasn't shunned. I was just no longer part of the inner circle. I would learn about family business by accidentally being in ear shot. I wasn't privy. That's not shunning.

If I need help enough to ask for help there is a good chance my request will be ignored or forgotten. That's not shunning. But its a good way for me to get a taste of what it will be like to be cut off from them for the eternities. Really why delay the inevitable right. Not shunning.

BULLSHIT

Whew...what a relief.

At least now there is hope that I am not being shunned by my relatives over my church choices, but because I suck as a family member. Hooray!

...because it's embarrassing.

We don't know that practice...We just DO IT!

Yes, except for that pesky entry in the Church Handbook of Instructions:

"Members Whose Close Relatives Belong to Apostate Groups

Bishops and their counselors must take exceptional care when issuing recommends to members whose parents or other close relatives belong to or sympathize with apostate groups. Such members must demonstrate clearly that they repudiate these apostate religious teachings before they may be issued a recommend."

As cited by Wiki Leaks

shunning doesnt happen
the church has 14 milluion and growing

yeah,..... both of those claims belong in the same category - "Bovine Ordure"

Does anyone know anything about Jeffrey Holland's son? I think his name is David and he is a History Professor at UNLV.

Thats where the lie is dis ingenious. The word they use is associate

They just use it in the phrase dont associate with

They also use it in the temple recommend question do you associate with


Those phrases imply one will not be worthy to hold a temple recommend or attend the temple. If they do associate

With thoae who disagree publically with the doctrinne snd the prophets ideas

They may not call it shunning but they still do it.

They dont call it shunning they call it staying away from bad infuances of apostates.

The church will need alot more gold spray to try to get that big floppy poo to look half deacent.

Yes and time and again the leaders say, "don't just associate with other Mormons, but go out of your way to choose friends who don't 'have the spirit,' and who have a contrary view to what the Church teaches."

Right?

They do say that, don't they?

Riiiiight. Shunning is alive and well, my friends. Alive. And. Well.

It still happens. I know from personal experience. No religion is perfect and many suffer from "real world" problems, but it is annoying to see a religion with so many social ills deny they don't do this. To them it many not be shunning, but to those experiencing it, it is.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/2012 04:54PM by happyexmormon.

hahahahahaha they don't practice it.

If they don't "practice or know" it, can someone please tell me then what my parents are doing to me and my other siblings who dont go to church??

The lying never ends.

I think she's trying to 'shun' me.

I believe she's afraid and can't face what she knows is true.

Never mind - she's a member of an extended in-law/by marriage/not sure if she's really related kind of family with only a tentative connection to us so there's been little interaction anyway.

I do know that she is a closet doubter and she's following the church admonition to cut ties with apostates, as I was advised to cut ties with my nevermo family members, including my husband and father. When my hubby died the bishop was almost ecstatic with joy, saying that I could NOW marry a worthy man at last. Sick old fool.

Yes, the mormon church is definitely a cult that condones and encourages shunning today.

Briggy

shunned , shun·ning , shuns . To avoid deliberately; keep away from.

Well from a strict definitional standpoint they don't shun. Most often, they bug the living $hit out of you. So, maybe he's right.

Ron

I believe the new term is "de-friending" and it doesn't just happen on FaceBook.

Of course they don't practice shunning --They are professionally good at it --it is built into their upbringing and they are told how to shun and cut and run from a lesser level of people namely apostates.

*LDS SHUNNING 101*

1. Girls who won't marry anything but a returned missionary
2. Anyone who asks or teaches ANYTHING not in the lesson manual
3. Anyone who is excommunicated for apostacy is shunned
4. Won't let kids play with children of apostates
5. Find ways to exclude family members from activities

NO They don't practice shunning --They are very good at it.

JB

how does this guy keep a straight face?! 14 million strong and growing. These PR guys are doing a poor job with their briefs to the big boys.

Shunning doesn't exist? Wow, that is news to me.

So...when I, a convert from the mission field, married a 4th generation Utah TBM/RM, & was blamed for everything that had gone wrong in the family forever then ignored, that wasn't shunning?

When I was present in a sacrament meeting & the beeshup announced I was being released from my 4 church callings & not given any new ones (because I refused to follow his false council), that wasn't shunning?

When I was being disfellowshipped in another ward & my name was announced at church as such, that wasn't shunning?

It may be part of the Utah culture, but it is everywhere in the crutch & I believe it is because of the intent of the oft quoted, "avoid the very appearance of evil". It is designed to promote forced conformity & punishment at the same time.

stating it was the very one read by Hyrum in Carthage Jail.

He has zero ethics and morals. It's all about propping up the corporation for him. He'd make a good insurance salesman.

That's less than $3 per member per year folks - a fucking absolute DISGRACE!

A rose by any other name ...

> Mormon Church elder Jeffrey Holland DENIES SHUNNING OCCURS. (emphasis added)
> "We don't use that word and WE DON'T KNOW THAT PRACTICE." (emphasis added)

I think he is carefully wording his answer to deceive people. Of course members shun those who leave, but shunning is not technically part of LD$ dogma the same way it has been with other groups like the Quakers or Amish. Members more often than not WILL shun "apostates" as if they had the plague. TBM's tend to not form real friendships, and base them on church adherence. There are exceptions of course, but usually when members leave, social connections are severed. Exmo's are considered sinners who willfully reject the "one true church", and seen as a corrupting influence to be avoided.

The temple recommend questions encourage shunning:

"Do you support, affiliate with, or agree with any group or individual whose teachings or practices are contrary to or oppose those accepted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?"



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/27/2012 09:35AM by atheist&happy:-).

Holland is full of crap! I dated a TBM for a little while....she talked me into taking the discussions.Took me all of two days of investigation to know the church is a fraud. When I told her the problems I had with all of it.....she quickly put the brakes on it. As a last ditch effort to talk some sense into her....I told her she should seek the counsel of her Bishop. (Big mistake there!). That piece of crap told her that I wasn't ready to receive the "gospel"....and told her to end the relationship, which she did. They don't shun? If you believe that one.....I've got some gold plates I'll let you see and handle!

BULLSHIT is correct! Try living in one of the smallest, most incestuous, lying, deceitfull, gladhanding, 99.99% moron communities in Northern, Utah! Textbook morons living in a herd mentality. Morons travel, work, live and think in packs. Much like wild dogs. Only difference is that I trust wild dogs. It has taken several years to overcome being annoyed by the outright manipulation, lies, deceit and sense of holier than thou attitudes of the morons here. I am no longer annoyed by them. In fact they provide an endless supply of amusement for me. Thank you jesus smith and bring em young for laying the foundation for such a vast resource of free entertainment.