Holy Books in Glass Cases: When Religious Freedom Turns Absurd

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Robert U. Rational “Holy Books in Glass Cases: When Religious Freedom Turns Absurd” Ever wondered if your next Bible Belt neighborhood barbecue could legally double as a witch burning, if you claimed it as a religious practice? Of course, before you start planning a themed party complete with pitchforks—or wood stacks, for that matter—let’s consider where we draw the line …

Joining the Fight Against Mandated Shunning: How You Can Make a Difference

John MeulenbergArticles

By Robert U. Rational In the realm of human rights and personal freedoms, the issue of mandated shunning by high control religious groups remains a deeply concerning practice that inflicts untold emotional and psychological pain on countless individuals. At ShunningIsACrime.org, our mission is to challenge and ultimately criminalize this coercive behavior through legal channels worldwide. However, the success of this …

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Patrick Haeck Talks to OnionUnlimited About the “Lost” Belgium Court Case

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The Shunning is a Crime team highly recommends watching and listening to this entertaining and informative podcast about mandated shunning. It features an engaging conversation between two ex-JW elders, Patrick Haeck and Daniel Torridon, who compare this form of shunning to a social death sentence and stoning. In one hour, get caught up on why mandated shunning should be treated …

Shunning is a Crime

SAWS Requests Meeting to Discuss Mandated Shunning With High Control Group

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The Foundation Against Watchtower Shunning (SAWS), registered in Aalten, Holland has sent 7 letters to the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses (CCJW) in the Netherlands inviting them to enter a dialogue with all those who continue to suffer because of the religious mandated shunning policy.  A press release has been circulated stating that if the CCJW Directors or representatives ignore the …

Shunning is a Crime

Richard Kelly Talks to OnionUnlimited About the Genesis of Shunning is a Crime

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On 11 September 2023, Richard E. Kelly was interviewed by Daniel Torridon from the Onion Unlimited podcast. The interview explored Richard’s powerful and often painful story and much more: Click here to watch the podcast on OnionUnlimited’s YouTube channel.

Shunning is a Crime

High-Control Groups Abuse the Human Rights of Children

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At the time of writing, there are 2.3 billion children in a global population of 8,045,311,447 on the planet. How many of those children are being raised in high-control groups is unknown. One of the reasons Shunning is a Crime (SIAC) is collecting mandated shunning stories and why a small group of researchers created a survey is because we want to document how and …

Shunning is a Crime

The Last Days for Cults and Shunning?

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From Netflix to Hollywood celebrities, the world is buzzing with stories of survival from high-control groups and cults. While the groups ignore or head to court to stop disclosures, victims and survivors tell their stories of abuse, loss of family relationships and abandonment by friends. Shunning is a Crime is a new movement gaining traction. It was started by a …

Shunning is a Crime

I Earned This Punishment Because I Have Sinned

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A comment often heard from excommunicated members of high-control groups is they have sinned and deserve the punishment of mandated shunning. It never occurs to them that they may be the victim. That they have induced group phobias related to sexual norms and the group’s coercive ideology may not be “the truth”. To members still in the group, the person …

Ghent Court

The Shunning Court Case in Belgium

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In a letter dated January 26th 2015, addressed to the Public Prosecutor in Ghent, Belgium, Patrick Haeck and about 15 other brave ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses took the initiative to file a complaint against the shunning policy of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The complaint mentioned that the behaviour towards disfellowshipped and disassociated members of this community was a violation of multiple Belgian laws: A thorough investigation …