Editing Shunning (section)

====Jehovah's Witnesses====
{{Main|Jehovah's Witnesses and congregational discipline}}
{{See also|Jehovah's Witnesses practices#Discipline}}
[[Jehovah's Witnesses]] practice a form of shunning, which was for many years referred to as "disfellowshipping".{{sfn|Holden|2002|pp=[https://archive.org/details/jehovahswitnesse00andr/page/32 32, 78-79]}} A tribunal of elders determines whether an individual has committed a serious sin and is unrepentant. Elders may meet with the individual a number of times to encourage repentance before deciding to remove the person from the congregation.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=The Watchtower|date=August 2024|pages=20&ndash;25|publisher=Watch Tower Society|title=Responding to Sin With Love and Mercy}}</ref>

For many years, members were instructed to not even greet shunned individuals.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=August 1, 2002|magazine=Our Kingdom Ministry|pages=3–4|publisher=Watch Tower Society|title=Display Christian Loyalty When a Relative Is Disfellowshipped|url=https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/202002285}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|date=September 15, 1981|magazine=The Watchtower|page=25|publisher=Watch Tower Society|quote=A simple 'Hello' to someone can be the first step that develops into a conversation and maybe even a friendship. Would we want to take that first step with a disfellowshiped person?|title=Disfellowshiping—How to View It}}</ref> As of March 2024, members are permitted to invite shunned individuals to congregation meetings or offer brief greetings at meetings, unless the individual is deemed to be an apostate.<ref name="2024 GB update #2">{{cite AV media|title=2024 Governing Body update #2|url=https://www.jw.org/en/news/region/global/2024-Governing-Body-Update-2/|publisher=WatchTower Bible and Tract Society|access-date=April 11, 2024|time=13:12}}</ref>

Sociologist Andrew Holden's research indicates that many Witnesses who would otherwise defect because of disillusionment with the organization and its teachings retain affiliation out of fear of being shunned and losing contact with friends and family members.{{sfn|Holden|2002|pp=[https://archive.org/details/jehovahswitnesse00andr/page/250 250–270]}}