Excommunication
Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure limiting membership and communion.
Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in communion with other members of the congregation, and of receiving the sacraments. It is practiced by all of the ancient churches (such as the Catholic Church, Oriental Orthodox churches and the Eastern Orthodox churches) as well as by other Christian denominations; however, it is also used more generally to refer to similar types of institutional religious exclusionary practices and shunning among other religious groups.
- field
- Religious censure and discipline
- practiced_by
- Catholic Church, Oriental Orthodox churches, Eastern Orthodox churches, other Christian denominations, Amish, Jehovah's Witnesses, Bahá'í Faith
- also_known_as
- Shunning (Amish), Disfellowship (Jehovah's Witnesses), Covenant-breaking (Bahá'í Faith)
- key_effect
- Deprivation of communion and sacraments
- resolution
- Often revoked in response to manifest repentance
Lore & Background
Excommunication is practiced by all of the ancient churches, including the Catholic Church, Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Eastern Orthodox churches, as well as by other Christian denominations. The Amish have also been known to excommunicate members that were either seen or known for breaking rules, or questioning the church, a practice known as shunning. Jehovah's Witnesses use the term disfellowship to refer to their form of excommunication. The word excommunication means putting a specific individual or group out of communion. In some denominations, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group. Excommunication may involve banishment, shunning, and shaming, depending on the group, the offense that caused excommunication, or the rules or norms of the religious community.
Reader's Guide
Excommunication serves as a grave institutional act of religious censure, with its effects and procedures varying widely among religious groups. In the Catholic Church, excommunication can be automatic (latae sententiae) or imposed by decree (ferendae sententiae), and it excludes individuals from receiving the sacraments and exercising ecclesiastical offices, though they remain bound by church obligations. The Eastern Orthodox Church uses excommunication primarily as exclusion from the Eucharist, with anathema reserved for serious unrepentant heresy. Among Bahá'ís, excommunication is rare and reserved for those who actively promote schism, termed Covenant-breakers, and all Bahá'ís are expected to shun them. The purpose across traditions is often to protect the community and encourage repentance, with reconciliation possible upon manifest repentance. The article notes that excommunication is generally revoked in response to manifest repentance, and that its effects can be both external and spiritual, depending on the tradition.
Did You Know?
- The Amish practice a form of excommunication known as shunning.
- Jehovah's Witnesses use the term disfellowship to refer to their form of excommunication.
- In the Bahá'í Faith, excommunication is rare and reserved for those who actively promote schism, called Covenant-breakers.
- In the Catholic Church, excommunication can be automatic (latae sententiae) or imposed by decree (ferendae sententiae).
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