Changes

'''Excommunication''' literally means 'out of communion' and is the removal of a former member from a church body.  Excommunication is a drastic step and usually results in cutting ties with other members of that church as well.

'''Excommunication''' literally means 'out of communion' and is the removal of a former member from a church body.  Excommunication is a drastic step and usually results in cutting ties with other members of that church as well.

The concept of excommunication was made famous during the [[Middle Ages]] and [[Renaissance]] periods in references to the [[Catholic Church]] and involved removal from the body of Christ.

The concept of excommunication is discussed in the [[New Testament]] and was made famous during the [[Middle Ages]] and [[Renaissance]] periods in references to the [[Catholic Church]], where it was seen as one's removal from the body of Christ. It continues to be practised into the 21st century, by groups such as the [[Amish]] and [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], the latter terming it as 'disfellowshipping'.<ref>Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. "Discipline That Can Yield Peacable Fruit" in ''The Watchtower''; (April 15, 1988) [http://www.watchtower.org/e/19880415/article_01.htm]</ref>

 

[[Category: Christianity]]

[[Category: Christianity]]

[[Category: Catholic Church]]

[[Category: Catholic Church]]