Secret Chief
Vetted Member
Wafers are awesome? You need to get out more.
-
Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.
Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:- Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
- Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
- Access to private conversations with other members.
We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!
Survey on Why People Leave Christianity
- Thread starter Soandso
- Start date
My suggestion for communion devil's food cake was rejected for some reason.
I could have gotten on board with communion scones, though.
Soandso
ᛋᛏᚨᚾᛞ ᛋᚢᚱᛖ
I bet more folks would stick around if they brought out the communion devils food cake and Hornito shots and limes
PureX
Veteran Member
Those are some VERY condemning reasons being laid out in the OP. I would hope that every single purveyor of religious Christianity see those graphs and face the ugly truth of what it's saying to them about how they are manifesting Christ's message and promise to others. Because a whole lot of them are clearly failing horribly at it. And they are driving people away rather than calling them together.
But I won't be holding my breath waiting for that to happen.
But I won't be holding my breath waiting for that to happen.
Christianity appeared overly critical of other religions and claimed itself to be the only genuine faith.
I joined another faith (Baha'i) that addressed the issues that concerned me at the time.
Community and a more coherent theology that both encompasses the Christian Bible and makes sense of other faiths.
Its been a long time ago since I left. I've moved on.
They're bland, but it's really cool they way they melt away in your mouth.
I don't know. I've never been to one...or seen one.
I know they exist, but I haven't been in one, either.
At the time I saw it as only partially true
Probably just moving away physically and making other friends of different religions and no religions so didn't need to adhere to something I saw as only partially true for a sense of community.
If intellectual integrity means I get to profess what I actually believe I would go with that.
Having a day set aside for gathering, it seemed to make it more regular. But even though I miss it in some ways there are benefits to irregularity too that fit my current lifestyle so I would never push regularity as I understand its not a great fit for people with diverse needs and wants.
Initially, I was influenced by the works of Joseph Wheless.
The final straw was the Bible study group I joined with a friend and the leaders absolute inability to answer simple questions - and his subsequent decision to demand I stop asking questions.
I gained a deeper appreciation for education and critical thinking, and being embraced by a secular group with superior ethics.
I really miss Maureen in Sunday school. She was a smoke show….
The final straw was the Bible study group I joined with a friend and the leaders absolute inability to answer simple questions - and his subsequent decision to demand I stop asking questions.
I gained a deeper appreciation for education and critical thinking, and being embraced by a secular group with superior ethics.
I really miss Maureen in Sunday school. She was a smoke show….
What was your initial reason for leaving?
I was a kid, but "lack of relevance" probably best describes how I felt about going to church and Sunday School. One does not just take a kid with attention-deficit and ask them to sit still in a pew for an hour. One also does not just take a kid who is a science nerd and super into sci-fi/fantasy with female characters that aren't total pushovers and expect them to find the Bible (with its utter dearth of science, dragons, elves, magic, space ships, or sword and sorcery women) at all interesting.
So fundamentally, it was a genre problem - is that "lack of relevance?"
What was the final reason that pushed you out the door?
I mean, I threw enough tantrums my folks finally listened and stoped making me go to church and Sunday School. I still had to go for major holidays for a while. And then as I started becoming one of "those" atheists, I suppose you could say I stayed one of "those" atheists for a decade and change because "intellectual integrity."
Urgh. So lame - eyerolling at my teen/tween self right now. I was a smart kid, but in other ways I was pretty dumb.
What's gained with your new framework?
I'd use the term authenticity - being true to who and what I am - so I guess that's maybe "moral/value alignment?" Or is it "self determination?" Maybe "self acceptance?" None of them really fit.
What do you miss most from your previous framework?
This one's easy - "nothing." I left very young. Didn't develop enough attachment to any of it to miss anything. And it was also just a really bad fit for me just in general. But as an adult who is now part of a religious minority that lacks any sort of physical infrastructure for itself (for the most part)? It'd sure be nice to have that. Which weirdly isn't even an option on the survey they did assuming "structure" wasn't intended to mean physical spaces.
I was a kid, but "lack of relevance" probably best describes how I felt about going to church and Sunday School. One does not just take a kid with attention-deficit and ask them to sit still in a pew for an hour. One also does not just take a kid who is a science nerd and super into sci-fi/fantasy with female characters that aren't total pushovers and expect them to find the Bible (with its utter dearth of science, dragons, elves, magic, space ships, or sword and sorcery women) at all interesting.
So fundamentally, it was a genre problem - is that "lack of relevance?"
What was the final reason that pushed you out the door?
I mean, I threw enough tantrums my folks finally listened and stoped making me go to church and Sunday School. I still had to go for major holidays for a while. And then as I started becoming one of "those" atheists, I suppose you could say I stayed one of "those" atheists for a decade and change because "intellectual integrity."
Urgh. So lame - eyerolling at my teen/tween self right now. I was a smart kid, but in other ways I was pretty dumb.
What's gained with your new framework?
I'd use the term authenticity - being true to who and what I am - so I guess that's maybe "moral/value alignment?" Or is it "self determination?" Maybe "self acceptance?" None of them really fit.
What do you miss most from your previous framework?
This one's easy - "nothing." I left very young. Didn't develop enough attachment to any of it to miss anything. And it was also just a really bad fit for me just in general. But as an adult who is now part of a religious minority that lacks any sort of physical infrastructure for itself (for the most part)? It'd sure be nice to have that. Which weirdly isn't even an option on the survey they did assuming "structure" wasn't intended to mean physical spaces.
Bear Wild
Well-Known Member
What was your initial reason for leaving?
There was a disconnection with the rest of the natural world which had always been spiritual for me. There were those how loved plants and animals yet there was an unmistakable feeling that humans were special and superior to all other life awaiting a supernatural world. Every service and discussion in the church never made me feel connected to the natural world I longed for, and I spent a very, very, long time trying to find the connection in Christianity.
What was the final reason that pushed you out the door?
When I found there was another way to be spiritual and a way to reconnect with the greater than human world. I usually just disconnected from Christianity and identified with an atheist scientific view of the world which at least studied nature and did not emphasize the separation. Scientific atheism like Christianity did not resolve my longing for something greater but at least it did not emphasize the separation. Now that I have entered the New Order of Druids and found a rich spiritual life that strives to bridge the return back into the greater than human world, I could never consider any other way. I had found a home.
What's gained with your new framework?
A wonderous connection with a numinous world. Better connections with life all around me. A feeling of belonging for the first time in my life. New spiritual experiences that I had always ignored. I appreciate syzygy, the yin and yang of Tao, the loss of judgment replaced by understanding. I have come to know the wyrd and accept it and work with it. I am no longer ignoring the messages from a greater world that come to me. Most of all it has extended my family to all life around me.
What do you miss most from your previous framework?
Initially when the alternative was scientific atheism, I missed the spiritual aspect of living. The experiential feeling of holidays like Christmas and Halloween for example had far too much meaning in my life to ignore. The next thing was finding people who shared what I believe. There is nothing I miss now as a member of the New Order of Druid.
There was a disconnection with the rest of the natural world which had always been spiritual for me. There were those how loved plants and animals yet there was an unmistakable feeling that humans were special and superior to all other life awaiting a supernatural world. Every service and discussion in the church never made me feel connected to the natural world I longed for, and I spent a very, very, long time trying to find the connection in Christianity.
What was the final reason that pushed you out the door?
When I found there was another way to be spiritual and a way to reconnect with the greater than human world. I usually just disconnected from Christianity and identified with an atheist scientific view of the world which at least studied nature and did not emphasize the separation. Scientific atheism like Christianity did not resolve my longing for something greater but at least it did not emphasize the separation. Now that I have entered the New Order of Druids and found a rich spiritual life that strives to bridge the return back into the greater than human world, I could never consider any other way. I had found a home.
What's gained with your new framework?
A wonderous connection with a numinous world. Better connections with life all around me. A feeling of belonging for the first time in my life. New spiritual experiences that I had always ignored. I appreciate syzygy, the yin and yang of Tao, the loss of judgment replaced by understanding. I have come to know the wyrd and accept it and work with it. I am no longer ignoring the messages from a greater world that come to me. Most of all it has extended my family to all life around me.
What do you miss most from your previous framework?
Initially when the alternative was scientific atheism, I missed the spiritual aspect of living. The experiential feeling of holidays like Christmas and Halloween for example had far too much meaning in my life to ignore. The next thing was finding people who shared what I believe. There is nothing I miss now as a member of the New Order of Druid.
I cannot easily describe my experiences leaving one denomination for another, so I'm not going to in any detail. For me it was a very significant decision each time. The first time leaving I knew I would not be missed, and I would not miss anyone either; but I left my home church (charismatic) of 20+ years. Then I visited some baptists for about a year, and I joined but never fit in. Then I went with a non-trinitarian group for several years, and at the end of that leaving them was very sad. I have also visited a quaker group for about a year.
www.newcreation.community
They say the reasons by category are: 1. "...feels stifling, fear-based and risk-averse..." 2. "Their experience of Christianity is shallow." 3. "Churches come across as antagonistic to science." 4. "...church’s views towards sexuality are often simplistic, judgmental." 5. "Christianity is exclusive." 6. "...church feels unfriendly to those who doubt."
To me the above seems very terse but covers most of the reasons people leave.
One group of 7th Day Adventists have come up with 6 main categories which seem to fit my impression of why people leave:
Why Young People are Leaving Christianity and What We Can Do About It
Why are so many young people abandoning the church, even when they still have faith? This article looks at some reasons and what we can do about it.
To me the above seems very terse but covers most of the reasons people leave.
PureX
Veteran Member
What I find sad about these complaints is that they reveal these churches to be very "clique-like". Only interested in enforcing the clique's ideals and not interested at all in embodying the actual message and promise of Christ to the world. Their eyes and hearts are turned inward, not outward toward their fellow humans.I cannot easily describe my experiences leaving one denomination for another, so I'm not going to in any detail. For me it was a very significant decision each time. The first time leaving I knew I would not be missed, and I would not miss anyone either; but I left my home church (charismatic) of 20+ years. Then I visited some baptists for about a year, and I joined but never fit in. Then I went with a non-trinitarian group for several years, and at the end of that leaving them was very sad. I have also visited a quaker group for about a year.
One group of 7th Day Adventists have come up with 6 main categories which seem to fit my impression of why people leave:
They say the reasons by category are: 1. "...feels stifling, fear-based and risk-averse..." 2. "Their experience of Christianity is shallow." 3. "Churches come across as antagonistic to science." 4. "...church’s views towards sexuality are often simplistic, judgmental." 5. "Christianity is exclusive." 6. "...church feels unfriendly to those who doubt."Why Young People are Leaving Christianity and What We Can Do About It
Why are so many young people abandoning the church, even when they still have faith? This article looks at some reasons and what we can do about it.
To me the above seems very terse but covers most of the reasons people leave.
Colt
Well-Known Member
Depending on what the definition is of Christianity, I left the institutional, denominational Christian church for the advanced revelation of The Urantia Book. I consider myself simply a disciple of Jesus, of the original, pre-cross Gospel that he lived, taught and preached for 3+ years.So I just saw an interesting article about a survey conducted about the reasons people are leaving Christianity; or at the very least their denomination of Christianity. I recommend giving it a read. It's interesting
Research findings on why people are leaving Christianity
1,200 people share why they’re leaving Christianity in this comprehensive study. Published with Baptist News Global.brandonflanery.com
Here are graphs depicting the questions surveyors had to choose from and their given answers
So if you had the questions above with those answers to choose from, and you are either a former Christian or moved from one denomination to another, what was your reasoning?
What was your initial reason for leaving?
What was the final reason that pushed you out the door?
What's gained with your new framework?
What do you miss most from your previous framework?
Last edited:
Soandso
ᛋᛏᚨᚾᛞ ᛋᚢᚱᛖ
I had no idea what the urantia book was before reading this post. Interesting
The Urantia Book - Wikipedia
What about the book do you find convincing?
I don't think that I ever left Christianity, because I never considered myself a Christian. Not for lack of interest of others in deciding that I must be one. That is inescapable here in Brazil. Very, very annoying.
Had I ever been a Christian, I would surely have decided to no longer be one for any of a plethora of reasons, some of which are even my responsibility instead of the movement's own or of the Christians as they manifest in Brazil.
In a nutshell, there is no overlap between what interests me and what interests Christianity as it exists here and now.
While I did not feel quite that way when I was a kid, additional issues developed since, both in me and in the social environment: in a nutshell, I found my way into understanding quite a bit of creeds and religions, while the typical face of Christianity here in Brazil... did not converge to my paths, shall we say.
Had I ever been a Christian, I would surely have decided to no longer be one for any of a plethora of reasons, some of which are even my responsibility instead of the movement's own or of the Christians as they manifest in Brazil.
In a nutshell, there is no overlap between what interests me and what interests Christianity as it exists here and now.
While I did not feel quite that way when I was a kid, additional issues developed since, both in me and in the social environment: in a nutshell, I found my way into understanding quite a bit of creeds and religions, while the typical face of Christianity here in Brazil... did not converge to my paths, shall we say.
Colt
Well-Known Member
It just makes sense all things considered. I'm an old earth evolutionist and a spiritualist as well as a scientifically minded person.I had no idea what the urantia book was before reading this post. Interesting
The Urantia Book - Wikipedia
en.m.wikipedia.org
What about the book do you find convincing?
Sand Dancer
Currently catless
Initially, it was the unChrist like behaviors of Christians. The final reason was why a good god would allow suffering and evil.So I just saw an interesting article about a survey conducted about the reasons people are leaving Christianity; or at the very least their denomination of Christianity. I recommend giving it a read. It's interesting
Research findings on why people are leaving Christianity
1,200 people share why they’re leaving Christianity in this comprehensive study. Published with Baptist News Global.
Here are graphs depicting the questions surveyors had to choose from and their given answers
So if you had the questions above with those answers to choose from, and you are either a former Christian or moved from one denomination to another, what was your reasoning?
What was your initial reason for leaving?
What was the final reason that pushed you out the door?
What's gained with your new framework?
What do you miss most from your previous framework?
I don't have any baggage weighing me down and can gain my self-esteem back.
I do miss regular community, but my "friends" were mostly just nice when we were there, then didn't care the rest of the time, so they probably were not friends to begin with. I have some that don't talk to me now that I left, but most don't know or care, so either way they are lost. I have one left from church that I am still good friends with.
Sir Joseph
Member
So I just saw an interesting article about a survey conducted about the reasons people are leaving Christianity; or at the very least their denomination of Christianity. I recommend giving it a read. It's interesting
Research findings on why people are leaving Christianity
1,200 people share why they’re leaving Christianity in this comprehensive study. Published with Baptist News Global.
Here are graphs depicting the questions surveyors had to choose from and their given answers
So if you had the questions above with those answers to choose from, and you are either a former Christian or moved from one denomination to another, what was your reasoning?
What was your initial reason for leaving?
What was the final reason that pushed you out the door?
What's gained with your new framework?
What do you miss most from your previous framework?
I can't answer the questions since I'm a life-long Christian with more fath and conviction than ever, but I do offer a relevant comment.
As others have suggested, this survey suspiciously puts the number one blame on rejection of the LGBT culture we now live in. Although that's reasonably likely for a small percentage of the population, there are a multitude of significant reasons noted by others here and various, better studies.
Answers in Genesis contracted an excellent third-party study on the subject and followed up with a book and some videos. It doesn't negate the alleged Bible contradictions, Christian hypocrisy behavior, or cultural opposing moral standards, but it does conclude another reason for youth under age 25 leaving the faith of their upbringing. Through various essay questions, the issue of evolution vs creationism consistently ranked number one on the list. This shouldn't be surprising since it affects everyone's world view, not just members of the LGBT community.
These surveyed kids, all raised in a Christian home environment, had their 6-day Genesis creation account attacked by the public school system, museums, media, and culture since early childhood - starting pre-grade school with the plethora of kiddies' dinosaur books. By high school and college, they succumbed to the powerful influence and embraced evolutionary theory. While I'd accuse their misguidance on lack of proper Christian apologetics teaching, the results are logical. Genesis is the foundation of the Christian faith. If it's undermined, the whole Bible's authority is undermined, and once that's done, one's faith is vulnerable to any number of attacks that seemingly refute it.
Although there are studies (and a lot of testimonies from converted atheists) showing that pain, suffering, and evil in the world is the number one cause of rejecting God, I do believe that the teaching of evolutionary theory in the public school system and society in general has been more effective at giving people freedom from religion than any other cause. It's not only created the popular misconception of the Bible opposing science, but has opened up the door (by dismissing Genesis and undermining the entire Bible's authority) to complete moral relativism. Thus, people today are able to conveniently use science as an excuse to exercise their own preferred moral values. How much easier it is to exercise one's pursuit of self interest and pleasure if there's no accountability to God and his objective standards.
I'll summarize with this. Choosing or rejecting Christianity is a matter of the heart, not the evidence. If one wants to explore the faith with an open mind, or defend the faith when challenged with cultural objections, there's an abundance of evidence supporting the Bible as 'the" authoritative source. But for the those wanting to serve oneself over God and others, there's also abundant material to justify such a position. In the end, the truth will be revealed regardless of the unanswered questions, counter culture standards, or inadequate behavior of Christians. Like most humans throughout world history, I believe there will be consequences to our choices in this life with a judgement day to face. Personally, I take immense joy and comfort in embracing my Creator, Lord, and Savior. I want the gift of love and grace that Jesus offers and the glorious new world, body, and eternal life to look forward to.