• 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!

Why do people leave any religion?

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
The thread on leaving Christianity seems rather active, and I don't think Christianity is the only religion that has people leaving. It may not even be the one with the highest rate of leaving.

That said, there are two basic ways to leave a religion ... quietly, or slamming the door on the way out, with a gigantic fuss. I would think most leave quietly.

The reasons? many, obviously, but this may bring up more. In the case of my children, who for all practical purposes, have left Hinduism ... quietly. The reasons vary, but the main one is that nothing about it really captured them the way it did with me. But I'm fine with it. They kept the ethics implanted, and are all decent citizens.

I know quite a few folks who just sort of quit going. Interest waned, it didn't really matter, etc.

Thoughts?
 

We Never Know

No Slack
The thread on leaving Christianity seems rather active, and I don't think Christianity is the only religion that has people leaving. It may not even be the one with the highest rate of leaving.

That said, there are two basic ways to leave a religion ... quietly, or slamming the door on the way out, with a gigantic fuss. I would think most leave quietly.

The reasons? many, obviously, but this may bring up more. In the case of my children, who for all practical purposes, have left Hinduism ... quietly. The reasons vary, but the main one is that nothing about it really captured them the way it did with me. But I'm fine with it. They kept the ethics implanted, and are all decent citizens.

I know quite a few folks who just sort of quit going. Interest waned, it didn't really matter, etc.

Thoughts?
Ask yourself this... How many people join a religion voluntarily. Most are forced into a religion by their parents, friends or even a community while they are being raised, growing up. Its not surprising some do a 180/go the opposite direction when they are grown.
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
Ask yourself this... How many people join a religion voluntarily. Most are forced into a religion by their parents, friends or even a community while they are being raised, growing up. Its not surprising some do a 180/go the opposite direction when they are grown.

Yes, I'm guessing that is by far the most common reason. I'm not really even exception, as I was raised atheist, and went against that.
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
The thread on leaving Christianity seems rather active, and I don't think Christianity is the only religion that has people leaving. It may not even be the one with the highest rate of leaving.

That said, there are two basic ways to leave a religion ... quietly, or slamming the door on the way out, with a gigantic fuss. I would think most leave quietly.

The reasons? many, obviously, but this may bring up more. In the case of my children, who for all practical purposes, have left Hinduism ... quietly. The reasons vary, but the main one is that nothing about it really captured them the way it did with me. But I'm fine with it. They kept the ethics implanted, and are all decent citizens.

I know quite a few folks who just sort of quit going. Interest waned, it didn't really matter, etc.

Thoughts?

Personally, I just stopped going. I live alone and not under any pressure to stay. There is no reason in my opinion to stay in a religion when that belief and tradition does not define your worldview. It's a half and half relationship. If I can't say I Know God exists, it's just a belief and it flies in the wind.

So, people leave differently, but those who actually left most likely realized that's not how they see the world. Those that return probably knew they can't just Not believe something they Know is true.

Depending on how much the religion shapes, defines, and is their reality, the less they are likely to leave. I assume those in the struggle between the two leave loudly and those who just Know leave quiet.
 
Last edited:

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
The thread on leaving Christianity seems rather active, and I don't think Christianity is the only religion that has people leaving. It may not even be the one with the highest rate of leaving.

That said, there are two basic ways to leave a religion ... quietly, or slamming the door on the way out, with a gigantic fuss. I would think most leave quietly.

The reasons? many, obviously, but this may bring up more. In the case of my children, who for all practical purposes, have left Hinduism ... quietly. The reasons vary, but the main one is that nothing about it really captured them the way it did with me. But I'm fine with it. They kept the ethics implanted, and are all decent citizens.

I know quite a few folks who just sort of quit going. Interest waned, it didn't really matter, etc.

Thoughts?
Other than seeking, sometimes its reality vs fantasy.

I just got tired of pretending and decided that it's for the best to see the truth play out on its own terms.
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
People just move on as well. The rural to urban migration over the last 80 years or so has left many a rural church in America as scrap wood or ashes. So too with immigration. I know many Hindus and Muslims who immigrated to Canada and in the process lost their religiosity merely because there wasn't a temple or mosque (or parent of grandparent to disappoint) half a block away. When it's not convenient, who wants to put in the extra effort?
 

McBell

Resident Sourpuss
The thread on leaving Christianity seems rather active, and I don't think Christianity is the only religion that has people leaving. It may not even be the one with the highest rate of leaving.

That said, there are two basic ways to leave a religion ... quietly, or slamming the door on the way out, with a gigantic fuss. I would think most leave quietly.

The reasons? many, obviously, but this may bring up more. In the case of my children, who for all practical purposes, have left Hinduism ... quietly. The reasons vary, but the main one is that nothing about it really captured them the way it did with me. But I'm fine with it. They kept the ethics implanted, and are all decent citizens.

I know quite a few folks who just sort of quit going. Interest waned, it didn't really matter, etc.

Thoughts?
Seems to me that the number of reasons people leave religions is close to the number of people who leave.
That can get tedious in and of itself so people tend to lump the reasons together in categories to make the numbers easier to handle.
Which can cause problems when attempting to discern the specifics.

That said, it is my opinion that the number one reason people leave their religion is the followers of the religion they leave
 

Vahid

Member
Freedom of thought, reason and reasoning must be accepted. Thinking is a process and it is necessary and inevitable to reach good ends. But belief is divided into right and wrong, and not every religious belief is acceptable. Others need to be helped to do comprehensive research. If one really, with careful, comprehensive, and extensive research, is convinced that a certain belief is true, not only can he, but he must believe in it and respect his faith.
 

We Never Know

No Slack
Freedom of thought, reason and reasoning must be accepted. Thinking is a process and it is necessary and inevitable to reach good ends. But belief is divided into right and wrong, and not every religious belief is acceptable. Others need to be helped to do comprehensive research. If one really, with careful, comprehensive, and extensive research, is convinced that a certain belief is true, not only can he, but he must believe in it and respect his faith.
People also need to realize when kids grow up their views on everything change. At 5 Little Johnny might have wanted to be a fireman but at 18 little Johnny just wants to go to college and decide what he wants to be.
 

MatthewA

Active Member
Freedom of thought, reason and reasoning must be accepted. Thinking is a process and it is necessary and inevitable to reach good ends. But belief is divided into right and wrong, and not every religious belief is acceptable. Others need to be helped to do comprehensive research. If one really, with careful, comprehensive, and extensive research, is convinced that a certain belief is true, not only can he, but he must believe in it and respect his faith.

This is a good summary statement of freedom, and also placing effort in knowing what you are believing, at least by working to learn and see what is presented to you if you are studying and have faith in whatever it is a person may seek to have faith in. (My view is to have faith in God; but others have options whatever they know to right?)

Here curious question that has come to my mind is that; do other religions have faith in them? Do not hear of it talked much among others here with anything to with dealing with their own religious views, and concepts presenting views on faith which is odd, but maybe not every religious view has faith involved in them.

People also need to realize when kids grow up their views on everything change. At 5 Little Johnny might have wanted to be a fireman but at 18 little Johnny just wants to go to college and decide what he wants to be.

We Never Know

When people are kids, they need to be taught certain things about life, but children also need freedom to have thought, and to think, and to ask questions as well to learn about whatever it is they desire to know about concerning the information that is out there in the world along with encouragement and support from their families, but that is something that is often learned later on in life, that is handed down as life advice to support your kids, and allow them have freedom, but also encourage them, and support by and through love, that is my opinion about that situation.

It took me 24 years to get a job. Lived with mom, most of my life; except 2 times moving out. I did not know what I wanted to be or care for that matter really. Just wanted to live life and not worry about anything, else once got job and learned it. Did go to college twice but dropped out, did not care for school all that much.
 

Rival

Si m'ait Dieus
Staff member
Premium Member
My two main reasons for leaving or not being attracted to most religions in the first place would be lack of connection to their God or Gods and that the religion itself makes no sense to me. The first was the case with Zoroastrianism, and both were the case with Christianity.
 
Last edited:

Thief

Rogue Theologian
The thread on leaving Christianity seems rather active, and I don't think Christianity is the only religion that has people leaving. It may not even be the one with the highest rate of leaving.

That said, there are two basic ways to leave a religion ... quietly, or slamming the door on the way out, with a gigantic fuss. I would think most leave quietly.

The reasons? many, obviously, but this may bring up more. In the case of my children, who for all practical purposes, have left Hinduism ... quietly. The reasons vary, but the main one is that nothing about it really captured them the way it did with me. But I'm fine with it. They kept the ethics implanted, and are all decent citizens.

I know quite a few folks who just sort of quit going. Interest waned, it didn't really matter, etc.

Thoughts?
When I left.....no one noticed

had my bid for position at the local seminary carried through........omg

it's a good thing soooo many other people showed up for the two available openings
my stance behind the pulpit would have been

noticed
 

exchemist

Veteran Member
The thread on leaving Christianity seems rather active, and I don't think Christianity is the only religion that has people leaving. It may not even be the one with the highest rate of leaving.

That said, there are two basic ways to leave a religion ... quietly, or slamming the door on the way out, with a gigantic fuss. I would think most leave quietly.

The reasons? many, obviously, but this may bring up more. In the case of my children, who for all practical purposes, have left Hinduism ... quietly. The reasons vary, but the main one is that nothing about it really captured them the way it did with me. But I'm fine with it. They kept the ethics implanted, and are all decent citizens.

I know quite a few folks who just sort of quit going. Interest waned, it didn't really matter, etc.

Thoughts?
In most cases, I think, people's conviction just wanes and they stop participating. Sometimes they get bored and don't see the point - especially true of teenagers, I think - and sometimes, like me, growing doubts are crystallised by experience: in my case contact with other religions when I lived in the Middle East.

But then, people sometimes come back when they get older, have time to reflect, are less concerned about bits of dogma they don't accept, and have had a few lumps knocked out of them by life. Those that leave quietly may quietly return. It's a two-way street.
 

Rival

Si m'ait Dieus
Staff member
Premium Member
The fact that we have more exposure to other religions seems to have made apostasy much more common, when before it was your local religion or none.
 

Dawnofhope

Non-Proselytizing Baha'i
Staff member
Premium Member
A religion needs to make sense and is part of life through good times and bad. I grew up Christian and like many teenagers, religion wasn’t an important part of life. Through difficult times in my early twenties religion became more important. Fundamentalist Christianity turned me off and the Baha’i Faith repackaged religion into a modern context that made sense. I feel I never left Christianity.
 

Marcion

gopa of humanity's controversial Taraka Brahma
If I had been raised as a Christian, Bahai, Hindu or Muslim, I would have likely left.
But I was raised secular, so I felt free to choose whatever I liked.
Still, choosing for a mystic path felt like somehow leaving atheism, I had to make the switch from a universe without a spiritual matrix to one that includes it.
I left atheism because it felt incomplete. But I avoided the trappings of entering into a religion.
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
When I left.....no one noticed

had my bid for position at the local seminary carried through........omg

it's a good thing soooo many other people showed up for the two available openings
my stance behind the pulpit would have been

noticed

Yes that's funny.
In most cases, I think, people's conviction just wanes and they stop participating. Sometimes they get bored and don't see the point - especially true of teenagers, I think - and sometimes, like me, growing doubts are crystallised by experience: in my case contact with other religions when I lived in the Middle East.

But then, people sometimes come back when they get older, have time to reflect, are less concerned about bits of dogma they don't accept, and have had a few lumps knocked out of them by life. Those that leave quietly may quietly return. It's a two-way street.

Yes, thanks for bringing up the point about coming back when you're older. I know several immigrant Hindus who came to Canada in the 60s as university professors who basically quit. But when immigration took off 30 years later, enough to build temples, many came right back, simply because there was now a community.

Also, there are time constraints and competition form other things when you have teenage kids. One is if they're in a sport that plays on Sundays.
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
A religion needs to make sense and is part of life through good times and bad. I grew up Christian and like many teenagers, religion wasn’t an important part of life. Through difficult times in my early twenties religion became more important. Fundamentalist Christianity turned me off and the Baha’i Faith repackaged religion into a modern context that made sense. I feel I never left Christianity.

What do you feel are the most common reasons for leaving Baha'i?
 

Muffled

Jesus in me
The thread on leaving Christianity seems rather active, and I don't think Christianity is the only religion that has people leaving. It may not even be the one with the highest rate of leaving.

That said, there are two basic ways to leave a religion ... quietly, or slamming the door on the way out, with a gigantic fuss. I would think most leave quietly.

The reasons? many, obviously, but this may bring up more. In the case of my children, who for all practical purposes, have left Hinduism ... quietly. The reasons vary, but the main one is that nothing about it really captured them the way it did with me. But I'm fine with it. They kept the ethics implanted, and are all decent citizens.

I know quite a few folks who just sort of quit going. Interest waned, it didn't really matter, etc.

Thoughts?

I believe this may not seem as drastic since I left on e Christian church for another. I left a church in a conservative main line denomination because they refused to get rid of apostate churches. I believe you can't abide with sin and consider yourself a Christian.
 

Muffled

Jesus in me
Ask yourself this... How many people join a religion voluntarily. Most are forced into a religion by their parents, friends or even a community while they are being raised, growing up. Its not surprising some do a 180/go the opposite direction when they are grown.

I believe the church I grew up in has become more liberal and slithered into apostasy.
 
Top