In my experience, people who leave evangelicalism turn to atheism, and they generally don't turn back. There are exceptions. But generally, they go to atheism, and that's where they stay. And my observations of people I've known who were Jehovah's Witnesses, and some of them have been good friends, is the same.
This gets me to wondering if the shock of leaving evangelicalism-the transition away from that quite encompassing system of faith, and similarly with Jehovah's Witnesses-is so great that when the person leaves, they tend to reject all religion, and to do so permanently.
After I had become a Catholic, I had an SMS conversation with a Presbyterian minister who expressed fairly profound surprise that I had embraced Catholicism and thus had returned to Christianity. What he wrote in his SMSs gave me the impression that he expected that I would have become an atheist and would have never returned to Christianity, in any way, shape, or form. I can only guess, but I imagine that what he was saying was both based on his reading of Hebrews 6 and possibly pastoral experience as well. He will be one of the readers of this perhaps. I'm not sure if he will read it or not, and he will recognise that conversation if his memory is good. I mention the conversation only as corroborative evidence for what I'm about to say and what I've already observed.
It seems to me that Evangelicalism, along with Pentecostalism, possibly Jehovah's Witnesses, and maybe Mormons and others have a tendency to produce ex members who are atheists. I think the same may be true to a degree of Catholicism and Orthodoxy. But I think it's probably more pronounced in those more encompassing religions, such as evangelicalism. My thinking is that the devastation of the loss of that whole complex and embracing system of religion leaves such a strong vacuum that the person regards all religion as a write off. And if I'm not mistaken, that is the expectation of Calvinism to a degree, seemingly the expectation of those who are very strongly five pointed Calvinists (TULIP embracing Calvinism). But I may be wrong.
If anybody cares to comment, I would appreciate hearing from them. Especially anybody who has some direct experience with this or direct interest in it.
This gets me to wondering if the shock of leaving evangelicalism-the transition away from that quite encompassing system of faith, and similarly with Jehovah's Witnesses-is so great that when the person leaves, they tend to reject all religion, and to do so permanently.
After I had become a Catholic, I had an SMS conversation with a Presbyterian minister who expressed fairly profound surprise that I had embraced Catholicism and thus had returned to Christianity. What he wrote in his SMSs gave me the impression that he expected that I would have become an atheist and would have never returned to Christianity, in any way, shape, or form. I can only guess, but I imagine that what he was saying was both based on his reading of Hebrews 6 and possibly pastoral experience as well. He will be one of the readers of this perhaps. I'm not sure if he will read it or not, and he will recognise that conversation if his memory is good. I mention the conversation only as corroborative evidence for what I'm about to say and what I've already observed.
It seems to me that Evangelicalism, along with Pentecostalism, possibly Jehovah's Witnesses, and maybe Mormons and others have a tendency to produce ex members who are atheists. I think the same may be true to a degree of Catholicism and Orthodoxy. But I think it's probably more pronounced in those more encompassing religions, such as evangelicalism. My thinking is that the devastation of the loss of that whole complex and embracing system of religion leaves such a strong vacuum that the person regards all religion as a write off. And if I'm not mistaken, that is the expectation of Calvinism to a degree, seemingly the expectation of those who are very strongly five pointed Calvinists (TULIP embracing Calvinism). But I may be wrong.
If anybody cares to comment, I would appreciate hearing from them. Especially anybody who has some direct experience with this or direct interest in it.
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