Launches report on young people who have broken with religious circles

A new report from Nordland Research Institute provides insight into upbringing, breakup processes, life after the breakup and encounters with the support system for people who have left closed, Christian religious communities at a young age.

The report "The experiences of young people who have broken with Christian denominations" is based on interviews with nine people who, at a young age, have left closed Christian denominations such as Brunstad Christian Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

– The report provides insight into the upbringing, breakup processes, life after the breakup and encounters with the support system for the nine people we interviewed. Although each story is unique, the findings show clear commonalities, also across religious communities, says Fredrik Langeland, senior researcher at Nordland Research Institute He is an author of the report, together with Iselin Silja Kaspersen, also a senior researcher at Nordland Research Institute .

“In the informants' stories, we see two critical phases where the need for help and support is particularly great. This applies to the period before the breakup, when doubts grow, and the time after, when they have to find a new way forward,” says Langeland.  

Seeking answers outside

Several of the informants describe a childhood and adolescence characterized by security and community, but also strict control and a sense of difference in the face of the larger society. Having friends outside the religious community was difficult. 

– Although the informants attended public school, their free time was dominated by religious activities, such as Sunday school, volunteer work and missionary work, says Langeland.

– They talk about strong feelings of shame and sin, the fear of losing their faith, and the experience of being watched, either by God or members of the religious community.

In the transition between childhood and adolescence, many people begin to reflect on the meaning of being part of a closed religious community. 

– The activities in the religious community are becoming all-encompassing, it is becoming challenging to have contact with friends outside and increasingly difficult to participate in leisure activities in the afternoons, says Langeland. 

“At the same time, some people are beginning to doubt. When they question the beliefs and practices of religious communities, they find that their doubts are dismissed and they are told to stop asking questions,” he says. 

This leads many to seek the answers they need outside religious communities, on the internet or in social media. 

– This will be a crucial step towards the breakup process, says Langeland. 

The worldview is falling

But leaving a closed religious community is not an easy process. The informants describe the breakups as painful and difficult. 

– Many people compare breaking away from the religious community to a breakup, or dying, whether you break away yourself, are excluded or gradually withdraw, says Langeland.  

The transition phase is long. Young people live in the gap between faith and doubt, or prepare to leave the religious community. 

– For several of the informants, breaking with a religious community means a restructuring of life, and in many cases, faith and the entire worldview, says Langeland.  

– Some also feel an overwhelming sense of guilt towards the family, who lose one of their own, a son or daughter with whom they can no longer have contact and who will not be able to participate in the afterlife.

Need for skills development

For some, the breakup means leaving a community that has been central to their lives, and some are left without a network and support system. 

“A sense of loss and grief is central to the young people we interviewed. Loneliness can be overwhelming, and some talk about mental health challenges such as depression and anxiety, while others seek refuge in drugs or struggle with suicidal thoughts,” says Langeland. 

Several people have sought help during and after the breakup process. The experiences have been mixed. 

– Some experienced a support system with a lack of understanding and without sufficient insight into breaks with religious communities, while others experienced support and understanding from healthcare personnel, says Langeland.  

The report shows that social support from friends or others outside the religious community is often important for moving forward, and can help avoid being left alone after breaking with the religious community.

– At the same time, the report shows that it is crucial that the aid apparatus is available and has expertise in religious environments, and that society recognizes and takes the experiences of breaking with closed religious communities seriously, says Langeland.