Link is here:
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/09/the-health-effects-of-leaving-religion/379651/

An LDS BYU student in the first story presented.

thanks for posting this. it is very interesting and applicable.

It's nice that the person whose story was showcased left because of LDBT issues. It keeps reminding the public of how backward TBMs are.

I found the first study linked to. Here is a link to the abstract: http://hsb.sagepub.com/content/51/3/325.short
I found the full article through my college's library database.

It was quite an interesting read. It talked about how people in high-cost religions (LDS & JW) self report better health than those of other denominations, and how people switching from these high-cost religions report the worst health overall.

Reasons explored: tight-knit community, community support, proscription of high risk behaviors. Mainly it boiled down to reduced stress, shared belief system, and healthy habits.

The study emphasized that more studies should be done, because correlation does not imply causation.

Possibilities for reasoning include: There is a high cost to leaving, so very stressful. Many who leave, become unaffiliated with a religious group (no shared worldview, no answers to "life questions"). Illness prevents full participation, so those already in poor health tend to leave. Those who leave may have poor impulse control, leading to high risk health behavior.

If you are able to read the full text, I encourage you to do so. It is not boring (though it seems repetitive), and is easy to read.

So the implied choice is, A longer life as an ignorant or willing slave to religious rules and dogma or a shorter more authentic and free life as a free man?

Gee, if only I had informed consent when young which direction would I have chose?

Perhaps. Perhaps those who never think of leaving ARE living an authentic life for themselves. The comfort of community, the surety of answers to life's questions, they have everything they need for mental and emotional happiness.

Of course, as exmos we see things from a completely different perspective. We see the lies and the manipulation, because those things are big part of the reasons we left. If your emotional and mental needs are being met, then the lies and manipulation don't seem to be important to you.

Lately I've been noticing that a lot of the TBMs I know never interpreted the church teachings as strictly or literally as I did. I see TBMs sporting bikinis, women happy in the workplace, some drink tea or coffee, knew one temple goer who drank on occasion, yet they don't leave. They don't feel guilty. They only the take the messages they want to hear as gospel and doctrine. I don't understand this all that well, because I was not one of those people.

Also, some people are happy being told what to do, having the decisions made for them. They don't have to figure out the hard questions. For them, being a member of a high-cost religion brings peace. There is no fear because they have faith. Even if that faith is misplaced or based upon a lie, it doesn't matter, because it wards off fear.

There is just such a variety of people in the world. For those of us who hold truth as a standard of authenticity, there is no way we could remain in a culture of lies. We leave, even at a high cost of community and shared beliefs. For some, like me, there was a cost extolled long before I left in matters of my own health. I am actually healthier, because I have less stress.

Nice to see someone exploring this important issue. Thanks for posting. This is the strong part for me:


“When you were five years old and learning English, you never stopped to ask your parents why you weren’t learning German,” said Ray, who uses cognitive behavioral therapy to decatastrophize the concept of hell for clients. “You just learn it. The same is often true of religion. When you’re taught about hell and eternal damnation at ages four through seven, these strong concepts are not going to easily leave you. Just like it’s hard to unlearn English, it’s hard to unlearn the concept of hell.”

It was refreshing to read an article about why it is so difficult to leave a religion behind, especially one that had been engrained into you in your formative years.

Leaving a religion, especially a cult like the church, is complex. It is not just a matter of saying, "Oh, I changed my mind," and then skipping off into the sunset. Healing is not just a matter of following some advice from a self help book and then suddenly all is "okie dokie."

The roots of the indoctrination go deep and they can be insidious. I read the heartbreak that many go through here, the feeling of loss, or of just being lost. The church is not an article of clothing you toss off. It's not a mantle. It's an engrained infrastructure and the transition out is harrowing for many. The process can take years for some.

That is why this place, RFM, and others like it is so valuable. Knowing your aren't alone and getting a cheering squad on top of it is a salve you won't find anywhere else.