Support and recovery resources for apostates and others hurt by religion
Leaving a religion is not cost free, especially if you have been raised in one particular sect and have been part of a religious community from early childhood. The reasons are varied. For one thing, leaving your childhood community means you will probably leave behind friends you have known a long time. Insular religions tend to shun members who walk away. More than likely, your friends and family will try to bring you back into the fold. You have been taught that being in a faith puts you in an exalted position over those in other faiths or those with no religion. This is not true.
Some times a personal crisis precipitates a decision to leave. Perhaps you prayed for help and nothing happened, so you may be feeling anger. Such an unhappy event often motivates people to search for understanding, which if undertaken with an open mind ultimately reveals that religions mostly offer smoke and mirrors for hope and comfort. You may alternate between anger and depression.
Some people may visit this site because they are currently being abused by a religious organization. Such abuse might be directed at GLBT teens or adults. Sometimes simply asking too many challenging questions their cleric cannot answer will result in abuse. Skepticism is not a desired trait for the faithful.
Take heart. You are not alone; millions of people have experienced what you are experiencing and came out of the darkness into the sunshine. These people are now dedicated to helping others that are either struggling with a decision to leave or have left a religion. The links in the Apostate Alley Directory cover the gamut of religious sects. Here you will find personal narratives that relate how other people have conquered their fears and loneliness after leaving a religion.
Please understand that the web sites and resources listed are for information purposes and you should not neccessarily consider them recommendations.
Good Luck
This directory of links was compiled by members of The End of Hereditary Religion group on Facebook and members of Secular World.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=10129512247
The blog http://endhereditaryreligion.blogspot.com contains information and resources for persons dedicated to saving children from childhood religious indoctrination.
Related Links: