Why So Many People Are Leaving Christianity

Can you feel that shift?

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What’s up nonbelievers, doubters, and skeptics?

According to the Pew Research Center, 29% of Americans now identify as religiously unaffiliated. These folks are often called "nones,” not to be confused with the Catholic women who devote their lives to religious service.

These nones are the people who check “none” when asked about their religion.

That doesn’t mean all of them are atheists. In fact, only about 3% of Americans identify as atheists. But the number of non-believers and non-affiliated people is steadily climbing.

So... why is that happening?

1. LGBTQ+ Discrimination

Let’s start here. One big reason people are turning away from Christianity is its ongoing mistreatment of the LGBTQ+ community. As society becomes more accepting and inclusive, a lot of people are asking themselves: Do I really want to be part of a religion that marginalizes people I care about?

While same-sex marriage is now legal nationwide, religious groups are still leading the charge in discriminatory policies and practices. Some states, like Indiana, won’t even allow same-sex parents to both be listed on their child’s birth certificate. What is the point of that?

There are still people holding up “God Hates Gays” signs at Pride. And that’s just the stuff people see; it doesn’t even scratch the surface of the quieter judgment and exclusion so many LGBTQ+ folks face in religious spaces.

If you’re a person who loves and supports your LGBTQ+ friends and family, it’s hard to sit in a church pew next to someone who doesn’t.

2. The Bible Isn’t as Reliable as People Think

Another reason? People are realizing the Bible isn’t exactly a flawless historical document.

For example: the word “homosexual” doesn’t even appear in the Bible until a mistranslation in the 20th century. And we don’t know who wrote the Gospels. They weren’t eyewitness accounts. The Bible was copied by hand for centuries, often with mistakes or edits made by scribes who wanted to “improve” it.

Even if you admire the teachings of Jesus, why assume the supernatural stuff is true? We don’t do that with any other ancient book. People are finally starting to ask: Is this really a good reason to build my life around a religion?

3. Indoctrination Becomes Clear

For me, the biggest lightbulb moment was realizing: If I had grown up in another country, I’d believe something totally different.

I believed in Christianity because my parents did. Because everyone around me did. Once I understood that, it was like a switch flipped.

I stopped mistaking familiarity for truth.

A lot of people are waking up to this realization. And once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

4. Science Makes the Supernatural Less Necessary

As our understanding of science improves (how the universe began, how life evolves) people don’t feel as much need to explain the unknown with “God did it.”

You don’t need to believe in talking snakes when you’ve got evidence-based answers about the origins of life. And the more people learn, the more that old religious framework just doesn’t hold up.

5. The Internet Changed Everything

This might be the biggest one.

Before the internet, if you had doubts, you had to sit with them alone. Or you risked being shunned. But now? You can Google. You can research biblical history, read what scholars have to say, learn what the original texts really meant.

And most importantly: you can find community.

Even the most introverted among us (hi, it me) need human connection. Church used to be the only place to find people who “got you.” But if you’re an atheist? Church people don’t exactly get you.

Now we have Reddit. YouTube. Instagram. Discord. Twitter. Substack. Patreon. A whole world full of people who understand what it’s like to leave religion behind.

When I first deconstructed my faith around 2009 or 2010, there weren’t nearly as many resources. There was Facebook (and it was still mostly pokes and FarmVille), and there were some early atheist YouTubers.

These days, the support system is 1000x stronger.

6. Christianity’s Weird Obsession with Trump

Let’s be real.

A bonus reason a lot of people are walking away? The unsettling fusion of Christianity and American politics.

It’s hard to take “What would Jesus do?” seriously when the answer seems to be “whatever Donald Trump says.” The overlap between evangelical Christianity and right-wing politics has only gotten weirder…and for many people, it’s a dealbreaker.

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These are just a few of the reasons people are leaving Christianity in droves. If you’ve got more to add, drop them in the comments. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Comments From Christians

Please don’t message this person.

Oftentimes, I can tell just from a one-line comment that someone is MAGA.

I’m rarely wrong.

If you’re a MAGA nonbeliever reading this, you’re free to stay, but you might not like some of the stuff I post.

tmetsjets thinks I’m a horrible person:

I find it interesting that someone like tmetsjets will be so quick to say that I’m a horrible person after seeing a post or two that I make online, yet he cannot see what makes Donald Trump horrible?

Donald J. Trump, the current U.S. president?

And they will still just scoff after I give them several actual answers.

But it gets worse…

And now we see the real tmetsjets that was just waiting to show himself!

None of what I said is true, tmets? I called him hateful, and you said “non of that’s true” but then also said you support how he’s hateful.

Makes a lot of sense.

Dogs > Gods

I was messing around with some merch ideas.

If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you know I love dogs. I made a “Dog Bless You” shirt already, but I had another idea.

What do you think?

I just love comparing dogs and gods because dogs give you real, tangible, unconditional love while Christianity (and some other religions) makes you place hope in things that might be there but have never actually provided any proof.

Gods make you feel like you feel like you’re worthless without them; dogs constantly remind you that you’re everything to them.

Thanks for being here.

Kevin

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