That may be how a lot of people manage addictions. However, when it comes to ideology, leaving one community tends to ripple through a person’s life in a way that completely up-ends it. To leave is to lose everything and everyone that’s dear to you. The thing is, once that door is opened and everything’s already been lost, it becomes easier to question all the other things you were told to believe. I’ve spent a lot of time in areligious spaces (in-person as well as online) and it’s not unusual for former cult members to become full-blown skeptics. The trauma of what they endured provides a strong motivation to avoid becoming duped again in the future.

From the posted article:

Schneider described how she’d been a lifelong Republican and devout evangelical Christian her entire adult life. In 2018, however, “I had an issue with my church.” Schneider was an extremely active volunteer but wanted more of a leadership role. But “because I had a vagina,” she said, church leadership told her that was not possible. That sent Schneider on a journey of exploring new ideas, including voting for President Joe Biden in 2020.

This is a familiar story, and it gives me hope. It also reminds me to look up cult survivor groups to join, because these people need support now more than ever.