Denominations can be stress-inducing after religious trauma. What you need to know before you choose

The world of Christian denominations can be very confusing and messy for individuals at large, but particularly for those who have come out of a religiously abusive group. If you were told that your group was the only group, and that all other groups or denominations were a sign of the enemy’s work, and therefore sinful, then now that you are out, considering which denomination to be part of is likely going to cause a great deal of anxiety and fear.

In Naomi’s own experience (beEmboldened’s founder and executive director), she herself has felt these emotions and struggled with this question:

“After I exited my father’s cult, I was afraid of the buffet of denominations. I didn’t know how to think about them or how to navigate their similarities and differences. I actually started out at a non-denominational church for that very reason; it seemed safer. But was that true? Was everything else unsafe?” - Naomi Wright