Denominations can be stress-inducing after religious trauma. What you need to know before you choose
Updated: Aug 31, 2022
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
