deconvert
Leave one's religion
To deconvert is to abandon a religious faith or belief system one previously held.
The word implies a deliberate process of losing or rejecting conviction, often after doubt or reexamination: She deconverted from evangelical Christianity in her twenties.
A deconvert is someone who has undergone this process.
The term is most common in discussions of leaving organized religion.
Untrustworthy, lacking loyalty
- agnosticismDoubt about divine existence
- atheismRejection of deities
- skepticismDisposition toward doubt
- unbeliefLack of faith
irreligion · freethought · secularism · humanism · rationalism · nonreligious · doubter · nonbeliever
Seeking answers through inquiry
- reevaluateConsider again more carefully
- reconsiderThink about something anew
- deconstructAnalyze by breaking down
- reassessEvaluate a second time
examine · scrutinize · research · investigate · reinterpret · unlearn · deprogramming · gradual
Bitter loss of faith
- disenchantmentLoss of cherished belief
- doubtLack of firm belief
- deconstructionAnalysis exposing self-contradiction
- cognitive dissonanceDiscomfort from contradictory beliefs
questioning · awakening · realization · liberation · grief · religious trauma
Abandoning one's loyalty
- renunciationFormal surrender of claim
- abandonmentAct of leaving permanently
- recantationFormal withdrawal of statement
- falling awayGradual decline or departure
disaffiliation · backsliding · desertion · repudiation · excommunication · lapsed · unchurched · ex-believer
One who left Islam
- ex-ChristianPerson who renounced Christianity
- ex-ScientologistPerson who departed Hubbard's organization
- recovery groupsCollective healing gatherings
- support groupsGatherings for shared struggles
faithless
Untrustworthy, lacking loyalty
- agnosticismDoubt about divine existence
- atheismRejection of deities
- skepticismDisposition toward doubt
unbelief · irreligion · freethought · secularism · humanism · rationalism · nonreligious · doubter · nonbeliever · secular humanist
questioning
Seeking answers through inquiry
- reevaluateConsider again more carefully
- reconsiderThink about something anew
- deconstructAnalyze by breaking down
reassess · examine · scrutinize · research · investigate · reinterpret · unlearn · deprogramming · gradual · sudden
disillusionment
Bitter loss of faith
- disenchantmentLoss of cherished belief
- doubtLack of firm belief
- deconstructionAnalysis exposing self-contradiction
cognitive dissonance · questioning · awakening · realization · liberation · grief · religious trauma
defection
Abandoning one's loyalty
- renunciationFormal surrender of claim
- abandonmentAct of leaving permanently
- recantationFormal withdrawal of statement
falling away · disaffiliation · backsliding · desertion · repudiation · excommunication · lapsed · unchurched · ex-believer · former believer
ex-Muslim
One who left Islam
- ex-ChristianPerson who renounced Christianity
- ex-ScientologistPerson who departed Hubbard's organization
- recovery groupsCollective healing gatherings
deconvertreconvert
Change back again
revert · believe · recommit · see the light · radicalize