MOVEMENT OUT OF RELIGION IS NOT A SOCIOLOGICAL PHENOMENON
This research confirms that God continues to call his people out of religion just like he called Abram out of his religious country. But those who respond to God’s invitation to leave religion are technically not alone like Abram. Clearly they are part of a spiritual movement that God is quietly but surely accomplishing in the hearts of millions of his people as he shakes the world of religion and sets the captives free from religious oppression.

Researchers who follow these social trends ask people who have become statistics why they have changed their religious ways because that is what sociologists do. Religious organizations that are losing members also do what they can to understand the reasons for the trends and tweak their religious practices to make them look more attractive with hopes that they can reverse the trends. They call these efforts evangelism, church growth and membership retention. All of this is religion as usual and it all seems very spiritual and righteous, but the rhetoric masks the hidden goal of keeping people in bondage to religious institutions so that employment for leaders will be secure.

The assumption for all who try to explain and manage the trends seems to be that social trends and personal needs influence religious trends. But no one gives God credit for being behind it all. No one has picked up on the ongoing theme of God chastising religious leaders (e.g. priests, prophets shepherds, rulers, Pharisees, nicolaitans, etc.) for holding his people in bondage.

Because religious people are so intoxicated with religious thinking, it never occurs to them that God would purposely do anything to destroy their religious kingdoms.  Even though the Bible is full of stories and parables about God destroying kingdoms, religious people live as though their religion is perfect and above reproach. Therefore, for religious people, any conversation that would imply that their religion is among those which should be destroyed would be considered blasphemy. It would be like trying to reason with a drunk or trying to talk to someone in a foreign tongue.

This introverted, protective religious environment makes it very risky for people who are being called out from religion to share their feelings and doubts with others who  are still intoxicated with religion.  Thus those whom God has inspired to leave usually feel alone in their struggle to resolve doubts that fuel the idea of leaving a known toxic thing (i.e. religion) in favor of something that is unknown but possibly life-giving. Spiritually speaking, these are life and death issues.