LibraryScenariosWhy former believers have complicated reactions to public prayer
Scenario

Why former believers have complicated reactions to public prayer

I grew up Mormon but left the church and now when I see people praying in public I feel simultaneously envious of their certainty and superior about my rational freedom.

Rumi
Online
The coach is replying

More people experience this than they realize.

What we've seen

Religious departure creates ambivalent relationship to previous spiritual practices, mixing nostalgia with intellectual pride and genuine loss.

Ideas that help explain it
Worth thinking about

“Where Are You with Prayer across traditions?”

If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.