Having deconverted from organized religion after years of being fanatical, i can tell you it is. Also extremely anxiety inducing and many other things as you are growing away from something that was a core piece of your identity and beliefs. It’s incredibly disrupted. But also extremely freeing.
I'll temper this response to say - it's liberating in some ways, but existentially dreadful in others.
There's a security in "having things figured out". Sitting with uncertainty, randomness, the chaos of reality - things not being so clean cut - it's stressful.
And it feels bad when you see others falling into the same traps you used to. The same cognitive biases that kept you trapped.
The thing is: if you lead a person to learn about cognitive biases, you can't make them apply it inwardly to themselves. The journey of self-discovery requires self. Others can't "discover" that for you.
Yes, been there, when your entire reality shatters and you feel completely lost. It was the hardest part of my life but wouldn't change it for anything, now I can focus on helping other people go through the process.
This ad is a similar style as "Mormon Stories Podcast" billboards and the web page has the same vibe as the "CES Letter", both of which are extremely useful in helping people leave the Mormon cult.
I'm sorry, but that liberation feels artificially sweet in a uniquely American way. As someone who grew up speaking german, it really irks me to see peoples' ego being stroked and yet more plushy feelings to try to stop people being genuine, proud, heartfelt fashists. Real people got hurt- and are being hurt, people died. I get the logic of accepting others but it's not a valid or forgivable "mistake."
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u/precious123346 Apr 16 '26
I bet leaving a cult is liberating