My Deconversion From Christianity

I was born into a Christian family attending a Methodist church in Ireland. Both of my parents were very involved in the church, and they raised me and my brothers accordingly. When I was 5 years old we moved to the USA, where we settled into an evangelical Foursquare church. I grew up memorising Bible verses, attending Christian camps, being encouraged to worship in the pentecostal style, and dedicating my life to God. I never considered that any of it was open to questioning or interpretation – it was just the way things were.

When I was 12 years old, we moved back to Ireland. My dad became a Methodist minister and I spent my teenage years attending the various churches he was appointed to. These churches were more traditional than I was used to and I wasn’t sure about them at first. But this changed as I became involved with the youth-friendly side of the church (youth groups...