LOSING FAITH IN FUNDAMENTALIST CHRISTIANITY: AN INTERPRETATIVE PHENOMENOLOGICAL ANALYSIS by Karen Heather Ross A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology for Psychology Specialists Graduate Department of Adult Education and Counselling Psychology Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto © Copyright by Karen Heather Ross (2009) Losing Faith in Fundamentalist Christianity: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Karen Heather Ross Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology for Psychology Specialists Department of Adult Education and Counselling Psychology Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto 2009 ABSTRACT This study investigated the psychological experience of losing faith in God, within the context of fundamentalist Christianity. Nine former fundamentalist Christians were interviewed about their experience of losing faith. Data analysis was guided by principles of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith, 2004), an inductive qualitative approach that identifies themes to generate a description of an experience’s essence. Themes were classified into three domains (Experience of Christianity, Transition out of Christianity, and Experience of Unbelief). Participants’ transition was characterized by emotional shifts (associated with a loss of trust in, or loyalty to, God) and intellectual shifts (associated with a loss of belief in God’s existence). Two typologies of experience emerged within the Experience of Unbelief, one characterized by a sense of relief and the other by a sense of struggle. The findings are discussed in relation to theories of identity and attachment, and are used to generate recommendations for counselling practice. ii Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... ii Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................... iii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ vi List of Figures .............................................................................................................................. vii List of Appendices ...................................................................................................................... viii Chapter I. Introduction ..................................................................................................................1 Rationale and background .......................................................................................................2 Purpose of the study ..............................................................................................................11 Guiding questions of the study ...............................................................................................13 Organization of the study ......................................................................................................13 II. Literature Review ......................................................................................................14 Evangelical and fundamentalist Christianity ..........................................................................14 Religious transition .................................................................................................................19 Psychotherapy with former fundamentalist Christians...........................................................31 Summary: Literature review ...................................................................................................36 III. Methods .......................................................................................................................37 Research approach ..................................................................................................................37 Procedure ................................................................................................................................44 Methodological biases and limitations ...................................................................................52 IV. Results, Part 1: Experience of Christianity .............................................................54 Participant summaries ............................................................................................................54 Domain 1: Experience of Christianity ....................................................................................66 Immersion in Christianity .......................................................................................................68 Relationship with God ............................................................................................................71 Christian identity and worldview ...........................................................................................73 Guilt ........................................................................................................................................78 Fulfillment of psychological needs ........................................................................................80 iii Deviations from the Christian norm .......................................................................................82 Dealing with cognitive dissonance .........................................................................................87 Summary: Experience of Christianity ....................................................................................90 V. Results, Part 2: Transition out of Christianity ........................................................91 Increasing tension ...................................................................................................................96 Crisis or catalyst .....................................................................................................................98 Interaction of emotional and intellectual factors ..................................................................100 Emotional and intuitive shifts ...............................................................................................102 Intellectual shifts ..................................................................................................................108 Acknowledging unbelief ......................................................................................................113 Summary: Transition out of Christianity ..............................................................................114 VI. Results, Part 3: Experience of Unbelief .................................................................116 Type A .................................................................................................................................118 Resolution of tension .......................................................................................................119 Embracing new possibilities ............................................................................................122 Negative views of religion ...............................................................................................127 Strengthening the identity of unbelief ..............................................................................131 Type B ..................................................................................................................................134 Loss ..................................................................................................................................135 Emotional ties to belief ....................................................................................................140 The letdown of unbelief ...................................................................................................143 Depression .......................................................................................................................145 Comparison of types .............................................................................................................146 Social consequences .............................................................................................................149 Counselling experiences .......................................................................................................157 Summary: Experience of Unbelief ......................................................................................162 VII. Discussion..................................................................................................................164 Summary of results ...............................................................................................................165 Identity ..................................................................................................................................171 iv Attachment and loss .............................................................................................................186 Summary of discussion ........................................................................................................190 VIII. Conclusions ...............................................................................................................191 Implications for counselling