Children in Minority Religions - Growing Up in Controversial Religious Groups - Liselotte Frisk†
7. ”I have lived all my life in a reality that doesn’t exist”: Perspectives from Ex-members Raised in Controversial Minority Religions
Children in Minority Religions - Growing Up in Controversial Religious Groups - Liselotte Frisk†
Liselotte Frisk† [+]
Dalarna University, Sweden
Liselotte Frisk, who died in 2021, was a professor in Religious Studies at Dalarna University, Sweden.
Description
This chapter discusses the experiences of ex-members from different perspectives. Some research indicates that a substantial minority of former members experience significant adjustment and psychological difficulties in connection with leaving an intensive religious group. This paper investigates the possible harm that an upbringing in a minority religion may cause, in terms of existing research and the narratives from ex-member interviews. The chapter also discusses different explanations for the very different narratives of childhoods in these groups.