Book length discussion of our survey results in the works NOW!

 

Drafting chapters now
All four research team members are drafting chapters as I write this. When the team met in Pittsburgh to present some preliminary findings at the annual meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR), we decided that we want to share our data with the broadest possible audience. Everyone on the planet is impacted by religion either directly or indirectly, many struggling with their relationship to organized religion. We believe that many readers will be interested in first hand accounts of the many dimensions of this struggle.

Our data -over 1000 respondents to our English version and 154 respondents to our Portuguese version- is abundant with countless personal accounts, and we have chosen to present the data in book form. The lead chapter, setting the tone for the rest of the book, is being written by Jeff Wright, the catalyst behind this entire project. He is telling his story of his relationship with the church, why he wanted to do an online survey, explaining some of the reasoning behind the questions he wanted included, and finally, using some respondent narratives to illustrate his journey and many others who share his experience. We were blessed with many very passionate and articulate respondents who capture the important themes that emerged question after question, and Jeff -and the rest of the team- will use these anonymous respondents as real stars of the book.

Each of us, Jeff taking lead, will tell our personal stories and use our data to paint a picture for our readers, illustrating the many compelling themes that jumped out as we poured through the survey results question by question. By the end of the book the reader will have gotten to know each author, but more importantly the many, many respondents we will quote. Though we are sharing our personal stories, the quotations from our respondents will remain anonymous; no names were asked for or recorded.

Though our survey was targeted only to ex-Seventh Day Adventists, we believe the reader will find valuable and applicable insights no matter what their religion. SDA is unique, but it is also similar to other religions which hold great influence over their members. We invite the reader to find resonance and affirmation as they hear our stories and the many, many quotations from our respondents.

Our plan is to leave the reader feeling like they have been invited to hear the insights and stories of the both the authors and the 1000+ respondents. In reading these insights we believe the reader will find many comments and perspectives relatable and useful as they continue their own journey navigating a world in many ways dominated by the church.

Included in the book will be chapters on at least the following topics:

1. Who took the survey and what did they look like?
2. Why the survey and these specific questions? (Jeff)
3. What being a non- Ex-SDA member of the team feels like. (Rene)
4. A sociologist/atheist explores cults (Tom)
5. A psychologist/atheist looks at arriving at non-belief (Duane)
6. What people miss when they become ‘ex’ church members (Jeff)
7. Sexual assault within the church (Rene)
8. Psychological assault within the church (Rene)
9. Respondent 666 (Tom)
10. Reasons for leaving the church (Duane)
11. Alyssa’s story (Guest on our blog)
12. Political views before and after leaving the church (Duane)
13. The impact of being educated in church schools (Jeff)
14. Differences between English and Portuguese respondents (Duane)
15. The impact of the church on critical thinking skills (Tom)
16. The impact of the church on social/environmental justice issues (Tom
17. Questions left unanswered and/or unasked (Jeff)

This is just a tentative list (including authors) and ordering of chapters, but as you can see there will be topics of interest for any reader interested in what it means to be (or consider being) an ‘ex’ church member. More to come soon!

But first, some possible titles….

• Losing Our Religion
• Church Exit
• When is a cult a cult?
• Eighth Day Freedom
• Questioning the Church
• A New Life
• Haystacks Are Forever
• Betty White > Ellen White
• Breaking Free From the Church

 

 

 

Here is a link to an AI generated podcast about the 757 responses to Question 27 “In as few or as many words as you like, please tell us about your process and experience of leaving Adventism.”

FAQ: Leaving Adventism [data from the over 800 responses to Question 27]
1. What are some common reasons people give for leaving Adventism?

Many individuals cite doctrinal disagreements as a primary reason for their departure. This can include questioning the validity of Ellen G. White’s writings, the church’s stance on the Sabbath, the investigative judgment doctrine, or its views on eschatology. Others find the church’s social conservatism, particularly regarding women’s ordination, LGBTQ+ issues, and interracial marriage, to be incompatible with their personal values. Additionally, some individuals express feelings of isolation, judgment, and a lack of support from the Adventist community, leading them to seek a more inclusive and accepting environment.

2. How do people describe their experience of leaving Adventism?

Leaving Adventism is often described as a deeply personal and complex process, evoking a wide range of emotions. For some, it’s a liberating experience marked by newfound freedom and relief from the perceived rigidity and legalism of the church. For others, it can be a painful and isolating journey, filled with guilt, shame, and the loss of community and support systems. Many former Adventists grapple with reconciling their past beliefs with their evolving worldview, navigating complex relationships with family and friends who remain within the church.

3. Do people face challenges or resistance when leaving Adventism?

The level of difficulty in leaving varies greatly depending on individual circumstances and support networks. Some individuals face minimal resistance, experiencing a relatively smooth transition out of the church. However, others encounter significant pushback from family, friends, and the Adventist community. This can include emotional manipulation, shunning, and in some cases, threats of disinheritance or loss of employment. The intensity of these challenges often reflects the degree of social integration within the Adventist community and the family’s level of adherence to traditional beliefs.

4. What are some common coping mechanisms people use when leaving Adventism?

Former Adventists often seek support through therapy, online communities, and forming connections with other individuals who have gone through similar experiences. Therapy can provide a safe space to process the emotional and psychological impact of leaving a high-demand religion, while online communities offer a sense of belonging and shared understanding. Connecting with other former Adventists can help normalize their experience and provide validation during a time of significant transition.

5. What do people do after leaving Adventism in terms of their spirituality or religious beliefs?

The paths people take after leaving Adventism are diverse and highly individualistic. Some embrace atheism or agnosticism, rejecting the notion of a higher power altogether. Others explore different Christian denominations, finding a faith community that aligns better with their evolved beliefs and values. Some former Adventists gravitate towards spirituality or alternative belief systems, seeking meaning and purpose outside the confines of organized religion. The common thread is a desire for authenticity and a belief system that resonates with their personal experiences and understanding of the world.

6. Do former Adventists maintain relationships with family and friends who are still members of the church?

Maintaining relationships with family and friends who remain within the church can be challenging, but many former Adventists find ways to navigate these dynamics. Open communication, setting boundaries, and finding common ground are key to preserving these relationships. While some experience acceptance and understanding, others face strained relationships and a sense of distance. The success of maintaining these connections often hinges on the willingness of both parties to respect differing beliefs and prioritize the importance of family ties.

7. How do people reflect on their time in Adventism after they’ve left?

Reflections on time spent in Adventism are often multifaceted and nuanced. While acknowledging the negative aspects, such as feelings of restriction, judgment, and social isolation, many former Adventists also recognize the positive influences the church had on their lives. These can include a strong moral foundation, a sense of community, and a focus on health and well-being. The ability to appreciate the positive aspects while critically examining the negative allows for a more balanced and realistic perspective on their Adventist upbringing.

8. What advice do former Adventists offer to those considering leaving or who are currently in the process of leaving?

Common advice from former Adventists emphasizes the importance of self-care, finding supportive communities, and prioritizing personal well-being throughout the process. They encourage individuals to be patient with themselves, acknowledging that deconstructing and reconstructing one’s belief system is a journey that takes time and introspection. They also recommend seeking professional guidance when needed, as processing the emotional and psychological impact of leaving a high-demand religion can be complex and challenging. Ultimately, they advise staying true to oneself and prioritizing authenticity over external pressures to conform.

Using AI as a research analysis tool for social science data
As evidenced by some recent posts, we are using ChatGTP-4 as a research analysis tool, especially for the narrative responses to many of our survey questions. Our methodological approach on the task of pulling out the main themes is to read through each comment, taking notes on themes which emerge and then run the data through ChatGTP using the following prompt:

In a survey, participants were asked “[question]” Please group the following responses into a maximum of 5 themes with:

• • A summary for each theme.
  • 3 representative participant quotes for each theme.
  • The total number of responses to each theme, regardless of whether multiple themes were mentioned in the same response.

Use of AI and of ChatGPT in particular is increasing at an almost exponential level both inside and beyond academia. We would be remiss in our responsibility to make maximum use of the data were we to avoid the us of AI. The possibility for error exists, but so far we have found that the themes identified by ChatGTP analysis are spot on and in many cases has identified themes which we missed. One main goal of any research is to treat all data in the most objective manner possible, eliminating all conscious or unconscious bias. Given that one of our research team is ex-SDA and all four of us are atheists/agnostics, we have to grant the possibility of at least unconscious bias. Hence, using ChatGTP seems prudent.

One additional use of ChatGPT is that it can do language translation. We have a good number (n = 149) of respondents to the Portuguese version of our survey and will be able to present those data without the additional step of using a separate translation modality.

Resources
In an effort to stay current with the emerging literature on the use of AI in social science research we are scouring academic journals for relevant content. Below is our current list of sources, expertly amassed by Teresa LePors, master librarian at Elon University. Please contact us via email if you have additional resources for us.

Bano, M., Zowghi, D., & Whittle, J. (2023). Exploring Qualitative Research Using LLMs. arXiv preprint arXiv:2306.13298.

Chew, R., Bollenbacher, J., Wenger, M., Speer, J., & Kim, A. (2023). LLM-Assisted Content Analysis: Using Large Language Models to Support Deductive Coding. arXiv preprint arXiv:2306.14924.

Christou, P. A. (2023). A Critical Perspective Over Whether and How to Acknowledge the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Qualitative Studies. The Qualitative Report, 28(7), 1981-1991.

Christou, P. A. (2023). How to Use Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a Resource, Methodological and Analysis Tool in Qualitative Research?. Qualitative Report, 28(7).f

Chubb, L. A. (2023). Me and the Machines: Possibilities and Pitfalls of Using Artificial Intelligence for Qualitative Data Analysis. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 22, 16094069231193593.

De Paoli, S. (2023). Can Large Language Models emulate an inductive Thematic Analysis of semi-structured interviews? An exploration and provocation on the limits of the approach and the model. arXiv preprint arXiv:2305.13014.

Fitkov-Norris, E., & Kocheva, N. (2023, August). Are we there yet? Thematic analysis, NLP, and machine learning for research. In European Conference on Research Methodology for Business and Management Studies (Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 93-102).

Gamieldien, Y., Case, J. M., & Katz, A. (2023). Advancing Qualitative Analysis: An Exploration of the Potential of Generative AI and NLP in Thematic Coding. Available at SSRN 4487768.

Gao, R., Merzdorf, H. E., Anwar, S., Hipwell, M. C., & Srinivasa, A. (2023). Automatic assessment of text-based responses in post-secondary education: A systematic review. arXiv preprint arXiv:2308.16151.

Hayes, A. (2023). “Conversing” with Qualitative Data: Enhancing Qualitative Sociological Research through Large Language Models (LLMs).

Hitch, D. (2023). Artificial Intelligence (AI) Augmented Qualitative Analysis: The way of the future?. Available at SSRN.

Katz, A., Wei, S., Nanda, G., Brinton, C., & Ohland, M. (2023). Exploring the Efficacy of ChatGPT in Analyzing Student Teamwork Feedback with an Existing Taxonomy. arXiv preprint arXiv:2305.11882.

Koch, M. A. (2023). Turning Chaos into Meaning: A Chat GPT-Assisted Exploration of COVID-19 Narratives(Master’s thesis, University of Twente).

Li, D., Zhang, B., & Zhou, Y. (2023). Can Large Language Models (LLM) label topics from a topic model?.

Marshall, D. T., & Naff, D. B. (2023). The Ethics of Using Artificial Intelligence in Qualitative Research. d

Mesec, B. (2023). The language model of artificial inteligence chatgpt-a tool of qualitative analysis of texts.

Navigli, R., Conia, S., & Ross, B. (2023). Biases in Large Language Models: Origins, Inventory and Discussion. ACM Journal of Data and Information Quality.

Tai, R. H., Bentley, L. R., Xia, X., Sitt, J. M., Fankhauser, S. C., Chicas-Mosier, A. M., & Monteith, B. G. (2023). Use of Large Language Models to Aid Analysis of Textual Data. bioRxiv, 2023-07.

Törnberg, P. (2023). How to use LLMs for Text Analysis. arXiv preprint arXiv:2307.13106.

Tschisgale, P., Wulff, P., & Kubsch, M. (2023). Integrating artificial intelligence-based methods into qualitative research in physics education research: A case for computational grounded theory. Physical Review Physics Education Research, 19(2), 020123.

Zhong, Y., Lian, J., & Huang, H. Uncovering the Affordances of ChatGPT in Education from a Social-Ecological Perspective: A Data Mining Approach. Available at SSRN 4518523.

Ziems, C., Held, W., Shaikh, O., Chen, J., Zhang, Z., & Yang, D. (2023). Can Large Language Models Transform Computational Social Science?. arXiv preprint arXiv:2305.03514.

 

 

Below are the data from Q16 in our survey. Please reach out if you have any questions or comments.

Q16: Which of the following describe(s) your situation, whether currently or at some point in the past? (check all that apply)

 

 

 

ChatGPT-4 analysis 9-22-23

Individuals’ Experiences and Perspectives Regarding Adventist Rules and Beliefs
Executive Summary:
This report synthesizes diverse experiences and perspectives on adherence to Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) rules and beliefs. Numerous themes emerged, portraying a shift from past concealment to contemporary openness regarding Adventist values.

1. Evolution from Concealment to Openness:
1.1 Past Concealment:
Many individuals previously concealed aspects of their lives that were in conflict with Adventist rules.

Example: “These are things I did in the past when I was much younger. I’m not hiding anything now.”
1.2 Acceptance of Present Self:
A shift towards acceptance and openness about divergent lifestyles is noted.

Example: “I am open about not being an Adventist, but I don’t go out of my way to point it out.”

2. Current Honesty and Integrity:
2.1 Open Lifestyle:
Many respondents live openly divergent lives without feeling the need to hide their beliefs and lifestyles.

Example: “I don’t hide anything. I’m proud that I’m no longer SDA.”
2.2 Maintaining Integrity:
Maintaining personal integrity is paramount, with no desire to lie about lifestyles.

Example: “This is an utterly ridiculous question. I have maintained my integrity at all times. Why should I lie to people about my behaviours?”

3. Limited Interaction and Selective Sharing:
3.1 Restricted Adventist Connections:
The interaction with Adventists is often limited to close friends or family.

Example: “I have only close friends who are Adventist. No acquaintance level people are Adventist.”
3.2 Consideration for Adventist Individuals:
There is a deliberate effort to avoid causing distress to Adventist acquaintances.

Example: “I don’t normally hide/lie about it, but don’t bring things up when visiting my mom (I don’t live near her)”

4. Non-Conformity to Traditional Norms:
4.1 Non-Traditional Relationships:
Non-heteronormative or polyamorous relationships were often concealed.

Example: “The only thing I really hid was when I was in a polyamorous or queer relationship.”
4.2 Secular Lifestyle:
Embrace of secular lives and rejection of religious dogma is evident.

Example: “I do everything publicly now, and not afraid to show what my daily life is like. We all mature out of religion.”

5. Relationship Dynamics:
5.1 Familial Respect and Sensitivity:
A respectful and sensitive approach is maintained around family members with strong Adventist beliefs.

Example: “I hide “sabbath-breaking” from my family even though they know I left because it’s too traumatic for them and causes them too much anxiety.”
5.2 Balance of Openness and Respect:
A balance between openness and respect is sought to maintain harmonious relationships.

Example: “I don’t hide lack of SDA beliefs but I don’t flaunt them either.”

Conclusion:
The narratives portray a rich tapestry of experiences, reflecting a journey from concealment to openness and from adherence to divergence. The desire for personal integrity and respect for differing beliefs underscores the narratives, pointing towards a conscientious approach to navigating relationships with Adventist acquaintances. The diverse responses collectively shed light on the broader themes of secularization, the pursuit of authenticity, and the evolving dynamics of religious identity and values within the context of Seventh-day Adventism.

Below are the data from Q15 in our survey. Please reach out if you have any questions or comments.

Q15 Which of the following best describes how you present as a non-Adventist to the Adventists in your life?

Themes generated on 9-22-23 using ChatGPT-4

Theme 1: Concealment of Belief Transition
Summary:
Participants exhibited a trend of concealing their transition away from SDA beliefs, predominantly to maintain harmony within familial and social relationships and to avoid potential confrontations and judgments.

Representative Quotes:
“I would never hurt my elderly parents. To them, I’m an Adventist who is private and doesn’t attend church.”
“I keep it to myself. I don’t want to upset my parents.”
“My fundamentalist in-laws would freak out, so they are in the dark.”
Number of Responses: 23

 

Theme 2: Social Strains and Altered Relationships
Summary:
The experiences of several participants underscore the social strains and alterations in relationships resulting from diverging from SDA faith, with many experiencing isolation, loss of friends, or strained family relationships.

Representative Quotes:
“When we switched churches we were immediately cut off from our close circle of friends.”
“It’s been difficult because my family has outright shunned me.”
“There are some who would judge and whisper, which led to a couple of broken friendships.”
Number of Responses: 19

 

Theme 3: Public Dissociation and Outspokenness
Summary:
Individuals have publicly dissociated from the Adventist faith, some with a significant degree of outspokenness and intentionality, leading to clear demarcations in their relationships with the Adventist community.

Representative Quotes:
“I demanded to be disfellowshipped; I was very public about it.”
“I got removed from the church and most people in the church know I am an atheist.”
“I am very open about my agnosticism.”
Number of Responses: 14

 

Theme 4: Respectful Participation and Conformity
Summary:
Participants from various groups exhibit elements of conformity and respectful participation in Adventist practices despite diverging beliefs, indicative of the delicate balance between maintaining relationship harmony and affirming personal convictions.

Representative Quotes:
“I will attend church if it’s a family event but I do not participate in anything else.”
“I don’t lie about my lack of belief, but I still participate in prayer or even attend church when I’m at my mom’s house.”
“I will go to church services if I’m visiting my parents.”
Number of Responses: 16

 

Theme 5: Internal Conflict and Shame
Summary:
The experiences of several participants are marked by internal conflicts and a sense of shame or embarrassment related to being or having been an Adventist, impacting the disclosure of their religious transitions.

Representative Quotes:
“I was and still am ashamed to be an Adventist. I used to hide it. Now I will share it.”
“I hide it because I am embarrassed to be associated with the Adventist church.”
“I am embarrassed by my Adventist upbringing and do my best to hide it.”
Number of Responses: 11

These themes and responses provide a multifaceted perspective on the nuanced experiences of individuals transitioning away from Adventism across different groups, highlighting the diversity and complexity in their journeys and coping mechanisms.

 

 

All quantitative surveys results

 

Notes: Our research team is renewing its focus on the data we collected and you can expect regular updates in the coming weeks and months regarding our Ex-SDA survey. Qualitative data will be presented soon. We are using ChatGPT4 for our preliminary analysis.

---

All quantitative data
One primary goal of this research was to learn about the views of those somewhere on the “leaving/left’ SDA journey and then to share these data with the public. Our promise to those taking the survey was that (within ethical boundaries) we would share the results.

Below we give access to all quantitative data from the survey(s).

• By clicking here you can see all of the quantitative data in frequencies form. These are the data from all 1011 respondents.
• Here are all the quantitative data from the Portuguese language version.
• Here we compare the quantitative data from the English version (n=1011) and the Portuguese version (n=154).

Please let us know if you have any questions or comments. Just click here and write your message).

We’re back!

After a long hiatus over the summer the research team is back and beginning to pour through the massive data set represented by the 1200+ responses to our survey.

Political views
To get things started, here is a glimpse at the results from Q33, “To what extent did your experience as an Adventist impact your political views?”

Below are the aggregate responses. As you can see, most (62%) indicated that their experience as an Adventist impacted their political views at least a little, with over 26% indicating “a lot” or “a great deal.”

Narrative responses
But what of the narrative responses? Using ChatGPT¹ to summarize the 303 responses, here are the results listed as the seven top themes and accompanies by representative quotations. The themes are ordered based on the number of comments fitting in to each theme.

Theme 1: Growing Awareness and Change in Political Beliefs
This theme encompasses responses that indicate a shift in political beliefs over time due to exposure to different perspectives, education, critical thinking, or personal growth.
Representative Quote: “I swung the opposite direction of the fundamental church views.”
Number of Responses: 117

Theme 2: Influence on Values of Equality and Compassion
This theme reflects how the Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) upbringing influenced respondents to value concepts like compassion, justice, equality, and social responsibility.
Representative Quote: “I have a strong sense that one should strive for justice and mercy for all, for doing right.”
Number of Responses: 53

Theme 3: Emphasis on Separation of Church and State
This theme highlights the impact of SDA teachings about the separation of church and state, leading to a perspective that values secular governance and individual freedoms.
Representative Quote: “I believed in a living Jesus so was pretty liberal, politically speaking. Believed people could be personally against abortion, but that it shouldn’t be enforced on others.” (Group 6)
Number of Responses: 35

Theme 4: Influence of Exposure to Other Perspectives
This theme involves the effect of exposure to diverse viewpoints, education, and interaction with people outside the SDA community, leading to shifts in political beliefs.

Representative Quote: “I found in the last years that I was in the church making a very substantial swing toward evangelical and right-wing politics.”

Number of Responses: 40

Theme 5: Shift from Conservatism to Progressivism
This theme relates to how respondents moved away from conservative political views promoted by the SDA church toward more progressive or liberal perspectives.

Representative Quote: “I am politically liberal. I thought following Christ made me so. But after I grew up I realized religion had nothing to do with it and most Christians were just heartless nationalists.”

Number of Responses: 20

Theme 6: Rejection of Conservative Church Views
This theme indicates a rejection of conservative views endorsed by the SDA church, particularly in cases where these views contradict personal values or appear hypocritical.

Representative Quote: “I always identified as liberal leaning and assumed other Adventists did too because it seemed Christ-like to me, but I learned at some point that it was the other way around.”

Number of Responses: 22

Theme 7: Development of Independent Political Views
This theme highlights how respondents developed their own unique political views, distinct from the influence of the SDA upbringing.

Representative Quote: “My political views from the time I was 6 are the same views I have today.”

Number of Responses: 16

Please note that the above themes and quotes are drawn from the entire sample of 303 responses.

My blush
Having carefully read the 303 narrative responses, my sense is ChatGPT did a very good job identifying the major themes. Respondents appear to recognize that the views taught by the SDA are inherently very conservative and now being ex-SDA they see this more clearly and have tended to become more liberal after leaving the church.

Much more needs to be parsed out looking at the data for this question, but this is a glimpse at what is to come.

---

¹Special thank go to Elon University undergraduate student and sociology major Mason Carter for the hard work of maximizing the ChatGPT output.

Former Adventist Survey done in 2011

[This is a guest post by Sandy Snelling Whetmore]

During the summer of 2011, a closed Facebook group of former Adventists began thinking about the idea of a survey. New technology had allowed us to find others who had experienced similar journeys out of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and we had lots of questions for each other. We carried on long online discussions about our shared experiences, memories, doctrinal beliefs, and questions. Some of those threads went on for several days with new-found friends asking for clarification or objecting to statements they found inaccurate. The group was a source of encouragement, discovery, and acceptance.

Several of us also participated in other similar groups where some of the same topics kept coming up. At one point, some of us landed on the idea of compiling specific questions that we thought would be helpful to explore in a formal survey. We saw this questionnaire as an opportunity to discover what we as a group might have in common and find ways to support others. We began to list possible questions and collaborate on the wording.

The budding project coincided with the beginnings of my doctoral research. Since I’d determined that I would be using Survey Monkey to collect data for that study and had access to the service, I thought that some practice using the technology would be helpful. So I volunteered to head the project: keeping track of ideas, formatting the questions and responses, entering the text into the template, collecting the data, and writing a summary of the results.

One question that nearly everyone in the group wanted to include was the most basic one: why did you leave the Adventist church? Time after time, as new friends joined our online group we heard the same story, “I’m not mad at anybody: they’re just wrong.” We kept hearing from the church leadership that former members left because they were angry. But that just didn’t seem to be true of any of us. Consequently, we designed that question in such a way that participants were asked to choose “the primary reason I left.” And none of us were surprised that 86% of the 270 participants chose, “Doctrinal differences: disagreement over what the church teaches.” (8% reported, “I just didn’t care anymore,” and 6% did choose, “Hurt feelings/anger with another person or group.”)

We posted the link November 6, 2011, in several former Adventist Facebook groups and asked those who chose to support the project to share it with others who might be interested. Our survey included three sections: questions about membership, demographics, and doctrines—where we asked participants to rate their level of agreement with each of the 28 fundamental beliefs and comment as they wished. Those details were enlightening. We shared the results in a .pdf file with those who asked to see the findings.

When the Eight-Day Freedom project came to my attention, I was curious about what questions this team had asked participants and whether their findings were similar to those of our 2011 responses. As I answered some familiar questions, I noted many insightful new ones. Yet the basic conclusions of both surveys seem to be consistent.

I found an email address for Tom Arcaro and attached the summary of our research with a short explanation. After an interesting conversation, he asked me to share some of that background here. We’ve speculated that there will be some differences over the intervening 12 years. Much has happened in the world and much has happened in Adventism. But members continue to leave the Seventh-day Adventist church and many of us are looking forward to discovering what motivates them to brave the challenge.

If there are questions or responses to the post, I’ve been able to resurrect the old email address as a contact for those interested.  (FormerAdventistSurvey@gmail.com)

Here is a pdf of the 256 page analysis and discussion of the data.

 

[Updated 4-30-23]

Comparing data from the survey: update on Portuguese version of the survey

Some numbers
Live now and being spread by our Brazilian colleagues for just over a week, the Portuguese version of our survey has 129 responses. Combined with the English language version (n=950) that makes a total of 1079¹ respondents to date. Although we expect many more respondents before we close the surveys on June 1st, the preliminary results are quite interesting.

What I’ll present below are just a few glimpses of the quantitative data thus far, comparing results from both versions of the survey. At this point we can begin to present the ‘what’ but can only offer conjecture as to the ‘why’ behind these numbers. Please allow me to share some beginning thoughts about these data, starting with the demographic makeup of the respondents, and then onto even more interesting numbers including the ‘cult’ question, psychological abuse, and, critically, sexual abuse.

Who is taking the survey and what do they look like?
In this first table (Question 1) we see a significant difference in responses between how the Portuguese and English speaking populations describe their current relationship to Seventh-Day Adventism.

English speakers selected “I consider myself a Seventh-day Adventist” only 3% of the time while in the Portuguese version that number is 13%.

By as considerable margin -77% compared to 52%- English speakers were more likely to choose “Ex-Adventist: I have left the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. I no longer pay tithe, no longer participate in governance or management. I do not follow Adventist rules in my personal life” 

While only 7% of the English speakers chose “Believing Ex-Adventist: I still follow the doctrines and teachings of the original founders, but I have left or in some way been separated from the formal structure and community” nearly four times as many -27%- Portuguese speaks chose this option.

 

Different demographic characteristics?
From the data below we begin to see that the Portuguese speaking respondents are more likely to be female (68% compared to 55%), somewhat better educated (21% PhD/Post-graduate diploma compared to 16%), significantly younger with a large majority being Millennials (72%!) as compared to only 37% in that same category for the English speaking respondents. Not surprisingly, the Portuguese version being circulated mostly in Brazil has a much higher percentage (39% compared to 24%) indicating ‘non-white’. [Please refer back to an earlier post discussing this variable.]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fewer atheists in Brazil?
In Q13 we offered a forced choice question helping us to see how our respondents described themselves. More than twice as many Portuguese speakers (81% compared to 40%) chose “Christian, but not Adventist”. While the English version respondents were open to checking either the Agnostic or Atheist choices (56% total), the Portuguese speakers were far less likely at 15% to choose either of these descriptors.

Less angry toward Adventism in Brazil?
The numbers below seem to indicate some differences related to holding anger or resentment toward the Seventh-day Adventist Church. As we get deeper into our analyses perhaps we will be able to get a clearer sense of why these differences appear to exist and how they are correlated to other variables such as time spent in Adventist schools and universities, gender identification, race, and levels of both psychological and sexual abuse experienced.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How does being an Adventist -or an ex-Adventist- impact various perspectives?
Question 34, “Have your political views changed since leaving Adventism?” is one that I personally will be keen to watch as we approach the next election cycle here in the United States. We are seeing a clear macro-level trend toward secularization across the globe and including most religions -Adventism being no exception. For more details and description of this trend read Dr. McClearn’s ‘s blog post on the decline in religion from a couple weeks ago.

Declining numbers of believers coupled with the trend that those leaving religion get more liberal makes these numbers a potential game changer in politics both globally and here in the US. And given that politic views are highly correlated with other social perspectives, these data are particularly important for me as an academic who has been studying and teaching about social justice issues my entire career.

So, at least at a first glance the numbers from Q34 are quite clear: most people who leave Adventism change their political views, becoming more liberal, though slightly less so in Brazil among Portuguese speakers.

 

 

 

Other views related to end-times teachings
As someone who studied and teaches about global social problems, I find the data below concerning. As you can see below, on Q35 most respondents in both the English (76%) and the Portuguese (61%) checked “End-times teachings perpetuate an indifference regarding the climate crisis and other environmental concerns.” Then on Q36 “How do you think Adventist teachings about end-times impact most believers’ opinions related to social justice issues like racism and women’s rights?” the same trend continues with the the English (64%) and the Portuguese (73%) respondents indicating “End-times teachings perpetuate an indifference related to social justice issues like racism and women’s rights.”

According to the Pew Research Center nearly 4 in 10 Americans believe “we are living in the end times.”  Our research indicates that those believing in end-times are dramatically indifferent about major issues facing humanity.

Not unrelated, our data show a sizable majority of the respondents using both versions believed their critical thinking skills e.g., awareness of scientific knowledge, were diminished while a member of the SDA. Combining “A great deal” and “A lot” the numbers are nearly identical for the the English (61%) and the Portuguese (60%). Astoundingly, only 14% on the English version and 9% on the Portuguese version indicated “Not at all.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mental health after leaving Adventism
One main goal of this survey was to explore impact of the journey departing the Adventist Church, hence the title for this blog, Eight-Day Freedom. One of our hypotheses going into collecting the data was this ‘freedom’ would be beneficial. Question 38 asks,“With regard to your overall mental health and quality of life, which below best describes how you feel?” and the responses from both versions are similar. Combining the first two responses, “My overall mental health is much better now that I am no longer an Adventist” and “My overall mental health is a little better now that I am no longer an Adventist” we see an overwhelming majority of the respondents -English (81%) and the Portuguese (74%)- feel their mental health is better after leaving Adventism. Here is what one respondent wrote in the comment box² we provided for this question:

“As an SDA, I experienced significant levels of peace, love, and compassion for others. As an unbeliever the levels of all three have increased. I am now happier, more kind to others, and experience a deeper sense of peace and love.”

Another added,

“I feel that I can be much more honest about my beliefs now. Much less cognitive dissonance.”

The ‘cult’ question, again
In an earlier blog post I presented data indicating most survey respondents viewed Adventism as a cult. The contrast between respondents on the two versions here is stark. Where 61% using the English version strongly agreed or agreed only 28% of the Portuguese respondents felt the same. Why there is such a difference may have to do with how the word ‘cult’ is translated and nuances of meaning and connotation associated with the concept.

 

 

More to come soon
I will be updating this post in the next 24 hours with some data on the questions related to psychological and sexual abuse within the Church.

In the meantime, please contact me at arcaro@elon.edu with comments or feedback.

---

¹Dr. Brandner, the quantitative expert on our research team, assures us the numbers of responses we have even just to this point are large enough for fairly robust statistical analysis.

²Many of our questions provided space for respondents to elaborate on their answer. These qualitative data will be presented in more detail in future blog posts and in our final analyses.

Our survey is now live in Brazil, translated into Portuguese

 

Survey translated into Portuguese
Our research team is excited to announce that our survey has been cloned and translated into Portuguese. This major contribution to our research effort was made possible through the work of André Kanasiro, editor and founding member of Zelota magazine. Thanks are due to senior staff at Spectrum Magazine¹ for brokering this connection.

Here is part of the conversation I had with André as we worked on the translation:

Tom: Why you wanted to get the survey translated and live in Portuguese?

André: I saw the news on the survey as told by Spectrum Magazine, and then I just knew we had to bring it to Brazil. Adventism in Brazil has massive evasion numbers (approximately 1.5 million people left the church from 2011 to 2020, while 2.2 million joined), and has a highly centralized, hierarchical leadership who is increasingly occupying administrative positions in the General Conference.

Tom: How you will reach out to ex-SDA Brazilians -and other Portuguese speakers globally- who you think may be interested in completing the survey?

André: We will reach out to Brazilian and Portuguese speakers through Zelota magazine, an independent Adventist journal we founded two years ago. We will also contact other social media profiles that may be interested in sharing the survey with its public.

Tom: How you think the survey will be received Brazilians?

André: I think it may trigger passionate reactions from both sides: while many ex-Adventists and Adventists who do not agree with the church in everything are more than willing to speak up, many conservative members and leaders are deeply disturbed by new ways of bringing transparency and accountability to the church’s doorstep.

Here is the translation from the Instagram announcement:

If you are a former Adventist, believe in Adventist doctrines outside the institutional environment, or are part of the Adventist world without believing or practicing all Adventist beliefs, this survey was designed with the objective of getting to know more closely your profile and your life experience. It is part of a project led by a small teaching team at Elon University, in North Carolina, USA, which, in partnership with Zelota, intends to disseminate the questionnaire in Brazil and Latin America.

The goal is to discover, from former Seventh-day Adventists, what led people to leave the Adventist movement, what the experience of leaving was like, and what life has been like since they left. There is also an interest in capturing responses from those who no longer believe or practice but remain part of the Adventist system, whether within the formal structure or simply as part of the community of Adventist believers. The plan is to leave the survey open for about three months, in order to capture responses from as many former Adventists as possible.

The research will be available until June 1, 2023. Preliminary results will be published, over time, on the project blog (indicated on the research website), and later transformed into a set of scientific articles. Other analyzes and comments can be found in Zelota magazine and on the websites associated with the project.

Link is in Bio!

Responses are coming in now … from across the globe
As of this writing the Portuguese version of the survey has been live less than 24 hours and already has 70 responses. The 100% completion rate is exceptional, the same as the English version. Respondents are averaging less that 31 minutes engaged with the survey.

The English version currently has 858 responses from all over the world. Though mostly from the United States and Canada, we have respondents from all regions of the world. This blog is being accessed from all of the locations indicated by this map.

The survey in both versions will remain live until 1 June 2023. Please encourage those who have not yet taken the survey to share their voices. Here is the link for the English version and here for the Portuguese version.

Thank you
Thanks to the staff at Spectrum Magazine, André at Zelota Magazine, and to the now over 900 respondents who have shared their stories and opinions on the survey thus far. Our journey processing all these rich data has just begun. In the short term, we will continue posting ‘data teasers” and comment, but in the long term we plan at least 2-3 academic articles and several public scholarship essays discussing the results. Please bookmark our EighthDayFreedom blog for information and updates.

If you have any comments or questions I can be reached at arcaro@elon.edu.

---

¹The Research Team was interviewed by Jeremy Gray at Spectrum Magazine. You can listen to the podcast here.