Life Satisfaction and Spirituality Among Filipino Deconverts: A Narrative Study

Abstract

As secularism in a third world collectivist religious country continues to rise, a new field in religious deconversion is emerging. With that, the study sought to explore the deconverts’ narratives regarding their experiences before, during, and after deconversion, as well as to explore their views about their life satisfaction and spirituality. The study utilized a narrative research design and utilized purposive sampling to gather four Filipino deconverts, and the data was analyzed through thematic network analysis. The first research question was answered by three global themes that shows the deconverts’ experiences before, during and after deconversion wherein the themes was named: Religious Experience Turned from Sweet to Sour, Deconversion is a Conviction, and In Losing Religion, Liberation, respectively. Furthermore, to answer the second research question, the global theme Inverse Relationship of Deconverts’ Life Satisfaction and Religiosity emerged. And lastly, the third research question was answered by the global theme Religion was a Gateway for Spirituality. In conclusion, the narratives of the deconverts showed that deconversion started from doubts in the religious teachings, in God, and practices which stemmed from the religious community, accompanied by declining life satisfaction. In the end, however, deconversion has made the participants freer and more autonomous.