‘Because I didn’t get what I wanted from God’: A multi-level perspective on the role of religious beliefs in (de)conversion processes in Flanders

Abstract

In this study, we focus on the role of religious beliefs in initiating (de)conversion processes, based on 43 interviews with people who have (de)converted from/to the Islam, Christianity, Judaism or a secular worldview in Flanders in the last 5 to 10 years. While in everyday discourses on religion, religious beliefs are interpreted as the sole reason why people belong to a religious community or why they leave or change this community, we wanted to investigate how factors at the micro-, meso-, and macro-level influence such beliefs which are at the heart of (de)conversion processes. Thematic analyses were conducted to understand the relatively recent (de)conversion pathways, using a multi-level perspective. Three main themes were revealed from our data analyses: (1) finding meaning in life events and life, (2) change in significant others and reference groups, and (3) secularising society.