Americans are increasingly leaving Christianity, citing anti-LGBTQ+ animus and political entanglement as key reasons, according to new research and personal accounts.
Garth Huelskamp, now 35, left the Mormon Church after years of internal conflict over his sexuality. While serving a Mormon mission at 19, he recalls companions telling a lesbian couple that Jesus could save them from all sins, including homosexuality. At the time, Huelskamp knew he was gay. Talking to GAY TIMES and Uncloseted Media, he said, “I was hoping that I’d come up from my mission and be attracted to women and be able to live, like this very quintessential Mormon dream.”
That never happened, and after years of therapy and strained family relationships, he officially left the church in 2017. Huelskamp’s experience reflects a broader shift. A 2024 Public Religion Research Institute study found that 47% of Americans who deconstructed their faith did so because of how LGBTQ people are treated. This percentage is up from 29% in 2016. Nearly 60% of adults under 30 cited the same reason. At the same time, some conservative denominations continue anti-LGBTQ positions, while affirming churches have seen growth. Psychologist Darrel Ray says institutions face a choice: adapt or lose relevance. “The culture makes a change, and then the church has to adjust or it goes extinct.”
