Your beliefs are changing. You are not.

When the belief system I'd held since childhood began to collapse under the weight of questions I could no longer ignore, I didn't just lose a religion. I lost the lens through which I'd interpreted everything about myself and the world. I lost the community that had organized my social life for decades. I lost the framework that told me what was right, what was true, and who I was supposed to be.

When a community becomes central to your identity, questioning that group feels like questioning your very existence. If you're wondering whether your community has become controlling, you're facing one of the most disorienting identity crises possible. This article explores how to distinguish between your authentic self and the conditioning you may have absorbed to maintain belonging.