Have you known any conservative religious people who became more liberal over time?

[Htom Sirveaux]

What motivated the change?

Or if you've known any who went in the opposite direction, what motivated THAT change?

[hrmjustin]

1. Plenty of people.

They did so because they were exposed to different ideas than they were at earlier points in their life.

[struggle4progress]

4. +

[Lydia Leftcoast]

6. Yes, the average mainline church has a number of ex-fundamentalists

as well as a number of ex-Catholics.

Usually if people nominally brought up in a liberal denomination go fundamentalist, it's because one of the fundy youth groups latches on to them in high school or college or because they never received much religious education to begin with, so they're susceptible when they move to a new suburb, don't know anybody, receive an invitation to attend the local megachurch, and don't understand that this "non-denominational" church isn't really non-denominational.

[AtheistCrusader]

2. Lots.

Usually the motivator is shame.

[cbayer]

3. Absolutely and the biggest motivator of change was a personal experience,

like finding out that the niece they love more than anything in the world is a lesbian. Or struggling with their own daughter's pregnancy crisis and seeing her through an abortion.

It's hard to hang on to prejudices when you are exposed to real people that really love.

I haven't known any liberal/progressive believers who became more conservative that I can recall.

[hunter]

5. My grandfather boycotted our wedding because I was marrying a "Mexican Girl."

Not something a kid of Old White California was supposed to do.

It surprised me. He had good friendships and work relationships with all sorts of people from many diverse backgrounds.

He got past his racism, but I don't think it was easy for him. A friend or coworker was one thing, but miscegenation, his white genes mixing, that was something else.

Before I met my wife I had a girlfriend who later married a woman. I was the guy she was using to prove to herself, her family. and her religion that she was not a lesbian. Her dad, who liked me but hated her true love, died certain his daughter was going to hell. But her mom was overjoyed when her grandkids with two moms came along.

I think the "liberals" who drift to the right were never liberal in the first place. God knows I met enough of them in my rather hippie youth -- guys who'd skinny dip, smoke pot, wear their hair long and tie-dye tee shirts, yet expected their women to serve them dinner and bring them beer.

[Still Blue in PDX]

7. I went from no religion to conservative in my 20s and 30s and then became more liberal.

I was young and silly and looking for a community and/or extended family. I bought it entirely and even was a daily listener to Dobson's Focus on the Family.

I really don't know what I was looking for, but that was what I found, and it was a good fit at the time. It wasn't a bad experience, but after reading the Bible through a couple of times one of the things I found to be true was, "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it," and the whole conservative churchy thing wasn't the way I was brought up and not really what I truly valued.

[pinto]

8. Yes. (nt)

[arely staircase]

9. yes

Usually a college education or a gay child.