Humanists UK is celebrating ten years of its groundbreaking Faith to Faithless service with the release of a moving new animation created in partnership with OOF Animation. The short film vividly captures the emotional and psychological turmoil faced by people attempting to leave high-control religions and cults.
Using the imagery of a labyrinth and a guiding lifeline, the animation illustrates the confusion, isolation, and hope that define this difficult journey for thousands of vulnerable adults in the UK.
For many, the journey out of a restrictive religious environment can be confusing, isolating, and fraught with fear. The animation highlights these challenges while also delivering a message of hope: with the right support, no one has to walk this path alone.
This milestone year also highlights the growing demand for Faith to Faithless’s life-saving support. Last month, Humanists UK reported that in its first year alone, the service’s ground-breaking helpline has supported hundreds of people escaping high-control religions and cults. Many callers have faced extreme isolation, coercion, domestic abuse, and even threats of violence.
Others have been forced to live double lives, concealing their true beliefs from their families and communities out of fear of rejection. The service has provided them with vital emotional support, practical guidance, and connections to others who have walked the same path.
In February, Humanists UK reported that the largest single group of callers to the helpline in year one were ex-evangelical Christian experiencing abuse or shunning from within their own families or the wider evangelical community, but other callers frequently included ex-Muslims, ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses, ex-Charedi Jews, along with former members of smaller cults and other religions.
Humanists UK Director of Humanist Care Clare Elcombe Webber narrated the video herself. She commented:
‘Leaving a high-control religion can mean losing everything — your family, your friends, even your sense of identity. It can be an incredibly lonely and frightening experience. This animation is designed to reach those who might be suffering in silence, to show them that they are not alone and that support is available.’
Future for programme
Faith to Faithless is the only service of its kind in the UK offering specialist peer support, training for frontline professionals, and advocacy for those harmed by coercive religious environments. In 2023, the Bloom review into freedom of religion or belief recommended that the UK Government fund services like Faith to Faithless as part of a wider package of reforms to protect those at risk of religious harm. However, no such funding has yet been made available, leaving the programme reliant on the generosity of Humanists UK members and supporters – many giving donations of as little as £5 at a time – to continue its crucial work.
The service is seeing constant growth in demand and Humanists UK would like to be in a position to train more volunteers and expand the number of hours its helpline is open to the public each week. However, this will depend on more funding from the public.
As Faith to Faithless marks a decade of life-changing support, Humanists UK remains committed to ensuring that no one has to navigate the labyrinth of leaving a high-control religion alone.
Notes
For further comment or information, media should contact Humanists UK Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson at press@humanists.uk or phone 0203 675 0959.
Founded in 2015, Faith to Faithless is a specialist service offering support to people leaving high-control religions and cults. It offers a dedicated helpline and facilitates year-round peer support led by trained volunteers. It also delivers expert-led awareness training to public services, including NHS teams and police forces, ensuring those at risk receive informed and compassionate support.
Faith to Faithless is part of Humanist Care, Humanists UK’s family of programmes providing direct support to vulnerable people in times of need, which includes the Non-Religious Pastoral Support Network.
Humanists UK is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people. Powered by over 130,000 members and supporters, we advance free thinking and promote humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. We provide ceremonies, pastoral care, education, and support services benefitting over a million people every year and our campaigns advance humanist thinking on ethical issues, human rights, and equal treatment for all.