Thesis (D. Min.)--Covenant Theological Seminary, 2004. / Abstract. Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 184-187).

Thesis (M.R.E.)--Conservative Baptist Theological Seminary, 1972. / This is an electronic reproduction of TREN, #090-0267. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 82-84).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1989. / Includes prospectus. This is an electronic reproduction of TREN, #049-0059. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 161-167; 46-50).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 123-126).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2006. / "November 22, 2006" Includes bibliographical references (l. 121-124)

Thesis (D. Min.)--Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2006. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 121-124)

Thesis (D. Min.)--Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 123-126).

Over the past decade, researchers have documented the steady growth of religious "nones," those who do not affiliate with any organized religion. There is, however, limited research examining religious disaffiliation on health outcomes--that is, how the process of religious disaffiliation or exiting contributes to mental well-being. These trends and gap in the literature make it timely and it is important to consider the impact of leaving religion on the well-being of individuals experiencing this life transition. This qualitative study investigates a particularly understudied subgroup of exiters -- individuals who have exited Christian fundamentalist religious groups. Drawing on 24 in-depth, individual interviews, this research examines how former religious participants reconstruct identity, social relationships and support, and meaning related to well-being -- conceptualized as the religious exiting process for this study. I employ Iterative Thematic Inquiry or ITI, a new qualitative analytic strategy that focuses on theme development before data collection, through an initial assessment of researcher preconceptions, and that writing, versus coding, is the primary procedure for data analysis. The results demonstrate that while it is challenging in the initial stages of the exiting process to forge a new sense of identity, cultivate new relationships and support, and achieve a positive meaning outcome, over time, this reconstruction contributes to greater life satisfaction.

This study adds significantly to the literature on Christian fundamentalism, and specifically to understandings of how women are positioned within these faiths. It also provides an unusual glimpse into the inner world of Jehovah's Witnesses, and more specifically into the lived experiences of female adherents, a perspective which has been lacking in the small number of studies conducted into the faith. / By taking a sociological approach to the research, the Witnesses can be seen to occupy a unique position within Christian fundamentalism, an understanding which is crucial given their strong emphasis on the control of women. It is this emphasis on controlling women through the social structures of the faith that makes both joining and leaving the Witnesses such fraught processes, as is illuminated by the narratives of the female research participants. / Thesis (PhDEducation)--University of South Australia, 2006.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Harding Graduate School of Religion, 1983. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-112).