When adult children leave the denomination

[QuietlyListening]

I really question how much someone is a "committed believer" once they started attending a church which promotes things like military service, voting, political involvement, carrying guns, etc.

You can question it all you want. And maybe in your experience that has occurred. But you what- you don't know everyone who has moved away from the anabaptist church denomination and culture for want of better words. They are committed to living a nonresistant life and even have been active is showing others what this is. Many have never considered it, never experienced or even heard of this and they have been vessels that have opened their minds to this idea. And not everyone who goes to another church type believes in political involvement, using guns and military service/involvement. And I am seeing many conservative anabaptist who are quite politically involved- at least verbally. Things are not all black and white was you seem to feel when it comes to leaving the conservative church. Maybe in your experience but then again you came to this when you were an adult. Most of these folks left after growing up in this setting and were adults with families and feel there may be a better way to express their faith/live out their faith and not be so insular.
I am not expecting you to change your mind but just letting you know there are many people out there who have not followed the path you like to say they will.

[Josh]

I have been around plenty of people who leave conservative church settings and nearly all of them have chosen a lifestyle of compromise and moved away from sincerely following the New Testament.

[QuietlyListening]

That has been your experience and mine has differed. Your experience does not mean all do this and mine does not mean all stay with living a NT life.

[Sudsy]

What of those who leave and do not practice any faith?

Has there been an increase in the incidents of those leaving the faith due to spousal influence?

(My reason for the query is not a personal one for the sake of gossip. My reason is to identify an overall pattern that may be occurring among Christian groups. No needs or details necessary; simply if you observe an increase in the numbers of the above situation)?

I really don't know of any stats related to this but my guess is that since there appears to be so many signs that we are in the last of the last days, this increase is occurring and may become more obvious quite soon. When one spouse leaves the faith (which I take meaning abandons their belief in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour and living as His follower), then the spouse that remains faithful is living in a very faith challenging state to put Jesus above all else. My mom certainly could have went that route as my father, before becoming a believer, gave her a pretty hard time for a couple years but she kept her faith and her influence on dad was big in his conversion. In their case, her keeping the faith was a drawing influence but I have seen the opposite happen also.

1 Timothy 4:1 NLT -

Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.

Some of these mega churches appear so far to be maintaining some pretty huge crowds but the faith that they preach is sometimes questionable to me. They may appear to have not left the faith and will use the same wording to be in the faith yet are they truly of the faith that saves us. Jesus said at judgment day that many will argue that they were of the faith (they even did miracles in His Name) yet He will say He never knew them. They might have been mis-lead by a 'deceptive spirit' that 1 Timothy 4:1 speaks of. So important then as to where our faith is really grounded and do we know Jesus in a saving relationship way and not in some other way such as saying a magic formula or joining a church, etc..