The decision to finally step away from this oppressive system came in 2007, a pivotal year marked by personal losses and the suicide of a prominent religious leader I admired. Since then, I have seen a significant shift—globally, people are moving away from institutionalized religion. The data supports this; when Gallup first started polling in 1937, 73% of Americans were church members. That number had dropped to 45% by the time I left the church in 2007.