People first
Help and support
Reading about a faith you were raised in, or are still part of, can be frightening. Fear of family rejection, of losing housing or work, or of being ‘found out’ is real. You do not have to work through it alone, and you do not have to decide anything today.
If you are in immediate danger, call your local emergency number (999 in the UK, 112 in the EU, 911 in the US and Canada, 000 in Australia, 111 in New Zealand).
Talk to someone now
These services are free and confidential. Their details were checked on 19 September 2026; each link goes to the organisation’s own page so you can confirm hours and numbers.
United Kingdom and Ireland
- Samaritans · Emotional support, any time, free · Call 116 123 (24 hours)
- Shout · Free, confidential text support · Text SHOUT to 85258 (24 hours, UK)
- National Domestic Abuse Helpline (Refuge) · Domestic abuse, England · Call 0808 2000 247 (24 hours)
- Childline · For anyone under 19 in the UK · Call 0800 1111
- Shelter · Emergency housing advice, England · Call 0808 800 4444
United States
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline · Free, confidential crisis support · Call or text 988 (24/7)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline · Domestic violence · Call 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788 (24/7)
Canada
- 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline · Crisis support · Call or text 988 (24/7)
Australia
- Lifeline · Crisis support and suicide prevention · Call 13 11 14 or text 0477 13 11 14 (24/7)
- 1800RESPECT · Domestic, family or sexual violence · Call 1800 737 732 or text 0458 737 732 (24/7)
New Zealand
- 1737 Need to talk? · Free counselling and peer support · Call or text 1737 (24/7)
Anywhere else
- Find A Helpline · Directory of verified helplines in 175+ countries · Search by country and topic
Steadying advice
- Do not make a sudden, life-changing decision solely because of one page. The documents on this site will still be here next month. Sleep on things.
- You are not obliged to tell anyone what you are reading. Read at your own pace.
- You do not have to conclude anything. Checking what a publication said is not the same as deciding anything.
- Get practical facts before acting. If you are thinking about leaving, the leaving safely page sets out what the published rules are and what questions to ask yourself first.
Children and young people
If you are under 18 and you are frightened about what will happen at home if your reading is discovered, please talk to a trusted adult outside the situation, or to a children’s helpline in your country (for example Childline in the UK on 0800 1111, or the directory at Find A Helpline). The child safeguarding section of this site lists child-protection contacts by country.
Peer support for people questioning or leaving a religion
- Faith to Faithless (Humanists UK) · facilitated peer-support groups for people who have left a religious community (their own description of their work is on the linked page) · United Kingdom.
- Recovering from Religion · peer support for people questioning or leaving religion, with a helpline (US and Canada 844-368-2848; UK +44 20 3807 4583; Australia +61 2 8203 7137) and referral to secular therapists.
Neither organisation is connected to this site. We list them because they are established, non-sectarian and do not try to recruit people into another religion.
Your privacy on this site
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What we cannot do
We are not counsellors, lawyers or doctors, and we do not offer advice on individual situations. We do not collect personal stories. If you write to us we will read it, but the services above are the right place for urgent help.