It reats the process of rejecting Christian faith, referred to in this paper, as 'apostasy', as a product of social change. Apostasy is not seen as merely an aberration or problematic rupture in religious socialisation. Rather, apostasy is explored in relation to dissatisfaction with, and resistance to, traditional forms of religion that are no longer meeting the emotional needs or providing satisfactory values or ways of seeing the world.

Data was derived from in-depth interviews with 80 Australians from two groups: 40 who gave up religious beliefs prior to 1967 and 40 who gave up beliefs post 1982, with an eye towards understanding recent changes in Australian society.

A typology was constructed based on the nature of the processes through which people moved away from faith. Three types were found in both groups: anomic apostasy in which the process was a reactionary or rebellious response to a particular event; egoistic apostasy in which the journey reflected an intense intellectual exercise in confusion and detachment; and postmodern apostasy in which the quest for knowing was based on a desire to explore options of spiritual possibilities beyond immediate experience.

An examination of how those types varied between the two groups suggests that the experiences in moving away from faith of younger generations may vary significantly from those of their forbears. Implications of these findings are highly significant and offer important information about the shifting needs and desires of many Australians not met through traditional Christianity.

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