I recently came across this Reddit thread asking, "Former Christian nuns and priests of Reddit, what made you decide to leave the Church?," and I was fascinated by the responses. Here's what people said: Some submissions are also from this thread . Stories deal with topics like grooming, sexual abuse, suicidal ideation, and eating disorders. 1. "My uncle is an ex-priest. In 2008, in California, there was a proposition (Prop 8) that sought to overturn the legalization of gay marriage. My uncle’s bishop issued a mass directive to all the priests, urging them to urge their parishioners to vote yes on 8. My uncle is gay and said he could not in good conscience follow the bishop’s order because he knew what it felt like to be a gay kid in the pews, being told that you’re an 'abomination.' Instead, he wrote a speech and called the press. At the end of mass, he said they were free to go, but they could stay and listen to something he had to share.…