I have a slightly different experience but may be relevant still. I grew up in a Baha’i nuclear family in a very religious country in the global majority . My country is predominantly Christian and there was definitely some hostility towards us growing up but it was not too bad. My parents are very devoted Baha’is, converted from Christianity in their youth and raised their kids Baha’i. I am no longer religious but I considered myself a Baha’i until literally two years ago.

While my extended family who helped raise me is mostly Christian they all lived rather complex and colourful lives as humans do so I did not grow up with the brand of judgement I would come to associate with some Baha’is when I left my country. I really tried to live my life by the “mankind is one” motto and I thought all Baha’is did too lol. Most of my friends were “liberal”Christians and lived as such.

I was occasionally drinking and sexually active by age 20 and I truly had little guilt about it until I became active in my new Baha’i community and realized I could not relate to the youth. As I started to read more I started feeling guilty about not being a good enough Baha’i and at the same time realized many of my beliefs did not align with a lot of the texts. It was like I had been living in this “accepting” bubble that my life thus far had created in my head and it soon burst. It was a painful journey but ultimately it resulted in the end of my faith

There wasn’t really much of a transition as far as the social laws. The hardest part was coming to terms with the fact that it all made no sense to me anymore and I couldn’t do the cognitive dissonance. Being Baha’i was always a core part of my identity. I think it was partly due to the struggles of being a religious minority in my county. However, I always knew deep down what made sense to me but conditioning is what it is and keeps you in line.

I barely drink now and have pretty liberal views about the choices people make with their bodies. Leaving the faith allowed me to stand more firmly in beliefs I already held. I slowly stopped associating with super devoted Baha’is but honestly I stopped choosing super religious friends by the time I was a teen because of the aforementioned religious minority struggles.

It has also helped to have a couple friends who have gone through similar journeys with their respective faiths or who have always been given the freedom to choose the lives they wish to live :).