frafald

Frafald is a Danish noun that denotes the act of falling away from a church, creed, or organization. It is used in religious, sociological, and sometimes political contexts to describe people who leave a faith community, abandon a set of beliefs, or defect from a movement. In broader usage, frafald can refer to departures from customary affiliations or loyalties, not only in religion but also in other groups or ideologies.

Etymology and form: the term combines the prefix fra- meaning away with fald meaning fall, conveying the sense of drifting away or withdrawing. It is related to verbs such as at frafalde (to fall away) and appears in various inflectional forms, including frafald (the act), frafaldet (the past participle) and frafaldet tendenser (fallaway tendencies) in scholarly or statistical writing.

Usage and distinctions: frafald is commonly used in church statistics and demographic studies to describe the proportion of adherents who leave a church or religious affiliation. It can also describe defections from political parties, movements, or other organizations. A related but distinct term is udmelding, which refers to a formal withdrawal or resignation from membership, whereas frafald emphasizes the process of drifting away or abandoning belief.

See also: apostasy, religious demography, defection, withdrawal from church membership.