Signs You Might Have Been in NPC Mode in Your Faith

Yesterday I went to lunch with some girlfriends. One of them mentioned something about NPC behavior we often notice in people. I asked what that was, because I’m not familiar with the term. Apparently, in video games, NPCs (non-playable characters) are the shopkeepers, the background villagers, the people wandering aimlessly down the street saying the same line over and over. They make the world feel alive, but they aren’t driving the story. They’re just kinda there.

Somewhere along the way, this idea jumped out of video games and into real life. People started using “NPC” as a way to describe someone who seems to be living on autopilot. You know, someone who is repeating what they’ve been told, doing the same things over and over, and never questioning the script.

And let’s be honest: we’ve all been there.

Yesterday when I learned about NPC’s, I realized quickly that when I was deeply entrenched in my faith, I was living in my story like an NPC.

I was following the script.
I was repeating the lines.
I was doing the motions without stopping to ask if they were even mine.

And here’s the thing, though, this isn’t about intelligence or worth. NPC mode isn’t a moral failure. It’s just, well, easy. It’s how many of us are trained to operate in high-control religion. We’re given the rules, the language, the “correct” answers, and we learn that questioning them is dangerous.

SIGNS YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN IN NPC MODE WHEN YOU WERE IN YOUR FAITH TRADITION:

(This is not about pointing fingers or feeling bad, this is just a mirror to help us see deeper truths about our lived experiences)

1. Scripted Beliefs
   You could quote the “right” verse or doctrine on command, but hadn’t wrestled with what it actually meant for you.

2. Unquestioned Routines
   You went to church, served, prayed, and tithed. Not necessarily because it connected you to the Divine, but because it was expected of you.

3. Low Curiosity
   You were told doubt was the enemy of faith, so you kept your questions quiet…even from yourself. If someone believed differently, they were automatically villainized or demonized as deceived and lost.

4. Autopilot Worship
   Singing the words without engaging the heart, reading devotionals without personal reflection. Being there physically, but checked out mentally.

5. External Script Control
   Your theology, morals, and priorities came pre-packaged from pastors, denominational leaders, or “Christian” culture. Have you ever considered what is important to you, outside of the influences?

How to Switch to Player Mode

Deconstruction, at its best, is a lot like picking up the controller of your own spiritual life! You get to make those choices for yourself. Here are ways to do that:

• Ask More Questions
  If something is “just what we believe,” ask why. Trace its origin. See if it still fits you. We can outgrow belief systems. It is okay to go forward and change direction when presented with new and important information.

• Break a Spiritual Pattern
  Try a different way of connecting to the sacred, like nature walks, silence, meditation, art, service.

• Audit Your Inputs
  Pay attention to who’s still influencing your beliefs. Is it by your choice, or out of habit? Are you afraid to trust your own intuition? Why could that be?

• Get Present
  Notice your own spiritual experiences instead of chasing what you “should” feel. If something feels new, does that scare you or excite you? Notice this! Remind yourself there is no fear in perfect love.

• Choose Your Own Quests
  Stop waiting for a pastor or leader to tell you your mission. Find what feels true, loving, and life-giving and go for it!

If you’ve left religion, you may look back and see the ways you once played the role of “faithful NPC.” But the beauty of this journey is that now, you get to live like a player who is awake, engaged, and fully participating and even steering your own story.

You don’t have to be the hero of their story anymore.
You just have to be the hero of yours.