Spirituality without Religion - No Nonsense Spirituality w/ Britt Hartley | Ep. 1890

Spirituality Without Religion: Why Ex-Mormons Are Building New Frameworks for Meaning

For millions of people raised in high-demand religious groups, the path away from faith presents a paradox: they've rejected the institution, but they haven't stopped searching for meaning, transcendence, and connection. Britt Hartley's new book Spirituality Without Religion: No-Nonsense Spirituality, recently discussed on the Mormon Stories podcast, represents a growing movement among post-religious people, particularly ex-Mormons, who are attempting to preserve the psychological and social benefits of spiritual practice while discarding supernatural claims and doctrinal control. The question at the heart of this trend is simple but profound: Can secular people access genuine spiritual experience without faith in a divine being?

This question matters because it strikes at the intersection of cognitive science, religious trauma, community resilience, and human flourishing. For decades, religious institutions have claimed exclusive ownership over spirituality. But the historical record shows that spirituality and organized religion are not inseparable, and understanding why former believers are constructing secular alternatives tells us something important about what religion actually provides, and what it costs.

Understanding the Post-Mormon Search for Meaning

The LDS Church, with its comprehensive worldview and intensive community structure, leaves an unusually visible trail when members depart. According to the Mormon Stories podcast discussion, ex-Mormons face a distinctive challenge: they've "seen how the sausage gets made." They've accessed primary documents, read scholarly critiques of church history, and observed in real time how religious narratives are constructed, from local anecdotes becoming legends to leaders' statements being canonized as doctrine.

This epistemological advantage becomes a liability when seeking spiritual replacement. As Hartley notes, ex-Mormons are uniquely skeptical of claims they cannot verify. They've watched Brigham Young stories transform into scripture. They've internalized the mechanics of belief formation itself. This makes the conventional pivot to mainstream Christianity or Buddhism difficult: the curtain has been pulled back too far to close again.