Mormon Stories 1390: Undefining 'God' with John Hamer

Undefining 'God': How Progressive Mormons Are Reconstructing Spirituality After Faith Crisis

When lifelong Mormons encounter historical contradictions or doctrinal inconsistencies, they face an urgent question: Is spirituality possible outside the framework that once defined it? This question sits at the heart of a growing movement within post-Mormon and progressive Mormon communities, one that seeks not to abandon meaning-making entirely, but to radically reimagine what spiritual language like "God" can mean. According to Mormon Stories Podcast Episode 1390, scholar and theologian John Hamer has spent years exploring how people leaving Mormonism can rebuild fulfilling spiritual lives without requiring literal belief in traditional theistic claims.

The Problem: Inherited Definitions That No Longer Fit

Most Mormons raised in the faith inherit a remarkably specific conception of God. The LDS theological framework presents a literal, anthropomorphic deity, a being with a body, residing in heaven, communicating through authorized prophets, and demanding exclusive allegiance through covenant ordinances. For many who experience faith transitions, this package collapses entirely once its historical foundations crack.

The Mormon Stories episode highlights a common pattern: members discover that scriptural authorities like Moses and Adam are not historically verifiable figures, that the Book of Mormon's origins differ from official narratives, or that institutional teachings conflict with personal conscience. Rather than accepting the faith as presented or abandoning spirituality altogether, progressive Mormons face a third path, one requiring what Hamer calls "undefinition" of inherited religious concepts.

This approach acknowledges that the hole faith leaves cannot simply be ignored. Leaving religion creates what some describe as spiritual hunger, a sense that meaning-making communities and transcendent frameworks matter, even if previous ones proved untenable.