526: John Hamer on Community of Christ as a Church Home for Transitioning Mormons Pt. 1

Mormon Stories alumnus John Hamer returns to talk about Community of Christ as a viable spiritual home for transitioning Mormons in this two-part video series.  John Hamer was raised LDS, but became a doubting teenager and left organized religion altogether as an adult.  In 2010, he joined Community of Christ and currently serves as pastor of its congregation in downtown Toronto, Canada.  

 

In part 1, John Hamer sits down with John Dehlin and makes the case for "non-literalistic" religion.  (The presentation is illustrated with John Hamer's amazing diagrams, so the podcast audience is advised to watch the YouTube version.)  John Hamer describes how a church with Restoration roots has evolved beyond doctrine and dogma to become inclusive of the LGBT community and a wide diversity of individual beliefs.  

 

In part 2, John Dehlin challenges John Hamer with tough questions, including whether it is possible for some transitioning Mormons who feel real betrayal to join a church that traces its origin to Joseph Smith, or, indeed, any organized religion.  The resulting dialogue was wide-ranging and intensely fascinating.  Regardless of where you are in your own Mormon journey, you'll surely find John Hamer's case for Community of Christ thought-provoking. 

 

In the course of their discussions, John Hamer referenced the "Latter-day Seekers" facebook group and the website Latter-daySeekers.org.