A Timeless Reflection on ‘Naturalism as Religion’ now that Religions and Religiosity are in Decline

Details: Written by: Kamran Mofid; Published: 25 February 2014; Hits: 3451

N.B. This article was first published on 25 February 2014 under the title of ‘What is religious naturalism?’ Given the publication of ONS Census of England and Wales 2021 findings on the significant decline of religiosity and Christianty in England and Wales, as well as the general decline in religious belief and practices globally, and the overall attachment of our humanity to Mother Earth, I firmly believe that this post deserves further consideration. (Updated on 30 November 2022)

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Goddess Gaia

A Natural Longing, A Holy Longing

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'I was only fourteen years old when I left home to become a Catholic nun. I thought the “religious life” is what I needed to satisfy a holy longing within me – a longing to be connected with what is sacred. I remained in the convent for eleven years, and found that certain aspects of the religious life did, indeed, feed my soul. I loved the times of silence and meditation; and I was deeply moved by the singing of the psalms and the reading of the parables. Yet, some of the teachings of the church contradicted what I felt and believed about the natural world and our relationship with it...'- A Natural Longing, A Holy Longing

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Naturalism as Religion

'Nature is my religion, Earth is my temple.'

Cypress Trees, Caddo Lake.-Photo:Pinterest

Let Me Know What is Essential- Let Me Walk in Beauty

‘O Great Spirit,

whose voice I hear in the winds

and whose breath gives life to all the world,

hear me.

I am small and weak.

I need your strength and wisdom.

Let me walk in beauty

and let my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset.

Make my hands respect the things you have made

and my ears grow sharp to hear your voice.

Make me wise so that I may understand the things

you have taught my people.

Let me learn the lessons you have hidden

in every leaf and rock.

I seek strength not to be greater than my brother or sister

but to fight my greatest enemy, myself.

Make me always ready

to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes

So when life fades as the fading sunset

my spirit may come to you without shame.’

- Chief Yellow Lark, a nineteenth-century Lakota elder.

'Earth Is A Mother Who Never Dies’- A saying from the Diné (or Navajo) people

Image via Mystic Investigations

World in Chaos and Despair: The Healing Power of Mother Earth

'We are an integral part of Nature, which we cherish, revere and preserve in all its magnificent beauty and diversity. We strive to live in harmony with Nature locally and globally. We acknowledge the inherent value of all life, human and non-human, and treat all living beings with compassion and respect.'

'In the absence of the sacred, nothing is sacred. Everything is for sale.' - Oren R. Lyons, Faithkeeper of the Turtle clan

Imagining and Taking Action to Build a Better World

…And Being Transformed by Nature

‘Religious naturalism deserves recognition as an important form of religious faith among the various religious stances and outlooks of the world. It does so especially today, when its significance is coming to be increasingly acknowledged, vigorously developed, and actively propounded. What is religious naturalism? Simply put, it is the recognition that to be is to be natural and the conviction that nature in all of its forms and manifestations is a proper focus of religious commitment.

‘Religious naturalism maintains that our central task in life and the deepest fulfillment of our existence is to serve nature, not to think, act, or react as if nature were put here to serve us. Nature is not to be regarded as mere raw material for human use but is to be reverenced as having ultimate, abiding, and inexhaustible worth. Its vast reaches of space and time do not center on us, but we are products of its evolutionary processes here on earth and an integral part of the earth-wide community of living beings sustained by our respective natural environments. The environments of humans may be modified by human technology, but they are still at bottom aspects of nature turned to human use.

‘Should nature be worshipped or prayed to, then? Does it have an overall purpose? Can the fact of its existence be explained without recourse to God or to a transcendent, non-natural source or ground akin to God? Is religious commitment to the ultimacy of nature a form of pantheism? Can it have religious meaning without being acknowledged as the creation of God, without relying from moment to moment on the sustaining power and presence of God? Is nature not rife with indifferent danger, destructiveness, and waste, and thus hardly qualifying for religious reverence and commitment? Exactly how or in what ways can nature assure us religiously, call forth our utmost dedication and commitment, or empower us to live richly meaningful and amply fulfilling lives? In short, can nature save us?

‘We come into being and we pass away. But while we are here we can strive to make the most significant contributions we can to the ongoingness of life on earth. The meaning of our lives is measured by the quality of our experience and awareness here and now and by what we give to the earth and its creatures, not by expectation of an endless life to come. Our influences can live after us and be sown into the fabric of lives of those who come after us, humans and nonhumans alike. The emphasis throughout is not on egoistic preoccupation with endless personal survival but on doing as much with our relatively brief lives as we can for the good of others. This is privilege enough and more than gift enough.

‘There is much suffering, pain, and deprivation in the nonhuman aspects of nature and among human beings, and we should devote our energies to preventing or alleviating these sufferings, pains, and deprivations as far and as appropriately as we can. Religion of Nature demands this of us. An essential part of the meaning of our lives is what we do and are called on to do to address and minister to the needs of others.’

“Religious Naturalism and Its Place in the Family of Religions”

This was the title of an article by Donald A. Crosby which was posted at the Westar Institute website. It really caught my eye and my imagination. It is a really fascinating and inspiring article. Thus, I thought that I must share it with you.

Donald A. Crosby is emeritus professor of philosophy at Colorado State University. He has expounded religious naturalism in three books: A Religion of Nature (2002), Living with Ambiguity: Religious Naturalism and the Menace of Evil (2008), and The Thou of Nature: Religious Naturalism and Reverence for Sentient Life (2013). He lives in Tallahassee, Florida.

Read the entire article: Religious Naturalism and Its Place in the Family of Religions « Westar Institute Westar Institute

'Let nature be your teacher'- William Wordsworth