When considering religious naturalism, and not just a naturalist worldview, it is useful to have a sense of what it can mean to be religious. No clear definition exists, but some parts may include: attention to the ultimate interest in or actively caring about things...
Religious traditions can give a sense of direction. They point to problems – with ourselves and in our world – and they offer a path to set things right. For example: In Buddhism, the problem is suffering. The reason is selfish craving. A solution is the 8-fold path....
A naturalist sense of being human differs in important ways from traditional images in Western culture and religion. A central part of this is a sense of ourselves as a particular kind of primate. Tracing back further through evolution, we can also see ourselves as...
In a naturalist view, life is a wholly biological process. Some aspects of this can give a sense of wonder; some others raise questions and concerns. Ways that we appreciate and wrestle with a sense of what we are can be part of being religious. Part of the nature of...
With a view that the cosmos emerged from events that followed the Big Bang, a naturalist sense of how things occur is grounded in some general principles. These can be seen as core premises, that: all things are composed of natural substances and act in accordance...
John Muir was a naturalist who called out – Go to nature. Drink her soothing waters. And learn the lessons she has to teach. He felt that something in us needs this and responds to it, even if we may not recognize this need. Using the imagery of his times, he saw...
