Religious Naturalism
Taking Nature to HeartGlobal Issues
The Interconnected Nature of Global Issues
Population Growth • Climate Change • Pollution • Social Inequities • Pandemics
The problems facing the world today are many and varied. Each one urgently needing attention. But these issues do not exist independently.
Religious Naturalists understand the interdependence of things and situations. The Global issues we see in the world today have arisen from the complex interplay of many factors. Moreover, once established as ongoing processes they become interconnected with one another. The religious naturalist realizes that work done to stabilize or reduce population growth should not be taken if it would involve any kind of social injustice. Production of materials meant to aid in the control of a pandemic should not produce emissions that might contribute to accelerating climate change or result in an accumulation of waste materials.
From a religious naturalist’s point of view actions taken to deal with global issues should be planned with an eye on their impacts in the wider world. The importance of religious naturalism’s recognition that all things exist interdependently cannot be overstated. It is important in understanding how our global problems arose in the first place as well as pointing a way forward. It is this interdependent perspective that religious naturalism brings to the table. This worldview can serve as an essential foundation for initiatives undertaken with the hope of resolving global issues.