Tenets of Religious Naturalism

Religious naturalism is not associated with any stated beliefs that all religious naturalists affirm. Instead, in more general or personal ways, in addition to holding a naturalist worldview, most religious naturalists:

Respect religion – as a realm that considers important life questions (including purpose, meaning, coping with mortality, etc.) and shows ways of responding to things in our world that are not well-understood, and promotes values, community, and ways of seeking well-being, and as something that can be a valued part of personal experience. Feel that a religious sense can be grounded in an understanding of, and appreciating and caring about, the natural world – (which can include a view of Nature as being both practically and spiritually Ultimate – as processes and principles due to which all things are as they are, and why things happen as they do). Look to nature as a point of reference for considering values – and with this see survival and well-being as values, and relationships and interdependence as central to life.

Recognize challenges:

• to individuals (in maintaining well-being),
• among groups (in co-existence), and 
• with respect to natural ecosystems (in considering and achieving maintaining sustainable balance).

Recognize aspects of human nature as a cause of many problems,
and look to aspects of human intelligence and capability to try to work toward solutions.With this sense of what is, some goals and values include:

• seeking knowledge and understanding,
  emotional responses to the mystery and wonders of the world,
  attitudes of humility, compassion, appreciation, cooperation, and respect, and
  efforts toward self-awareness, kindness, and social and ecologic balance.

In addition, as part of a naturalist worldview, religious naturalists:

regard the scientific story of how the cosmos and life on Earth came to be as the best currently available explanation:

(beginning with a massive expansion of energy, “the Big Bang”,
and leading to emergence of stars, galaxies, our solar system, and life on Earth,
and evolution of life that, over time, led to humans and all forms of life that exist today);

and many see this way of understanding who and what we are as something that can potentially be recognized by and, with this shared view could potentially help to unite,
people in all cultures around the world.