Religious Naturalism
Taking Nature to HeartNaturalists and Religious Naturalists
Who are naturalists?
A naturalist is someone who believes that all things in our world occur due to natural processes, with nothing supernatural involved. This worldview, called naturalism, comes down to three things*:
1. There is only one world, the natural world, of which humans are a part.
2. The world operates and evolves in accordance to the laws of nature.
3. The most reliable way of learning about the world is to observe it.
Essentially, naturalism is the idea that the world revealed to us via science-based inquiry represents our current understanding of reality.
*Adapted from a quote by Sean Carroll
With this view, naturalists share a number of views about how things are in our world and why things happen as they do. These include seeing:
the origin of the cosmos, our solar system, and life on Earth as emerging over billions of years following a massive expansive of energy (“the Big Bang”), and
humans and all other species as having evolved from single celled forms of life,
and that all forms of life are:
- dependent on conditions on Earth (to provide atmosphere, soil, temperature, water, and other requirements for life) and also
- interdependent with other forms of life (as sources of food, and in contributing to healthy ecosystems).
* Note that, in addition to the description above, the term “naturalist” is also used to describe:
a person, such as a field biologist, who actively studies and is knowledgeable about processes in nature, and
an artist (often a writer or painter) whose works show things as they actually are
(vs. idealized, stylized, etc.)
Who are religious naturalists?
Religious Naturalists are people who have a naturalist worldview and are also interested in, and may be active in exploring, types of questions, values, aspirations, and/or practices that are associated with being spiritual or religious.
We respect aspects of established religious traditions; but do not believe in supernatural entities, claims of miracles, or the literal truth of all statements in Holy Books. Instead, we look to principles and expressions nature, including human nature, as a focus of religious attention, and feel that natural phenomena are capable of evoking religious responses, such as wonder and awe. In this we are open to, and may actively seek out, types of knowledge, insights, and feelings that can come in response to noticing and caring about the natural world.
- In recognizing beauty and the power in natural forces, we may be moved by a sense of wonder or awe at the intricate order that enables our lives and all of the varied forms of life in our world.
- In seeing ourselves as being part of this, we may feel a sense of belonging, and of shared roots and connection to other people and living things.
- And as we appreciate the varied ecosystems of our planet Earth as the conditions that enable and sustain these many forms of life, we may share a goal and a sense of purpose – in encouraging and contributing to efforts to preserve ongoing balance and well-being – to enable life on Earth to long continue and thrive.
With this, we:
- aspire to respond ethically to the amazing beauty and power of nature; we value life, and seek to act in ways that enable varied forms of life, in balance, to continue.
- consider what matters most in our lives, and try to act in ways that are good for ourselves, for our families and communities, and for our planet.
You are at the Religious Naturalism website.
To learn about and explore the Religious Naturalist Association, click the button below.