This page serves as an open forum, with a range of views from religious naturalists. Each gives individual thoughts on what religious naturalism is, or what it means, or how it can be practiced, discussed, considered, or enjoyed.
 
Tammerie Day – Religious in Nature
The sky of South Texas domed a flat land, smoothed by ancient ocean tides, scoured by hurricanes and floods, stretching from horizon to horizon. That sky was my first invitation to openness, space, wonder. . . .  (continue reading)

,

Riccardo Cravero – What makes RN appealing to me

 

I think that what makes RN appealing to me is the fact that a naturalist worldview can account for pain, suffering and evil and explain them as part of our lives and equally real, instead of just considering them some kind of accidental defect of an otherwise perfect world . . . (continue reading)

Paul Martin – Becoming Aware of Religious Naturalism

 . . . I hope that more of us who harbor expansive religious sensibilities, large ethical concerns and a respect for scientific knowledge become aware of religious naturalism as a movement with the potential to unite progressives from every walk of life in the absolute and yet enlightened commitment designated by pairing the words religious and naturalism.   (continue reading . . .)

Marshall Lewis – The Atheistic Religious Naturalism of Goodenough, Crosby and Rue

In our scientific age, traditional religions no longer work for many people – particularly those who reject religion because they reject the idea of ‘God’. Religious naturalism is an approach that takes many forms, some of which are entirely atheistic, without any consideration of ‘God’ or anything supernatural. Religious naturalism is often, by design, entirely consistent with our scientific age.   (continue reading . . .)

Michael Barrett – Religious Naturalism: An Idea Whose Time Has Come

This paper advances the proposition that religious naturalism is a big idea whose time has come. Not a new idea – its roots go back to thinkers of the ancient world – but an idea reborn in the light of modern science.   (continue reading . . .)

Roger Gillette – A Religion and Ethics for the Age of Science: Religious Naturalism (ARFTAOS)

We can develop a religion and ethics for the current scientific age . . .  (continue reading . . .)

Gene Troxell – Creativity

The major reason I regard the cosmos as worthy of human reverence is because it contains or exhibits characteristics that I used to associate with God when I was a traditional Christian Theist.  Those characteristics are creativity and mystery.  First to Creativity! .   (continue reading . . .)

V.V. Raman – My ten principles of religious naturalism

1. To regard the variety and range of the world around as manifestations of Nature and her laws: This to me is the philosophical perspective of Religious Naturalism.
2. Not just to observe and explain, but to revel in the manifestations of the Natural World: This to me is the experiential aspect of Religious Naturalism.   (continue reading . . .)

Michael Cavanaugh – The adjective “religious” in religious naturalism

So what are the “religious” impulses that make me call myself a Religious Naturalist? There are many, . . . but here are seven impulses I consider religious impulses, which require a modifier for my basic naturalism. . .  (continue reading . . .)

V.V. Raman – A RN Invocation

We pay homage to the wonder and splendor of Nature whose inexorable laws sustain the universe, from the minutest to the most magnificent.
We pay homage to Nature whose magic of chemistry gave rise to the first palpitations of life on this our planet, and continues to foster life on the planet.  (continue reading . . .)

Gene Troxell – We need to appreciate what we are and what we are parts of

I like to try to imagine the impossible scenario of a large group of scientists observing the Big Bang . . . . Then I like to imagine one of the scientists saying to another: You know, eventually that stuff will understand what it is doing and become capable of appreciating what it is.   (continue reading . . .)