science

Religious naturalism

Religious naturalism is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Religious naturalism rather than just read about it. In short: Religious naturalism is a framework for religious orientation in which a naturalist worldview is used to respond to types of questions and aspirations that are parts of many religions. It has been described as "a perspective that finds religious meaning in the natural world." Religious naturalism can be considered intellectually as a philosophy and it can be embraced as a part of, or as the focus of, a personal reli…

Key takeaways

Religious naturalism belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Religious naturalism to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Religious naturalism from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Religious naturalism is a framework for religious orientation in which a naturalist worldview is used to respond to types of questions and aspirations that are parts of many religions. It has been described as "a perspective that finds religious meaning in the natural world." Religious naturalism can be considered intellectually as a philosophy and it can be embraced as a part of, or as the focus of, a personal religious orientation. Advocates have stated that it can be a significant option for people who are unable to embrace religious traditions in which supernatural presences or events play prominent roles, and that it provides "a deeply spiritual and inspiring religious vision" that is particularly relevant in a time of ecological crisis.

Overview

Naturalism Naturalism is the view that the natural world is all that exists, and that its constituents, principles, and relationships are the sole reality. All that occurs is seen as being due to natural processes, with nothing supernatural involved. As Sean Carroll has put it:

Naturalism comes down to three things: There is only one world, the natural world. The world evolves according to unbroken patterns, the laws of nature. The only reliable way of learning about the world is by observing it. Essentially, naturalism is the idea that the world revealed to us by scientific investigation is the one true world. In religious naturalism, a naturalist view (as described above) defines the bounds of what can be believed as being possible or real. As this does not include a view of a personal god who may cause specific actions or miracles, or of a soul that may live on after death, religious naturalists draw from what can be learned about the workings of the natural world as they try to understand why things happen as they do, and for perspectives that can help to determine what is right or good (and why) and what we might aspire to and do.

Religious

When the term religious is used with respect to religious naturalism, it is understood in a general way—separate from the beliefs or practices of specific established religions, but including types of questions, aspirations, values, attitudes, feelings, and practices that are parts of many religious traditions. It can include:

interpretive, spiritual, and moral responses to questions about how things are and which things matter, beliefs, practices, and ethics that orient people to "the big picture" (including our place in relation to a vast and ancient cosmos and other people and forms of life), and pursuit of "high-minded goals" (such as truth, wisdom, fulfillment, serenity, self-understanding, justice, and a meaningful life). As Jerome Stone put it, "One way of getting at what we mean by religion is that it is our attempt to make sense of our lives and behave appropriately within the total scheme of things." When discussing distinctions between religious naturalists and non-religious (nonspiritual) naturalists, Loyal Rue said: "I regard a religious or spiritual person to be one who takes ultimate concerns to heart." He noted that, while "plain old" naturalists share similar views about what may occur in the world, those who describe themselves as religious naturalists take nature more "to heart", in seeing it as vitally important, and as something that they may respond to on a deeply personal level.

Shared principles The main principle of religious naturalism is that a naturalist worldview can serve as a foundation for religious orientation. Shared principles related to naturalism include views that:

the best way to understand natural processes is through methods of science; where scientists observe, test, and draw conclusions from what is seen and non-scientists learn from what scientists have described; for some topics, such as questions of purpose, meaning, morality, and emotional or spiritual responses, science may be of limited value and perspectives from psychology, philosophy, literature, and related disciplines, plus art, myth, and use of symbols, can contribute to understanding; and due to limits in human knowledge, some things are currently not well-understood, and some things may never be known. Shared principles related to having nature as a focus of religious orientation include the view that nature is of ultimate importance—as the forces and ordered processes that enable our lives, and all of life, and that cause all things to be are as they are. As such, nature can prompt religious responses, which can vary for each person and can include:

a sense of amazement or awe – at the wonder of our lives and our world, and the beauty, order, and power that can be seen in nature, appreciation or gratitude – for the gift of life, and opportunities for fulfillment that can come with this, a sense of humility, in seeing ourselves as small and fleeting parts of a vast and ancient cosmos, an attitude of acceptance (or appreciation) of mystery, where learning to become comfortable with the fact that some things are unable to be known can contribute to peace of mind, and reverence – in viewing the natural world as sacred (worthy of religious veneration). Nature is not "worshipped", in the sense of reverent devotion to a deity. Instead, the natural world is respected as a primary source of truth—as it expresses and illustrates the varied principles of nature that enable life and may contribute to well-being. With this, learning about nature, including human nature (via both academic and artistic resources and direct personal experiences), is seen as valuable—as it can provide an informed base of understanding of how things are and why things happen as they do, expand awareness and appreciation of the interdependence among all things, prompt an emotional or spiritual sense of connection with other people and forms of life in all of nature, and serve as a point of reference for considering and responding to moral and religious questions and life challenges.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Religious naturalism: All living beings are interrelated and interdependent. — All living beings are interrelated and interdependent.

Religious naturalism: Lao Tzu, traditionally the author of the Tao Te Ching — Lao Tzu, traditionally the author of the Tao Te Ching

Religious naturalism: Jerome A. Stone — Jerome A. Stone

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Religious naturalism

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Religious naturalism claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Religious naturalism before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Religious naturalism ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Religious naturalism

In research: Religious naturalism appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Religious naturalism in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Religious naturalism is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Religion and government, Religion and politics, Religious naturalism, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Religious naturalism outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Religious naturalism in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Religious naturalism means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Religious naturalism out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Religious naturalism in simple terms?

Why does Religious naturalism matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Religious naturalism?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Religious naturalism.