The American Nature Religion (ritual, punishment, Earth, mystic, tradition)

[Booko]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

Do you think this is broadly correct?

Nature seems to have played a very important part in indigenous American religions, but that's not so different than many religions in other parts of the world.

Also, I would not rule out a role for revelation in indigenous American religions.

Do you think that nature reveals deity at least as much as any holy book or other sacred scripture?

Well, if holy scripture is to be believed the very rocks cry out the name of God, so I guess that means nature reveals deity at least as much, eh?

IF so, do you go a step further and assert that nature reveals deity better than any holy book or other sacred scripture?

It's a mixed bag.

Does nature inform and guide your values? Is it a source of values for you?

Preserving nature *is* a value. We only have one home, and we would do well not to pee in the middle of our living room carpet.

If you had to go some place for rejuvenation, would your first choice be a temple, mosque or church -- or the Great Outdoors?

It depends on what sort of rejuvenation I'm looking for. If it's to connect with humanity, a house of worship is the thing. If it's to commune with God as an individual, it's the Great Outdoors.

Do you think that the Pagan Movement is perhaps a case of the Great American Nature Religion meets British Wicca and the two decide to get married?

Or a resurgence of the Great British Nature Religion. People have always sought to connect to the Creator through the Creation, no matter what continent we're talking about. And since Creation reflects the attributes of the Creator, there's sense to that approach.

Last, is it true Mike182 has slept on more strange couches than any other RFer after his nights out clubbing?

The private dick I hired has given me a full report on the sofas Mike182 has reclined on, and may I say, the sofa upholstered with etoile scenes of nude skydiving scenes was at the top of the list of "strange" couches he's slept on.

[Ozzie]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

I have long suspected that Americans began evolving a nature religion almost from the days when the first colonists landed in North America and discovered to their incomprehension a natural world far more primeval and imposing than anything they had experienced in Europe.

Being Good Europeans Of the Time, they tried to tame it, but in the process of trying to tame it, Nature somehow became for many of them synonymous with holy scripture. That is, nature, as the handiwork of deity, was eventually seen by many Americans to reveal deity just as much as the bible or any other holy book.

That, in a nutshell, is how the Great American Nature Religion evolved.

Do you think this is broadly correct?

Do you think that nature reveals deity at least as much as any holy book or other sacred scripture?

IF so, do you go a step further and assert that nature reveals deity better than any holy book or other sacred scripture?

Does nature inform and guide your values? Is it a source of values for you?

If you had to go some place for rejuvenation, would your first choice be a temple, mosque or church -- or the Great Outdoors?

Do you think that the Pagan Movement is perhaps a case of the Great American Nature Religion meets British Wicca and the two decide to get married?

Last, is it true Mike182 has slept on more strange couches than any other RFer after his nights out clubbing?

How could the nature infuse colonist's Christianity like a teabag? Christianity has a notion of man as apart from nature hence the attempt to tame it. Do you think the nature part in comes more from awareness of indigenous American culture?

[painted wolf]

well my religion doesn't have any holy texts so yup... we get our revilations from "nature".

I'm not sure I agree with the "great american nature religion" so much. Americans still have a strong domination attitude with nature. Though naturally my ancestors faith had a lot of influence on "american religion".

wa:do

[Holly]

Holy Scripture or the Holy Bible is the primary source of revelation. Revelation can also be given through prophets.

[Sunstone]

Originally Posted by Ozzie

How could the nature infuse colonist's Christianity like a teabag? Christianity has a notion of man as apart from nature hence the attempt to tame it. Do you think the nature part in comes more from awareness of indigenous American culture?

I think an awareness of native American culture had some significant influence on it. I'm not sure how much. It's my unproven hunch that the experience of encountering "raw" nature itself had the greater influence.

[Sunstone]

Originally Posted by Holly

Holy Scripture or the Holy Bible is the primary source of revelation. Revelation can also be given through prophets.

The earliest Europeans on this continent would have agreed with you completely. But by the time of Thoreau, Nature has become not only a source of revelation, but in some rare cases, a synonym for God.

[doppelgänger]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

The earliest Europeans on this continent would have agreed with you completely. But by the time of Thoreau, Nature has become not only a source of revelation, but in some rare cases, a synonym for God.

Ever read Arne Ness's writings on Deep Ecology?