Unitarian Reverend Kevin Carson describes the religious naturalist viewpoint, its history, and its growing appeal today. Posted with permission from Unitarian Universalist Church of Idaho Falls. The full church service may be viewed on their YouTube channel.

What if religion wasn’t about God but about each other? Religion is a divisive topic at best and the cause of war at worst. It has been used to control, dictate, punish and destroy people throughout the ages. Yet faith, it seems, is a critical aid in humankind’s individual and collective existence. The host of this interview has always believed that faith is an act of imagination where religion is an act of dogma. That’s why she was curious when Ursula Goodenough, Professor of Biology Emeritus, emailed a copy of her book, The Sacred Depths of Nature, suggesting she discuss “religious naturalism.” During the episode, Ursula introduces the topic as a grand story to unite humankind. Both go on to discuss humankind as a symbolic species, the necessity and beauty of symbolism, how humans evolve with symbolism, and how people can use story to anchor their existence. Then they discuss language and mindedness, consciousness and the brain, community and individuals, and the relationship between mystery and knowledge. Ursula also gives her insight into what separates religiosity, spirituality and religion.

See the video description in Part I, below.

Ursula Goodenough draws both a personal and grand understanding of mankind and our place on Earth in her book, The Sacred Depths of Nature. In this video, she talks about the second edition of the book which was originally published in 1998. Religious naturalism is a form of spirituality and philosophy that combines the ideas of naturalism—which holds that the natural world is all there is, and that everything can be explained through natural causes and laws—with a spiritual outlook that emphasizes people’s relationship to nature and the importance of ethical behavior. It is a way of understanding and relating to the world that sees nature as inherently valuable and meaningful, and that views actions that contribute to the flourishing of the natural world as moral and ethical. Unlike many forms of traditional religion, religious naturalism does not typically involve belief in supernatural entities or forces. Instead, it emphasizes the importance of scientific inquiry and rationality, while also recognizing the limits of human knowledge and understanding.

Dialogue with Ursula Goodenough, Professor of Biology Emerita at Washington University, and Carol Wayne White, Interim Director of the Griot Center (2022-23) and Professor of Philosophy of Religion, Bucknell University. Moderated by Mary Evelyn Tucker, Co-founder and Co-director of the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology.

This talk took place at Circular Congregational Church as part of their 2022 “Fall Lectures in Theology and Ethics” series. In it, Carol Wayne White discusses religious naturalism and its connection with wonder.

Loyal Rue, professor emeritus (philosophy and religion) at Luther College in Decorah Iowa, was interviewed in 2014 for his book, Nature Is Enough. This video was recorded in August 2014 at Loyal Rue’s cabin north of Decorah, Iowa. This is the fourth in a series of seven YouTube videos about Professor Rue’s five books.