The role of nature and a coming shift
Nature is central to a Pagan belief structure. The respect and acknowledgement of nature is what sets Paganism apart from most of the other world's religions. But, why is nature important?
Nature's importance lies in the fact that--it's where we come from. All life--big, small, man, animal, tree, rock--comes from nature and is of nature. This is a fact that many religions would have you overlook. Christianity turns to the Bible for evidence to support this:
"Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground" (Genesis 1:28 NIV).
The use of this verse has greatly disturbed me from time to time. When did man get the notion in his head that he was somehow better than the rest of creation? By claiming to be better, man has created a false divivsion between himself and the web of life.
The good thing is that, no matter how hard this connection is denied, man will never be ignored by nature. The bad thing is that, if mankind doesn't redress its relationship to nature, nature will strike back to reestablish balance.
Paganism's reverence for nature has affected another faith that is a very important part of my life--Unitarian Universalism. I want to delve more into the Unitarian Universalist tradition in the coming weeks for many reasons: one personal and one general. My general reason is that Unitarian Universalism is a movement that it seems everyone has heard of but almost no one knows what it's about.
My personal reason for wanting to discuss Unitarian Universalism is that, over Spring Break, I've reached a point where I am starting to identify more with UUism. Because of this, I feel the need to refamiliarize myself with its history and roots. In doing so, I hope that I can share insights and knowledge with others so that they can come to understand more about this spiritual movement.
Nature's importance lies in the fact that--it's where we come from. All life--big, small, man, animal, tree, rock--comes from nature and is of nature. This is a fact that many religions would have you overlook. Christianity turns to the Bible for evidence to support this:
"Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground" (Genesis 1:28 NIV).
The use of this verse has greatly disturbed me from time to time. When did man get the notion in his head that he was somehow better than the rest of creation? By claiming to be better, man has created a false divivsion between himself and the web of life.
The good thing is that, no matter how hard this connection is denied, man will never be ignored by nature. The bad thing is that, if mankind doesn't redress its relationship to nature, nature will strike back to reestablish balance.
Paganism's reverence for nature has affected another faith that is a very important part of my life--Unitarian Universalism. I want to delve more into the Unitarian Universalist tradition in the coming weeks for many reasons: one personal and one general. My general reason is that Unitarian Universalism is a movement that it seems everyone has heard of but almost no one knows what it's about.
My personal reason for wanting to discuss Unitarian Universalism is that, over Spring Break, I've reached a point where I am starting to identify more with UUism. Because of this, I feel the need to refamiliarize myself with its history and roots. In doing so, I hope that I can share insights and knowledge with others so that they can come to understand more about this spiritual movement.
posted by Joey at 8:09 PM
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