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Religious Naturalism Part 1: Ontology & Orientation

November 10 @ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Religious Naturalism (RN) is an emergent philosophical and theological movement informed by science and inspired by ancient wisdom. Its spiritual forebears include names such as Lao-Tzu, Lucretius, Baruch Spinoza, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Albert Einstein, who famously said that “science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.”

The contemporary theorists and theologians of RN connect reverence for the sacred, or the divine, with the natural universe in ways both pragmatic and profound, offering novel and compelling possibilities for liberal religion. With a growing body of literature that has proliferated in the past several decades, these cell biologists, seminary professors, complexity theorists, ecologists, and “evolutionary evangelists” have shaped a unique approach to Creativity, God(s), theism/atheism, and humanity’s place in a changing universe.

In this three-part introduction, we’ll consider key ideas, some history and salient sources, and the emerging practices and possibilities of Religious Naturalism. Because the goal is an overview rather than a deeper study, we’ll use short text excerpts as well as a variety of video and audio resources. No reading in advance is needed.

Sources include: Ursula GoodenoughThomas BerryStuart KauffmanA. Powell DaviesJohn DeweyMichael Dowd & Connie BarlowBrian SwimmeKendyl GibbonsDavid ChristianJoseph Campbell and others.

Please contact AdultRE@uusm.org to RSVP.

Details

Date:
November 10
Time:
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Series:
Event Categories:
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Organizer

James Witker

Venue

Forbes Hall
1260 18th Street
Santa Monica, CA 90404 United States
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Phone
(310) 829-5436

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