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Do you know how ancient monotheism evolved from nature religion?
Nature religion, most commonly understood as "religion of nature," is a religion in which gods, souls, spirits, and all supernatural objects are seen as part of nature, not separate from it. Conversely, it is also used in philosophy to describe aspects of certain religions that are believed to be knowable through logic and reason without reliance on divine revelation, such as the existence of the Unmoved Mover of the Universe. According to many scholars, natural religion is not only the basis of monotheistic religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, but is also distinct from them.
According to some scholars, some aspects of nature religion are present among all peoples, often in the form of shamanism and primitive beliefs, and are still practiced by tribes in many parts of the world.
Natural religion may include the following definitions: In modern homiletics, it is used to refer to a spontaneous religious experience that is common to all human beings. This idea can be traced back to the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle and laid the foundation for natural religion. In his hylomorphism, all things are composed of matter and form, and the form of each living thing is its soul, guiding and directing the process of its development.
Many nature religions believe that God is the "soul" of the universe.
Early monotheism had many naturalistic elements, with heaven and hell conceived as concrete spaces above and below the earth, and "salvation" expected to bring about the resurrection of the body. However, in the fourth century, Christians began to express concern about Jesus' failure to return and began to wonder what would happen to those who died before Christ's second coming. Under the leadership of Augustine, Christianity, influenced by Gnosticism and Neoplatonism, developed a new view of the soul, which believed that the soul could exist independently from the material world. The existence of human souls means that they survive death and, according to God's judgment, are transferred to an immaterial realm of heaven or hell, or a new realm for those who cannot be baptized - purgatory.
Another difference from monotheism is the Christian belief in miracles, in which gods are thought to be beings who intervene in history from outside of nature. Ancient Roman philosophers, and various later thinkers, objected that this would violate God’s own natural laws, so Christians had to more radically separate God from the natural universe to show this possibility. Judaism and Islam have similar Neoplatonic tendencies, viewing gods as beings acting in history, while natural religions view supernatural beings as part of the natural universe.
In modern times, one of the great attempts to scientificize religion can be traced back to American philosopher William James's The Varieties of Religious Experience. James believed that at the core of all religious experience was a personal, sometimes life-changing event in which one sensed the interconnectedness of all things. He wrote:
"To describe the religious life in a broad and popular sense, it consists in the belief in an invisible order with which our highest good lies."
Some aspects of natural religion (that is, religious truths that can be known by human reason alone) are found in different cultures, although these truths vary in completeness and degree. Some modern scientists, such as British biologist Rupert Sheldrake, believe that the new findings are consistent with Aristotle's view of the soul. He believed that forces such as magnetism, gravity, and quantum mechanics also indicated the existence of non-material forces in nature.
Whether from historical or modern research, it can be seen that there is a profound connection and evolution process between natural religion and monotheism. How do their concepts affect our religious beliefs today?
