Anyone else love Nature?

[ShiningBecky]

I love nature. I was out today and sometimes I just get awestruck by the beauty of nature! I'm not trying to convert anyone, because why would I? but nature is so beautiful, to me it just screams that there is a creator or designer behind its majesty!

I don't really understand how the awesomeness of nature can be compared to the god found in christian doctrine, but I'd love to hear how!

More important, I'd love to hear from you guys who are also nature lovers! I know most christians are not fans of nature (it's an idol or something), but I love it. I never feel more at peace or spiritual than in nature, never in a church. How bout you?

 

[OnlyBelieve]

We love the beauty of nature. God made it for us to enjoy. We love to fish, hubby is a spearfisherman, and we just love been outdoors.
Why do you feel that nature doesn't represent God?

 

[Jane_the_Bane]

I don't see Nature as a mere scenic backdrop that's aesthetically pleasing. I AM an integral part of nature, and inextricably linked to its processes and cycles. The energy of the sun that warms everything, the oxygen that's produced by algae and plants, the very matter my body is composed of: to think of ourselves as intrinsically apart from nature can only lead to disaster - for ourselves, and for other species as well.

We act like spoiled children thrashing our toys, only to find that they cannot be reassembled once they're broken. Except that these "toys" are fundamentally important to our own well-being.

 

[Booko]

More important, I'd love to hear from you guys who are also nature lovers! I know most christians are not fans of nature (it's an idol or something), but I love it.

Um, honestly Becky the idea that nature is an idol of any sort is not one I ran across in a church. I think it was just yesterday I posted about our local Methodist church and their environmental efforts. They could've taken the millions and been really well off by selling a parcel of land, but they decided to work with local Master Gardeners (I'm one) and volunteers to turn it into a Wildlife Habitat and preserve these acres as greenspace everyone can enjoy.

I've heard rumours that some parts of Christianity previously interested in more political causes have, on account of the youth becoming adults, started to give more thought (and action) to the idea of being good stewards of the earth. I hope that catches on.

As for me, I'm kind of limited right now, but soon I hope to be putting out my spring plants. My yard is a registered Wildlife Habitat already, as I was the "2nd in command" (lol) in an effort to make our entire city the first registered Wildlife Habitat in the Southern U.S. I don't so much have a yard as a space designed to support butterflies and birds. I keep a few containers for some food that I grow -- mostly tomatoes and a few herbs.

I never feel more at peace or spiritual than in nature, never in a church. How bout you?

I feel that way in both, though early in my life I didn't feel it in church, but the congregation was having something of an internal war, so that isn't surprising.

We're not Christians, but it happens that one of the kids classes she teaches (musical theatre) uses a space in an Episcopalian cathedral here in town. Since our daughter doesn't drive yet I often have to be her chauffeur. Sometimes I do errands while she's at work, sometimes I sit in the more public areas of the church and read, and sometimes I use the chapel, which I do find peaceful.

lol but then I think I already said I have yet to find an Episcopalian I didn't like.

 

[awitch]

Sure, I do, too. But not in the tree-hugging-live-in-a-mud-house way, or the Bear-Grills-eat-whatever-crawls-by-while-I'm-stranded-in-the-middle-of-no-where way, or the extreme-sports-I'm-going-to-ski-off-Mt-Everest kind of way. I'd rather not spend much time in any extreme environment either, even if they are nice to look at.

None of it says anything about a creator to me.

I do like to learn about nature, and appreciate what the human cog does to the nature machine. And of course, my spiritual path highlights various natural themes.

 

[Booko]

We act like spoiled children thrashing our toys, only to find that they cannot be reassembled once they're broken. Except that these "toys" are fundamentally important to our own well-being.

And we destroy some of ourselves along the way. I'm one of the poster children for that and my daughter is not too far off.

If it weren't for supposedly woo-woo alternative medicine and a supportive husband with a good salaried job, I would've been dead probably 3 years ago at least, and we never would've met online some years ago.

We're only beginning to see the extent of the damage we've done by our unjust and uncaring way of building a technological society. It will take busting down the impediments to research put up by big money that wants to keep doing as it pleases, but eventually it will happen.

This is why I'm utterly dismayed by the prevalence in my country of people pretending like they know anything and are in a position to pooh pooh science, especially when they haven't bothered to dig up who's funding the lies they're being told to know them for the lies they are.

 

[Fuzzy]

I love nature, or Nature. Though I will admit that there have been times it's been a Stockholm Syndrome sort of love, especially during tornado and hurricane seasons.

 

[Arthra]

Shining Becky wrote:

"I don't really understand how the awesomeness of nature can be compared to the god found in christian doctrine, but I'd love to hear how!"

I'm not a Christian myself Becky but I think the God of Christians is the same God for Baha'is, Muslims and Jews and others...

Here are a few verses that may help you understand how the awesomeness of nature can be related to God...

"How all-encompassing are the wonders of His boundless grace! Behold how they have pervaded the whole of creation. Such is their virtue that not a single atom in the entire universe can be found which doth not declare the evidences of His might, which doth not glorify His holy Name, or is not expressive of the effulgent light of His unity."

~ Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 62

So perfect and comprehensive is His creation that no mind nor heart, however keen or pure, can ever grasp the nature of the most insignificant of His creatures; much less fathom the mystery of Him Who is the Day Star of Truth, Who is the invisible and unknowable Essence.

(Compilations, Baha'i World Faith, p. 29)

From literature:

“God is in the breeze and whispering leaves and we shall hear him.”

~ Thoreau

"If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown! But every night come out these envoys of beauty, and light the universe with their admonishing smile."

~ Emerson

 

[Humble Pie]

Where did you get the idea that we don't love nature?

 

[simonpeter]

Enjoying nature is fine. Worshiping it isn't. The creator alone is worthy of worship, not the creation.

 

[Theofane]

I love nature because it is a gift that no one but God could have given us. People try to take credit for a lot of things, but God made it all possible. I don't understand how some people can call themselves Christians and so completely forget about the whole "stewards of the earth" thing.

 

[awitch]

I love nature because it is a gift that no one but God could have given us. People try to take credit for a lot of things, but God made it all possible. I don't understand how some people can call themselves Christians and so completely forget about the whole "stewards of the earth" thing.

The justification I heard from Christians is usually one of the following:

Since Jesus is going to be returning any minute, we shouldn't have to worry about taking care of the environment.

God will provide so we don't have to worry about it.

But the most common reason is probably political propaganda. The Republicans are big on business and environmental protection costs a lot of money that cut into profits. Having a huge conservative Christian base, they take money from lobbyists and then justify it to the people by denying climate change and vilifying the EPA.

(Mix in the first two reasons and you suddenly have fears of a liberal army of communist tree worshipers who hate Christians)

 

[ShiningBecky]

My former church used to be anti-nature for the most. They would never recycle and when I asked them about it, they said, "The world's going to be destroyed anyway, so who cares about the planet?" I was like, That's responsible.

 

[ProScribe]

Nature (The Great Outdoors) indeed is beautiful, has a lot to offer and sights to see.

 

[xDenax]

My former church used to be anti-nature for the most. They would never recycle and when I asked them about it, they said, "The world's going to be destroyed anyway, so who cares about the planet?" I was like, That's responsible.

I've heard that but it seem to me it's getting less common. At any rate, that doesn't mean Christians don't like nature. I know plenty who do.

 

[dbcsf]

I love nature. I was out today and sometimes I just get awestruck by the beauty of nature! I'm not trying to convert anyone, because why would I? but nature is so beautiful, to me it just screams that there is a creator or designer behind its majesty!

I don't really understand how the awesomeness of nature can be compared to the god found in christian doctrine, but I'd love to hear how!

More important, I'd love to hear from you guys who are also nature lovers! I know most christians are not fans of nature (it's an idol or something), but I love it. I never feel more at peace or spiritual than in nature, never in a church. How bout you?

Absolutely love it. My wife and I go camping and hiking all the time. I agree, it is pretty awesome.

 

[pinkputter]

My former church used to be anti-nature for the most. They would never recycle and when I asked them about it, they said, "The world's going to be destroyed anyway, so who cares about the planet?" I was like, That's responsible.

In all kindness, you went to the wrong church!



OF COURSE we care about the planet. God gives it to us to not only enjoy, but to take care of it... how else are we supposed to enjoy it if it's all in disrepair?


I also think we should take 'Global warming' seriously. Not only that but we should listen to the planet so we know how to take care of it best.

Just bec the Bible explains there will be an eventual end to this planet and a creation of a new world, doesn't mean we should hurry the process along... at all! In fact, I'm sure there are scriptures in the Bible explaining how we ought to take care of God's creation. Genesis rings a bell.

As for enjoying creation. I love nature. I think it's wonderful you find peace and a connection with nature. Could it be that God is using this connection of His creation, nature, to speak to you in a spiritual way??

 

[xDenax]

As for enjoying creation. I love nature. I think it's wonderful you find peace and a connection with nature. Could it be that God is using this connection of His creation, nature, to speak to you in a spiritual way??

You might need to define wha tyou mean by speaking in a "scirputral way". I personally don't know what that means if we're talking about nature.

 

[Tobias]

Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.


I don't know when appreciating nature became an un-Christian spiritual experience.


Obviously there are some who may rightfully claim to appreciate nature more than Christians. We have Earth-based religions, where nature is revered as an expression of "God". In pantheism, Nature is God. With animism, nature is infused with spirits that indwell all the various parts of it. Witchcraft I would define is the art of tapping into the unseen powers that maintain balance in the fabric of nature. I suppose anyone who does this would have a deeper connection to nature than a Christian ever should.

Appreciating a sunset is not the same thing as "worshiping nature." In fact, the word "worship" has developed to mean the act of groveling unworthily at the feet of God. In which case, nobody worships nature! Reverence for various nature spirits might be the closest anyone gets to actual "nature worship". Or tree-huggers who abandon a normal life exert all their efforts into preserving nature.

Perhaps "nature worship" is more along the lines of idolatry in the way Christians typically think. We talk about people making idols out of their tv's, their jobs, homes, cars, sports, or even their spouse. In the same way, someone could easily make nature into an idol. If we give undue time, energy, and resources into a particular part of our life, then that can be thought of as a form of idolatry. And then for certain non-Christians who highly revere nature are doing this very thing!

 

[SanFrank]

I see G*d (thru Christ) expresses Himself and communicates the spiritual to us thru nature. G*d is everywhere in his creation.

- The good news is like seed; some falls on good soil, some not; some hear it, others do not. Look and study seed mechanics, wheat or corn sometime.

- The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. Starts out small but ends up the largest tree in the valley. Look and stare at a tree sometime.

- The Lord himself had to die comparing himself to a seed (as seeds are not living until planted, given water and sunlight) that is planted.

- The Lord is the root and offspring of David.

- "The first shall be last, and last first" Check out a tree that loses its foliage in the fall and later blooms in the spring. Tell me which leaves fall off first and which bud out first.

- How do sheep behave in the face of an enemy lion or wolf?

- Deer (all peoples of all religions) run in folds when being chased by a lion (devil); those meant to perish (certain peoples) are caught by the lion. Those that escape (christians) live on grazing and forget about the lost companion. A hard but true example of life found in nature.