Tenets of Religious Naturalism As students and adherents of Religious Naturalism, we:   perceive value in all forms of being Everything in existence has a function and is interconnected to and dependent on the rest of existence. We appreciation and revere this web of all phenomena and beings of which we are a part.   use science and reason to understand our being Truth and meaning are obtained by free and responsible inquiry. We accept as truth the evidence substantiated by scientific methods and reject fundamentist versions of supernaturalism, superstition, and magical thinking. We are compatible with the concept of natural causality.   adhere to a shared scientific ethic We are an imaginative Big Tent community with the ethic to strive for consensus, but allow and even encourage diverse perceptions supported by rational thought and evidence that may lead to more open and enlightened insights.   engage our emotional spirit to enhance our being Emotions underlie how people feel about living. Spirituality is a subjective response to a person's appraisal of that being. We are religious in that spirituality. Our sense of beauty provides us with insights into Nature and the human arts.   honor and protect the Earth for producing our being Earth is our creator. It is our home. We respect this and have concern for its well-being and the well-being of all its creatures.   utilize the common ethics of humankind to guide our being Morality is a product of human societies, where moral principles of great value are articulated in the tenets of traditional religions. Common sense, laws and ethics are necessary for individuals to live together. Tolerance, compassion and understanding are needed to make these work. We reject racism, sexism and injustice and advocate peace and liberty for all.   employ self-responsibility/direction to chart our future being Humanity is a composite of its individuals. It rises as its parts do. The future is destined by what is done now. We will be responsible individuals who control our being to insure a bountiful, elevated, tomorrow for ourselves and future generations, and for the future of non-human beings with which we share the planet.   strive for the well-being of all creatures, including humans. Doing so is being intelligent. Caring to do so is being human.   recognize the need for an integration of all levels of explanation and a consilience of the best of human knowledge Humanity can continue to be competing tribes or elect to pursue a united oneness. Emerging problems make coming together imperative. We are working to do that.   do not impose our philosophy on others; rather we share its beauty with those who wish to experience it. We exchange our own unique individual interpretations of our being to help enrich others. We advance our outlook with purpose, dignity and intellectual integrity. We listen and respect the traditional religious language of others and translate it into our own more naturalistic frames and visualizations.   accept and respect a naturalistic reinterpretation of supernaturalism as a kindred viewpoint There are many flavors of deity and ways of defining a God, and those who see a godliness in Nature are sensing there the same sacredness as we do. Likewise there are other naturalistic worldviews that are similar to and compatible with our interpretations.   see existence, with all of its mysteries, as an ineffable spiritual domain that requires no justification or explanation other than its own being The Universe and its awesome processes have evolved by and are understandable by its own innate laws.   profess a credo of continuation Affirm an imperative that life, in all its splendid diversity, continues to flourish and evolve.   allow our human emotions to augment our rationality in interpreting, understanding and appreciating all that is We are fortunately capable of seeing the beauty in Nature, loving that which is, drinking it in, eating its substance and grasping its significance. The ecology of Mother Earth is important enough to us that a separate page is provided herein to state our resolves concerning it. - Ecology   Acknowledgment of these tenets does not make one an RN nor does disavowal mean one is not a RN. They are stated here to indicate the manner and content of thinking characteristic of many Religious Naturalists.