“The New American Religions of Nature –a Compilation of 15 Essays”

An overview of contemporary Pagan movements by Wayne Martin Mellinger, PhD: This collection of essays explores the diversity and vitality of Nature Religions in North America, tracing their historical roots, cultural contexts, and contemporary expressions. By engaging with these traditions, we gain insight into the enduring appeal of nature as a sacred source of meaning … Read more“The New American Religions of Nature –a Compilation of 15 Essays”

“Cyborgs Need a Trustworthy Religion”

According to The Monastic Academy for the Preservation of Life on Earth: If compassionate and wise beings don’t create the religion of this age, others will. In recent years, religion has evolved more quickly than any other force on Earth. Powerful leaders are now publicly claiming things that would have seemed absurd ten years ago, … Read more“Cyborgs Need a Trustworthy Religion”

“The Land Where Elves Rule”

A short but fairly insightful BBC presentation on Iceland’s curious national attitudes towards its legendary huldufólk (“hidden people”), which seem to combine tourist attraction/the impulse to mess with tourists, sentimental respect for cultural tradition, a sense of national pride and symbolic respect for/fear of natural forces in a genuinely unpredictable landscape.

“The Man and the Monster”

Rüdiger Weida, a.k.a. Bruder Spaghettus explains his practice of Pastafarianism in this short, entertaining documentary by filmmaker Alex Alford: … when I actually met Rüdiger I discovered there was much more to his story than initially met the eye. As a student growing up in oppressive East Germany post-WWII, he fell in love with satire … Read more“The Man and the Monster”

Te Ātea and the Potentials of Civic Mythopoetics in New Zealand

Recently returned from a trip to New Zealand, where I was heartened and intrigued to note that traditional Māori cultural/spiritual symbolism is increasingly being incorporated into public space design. The photo above is of Te Ātea (“the Space”) on the Lake Taupo foreshore: There are a number of different elements that come together to form … Read moreTe Ātea and the Potentials of Civic Mythopoetics in New Zealand

The Church of Reality

The Church of Reality was founded in the late 1990s and promotes a rational religious philosophy expressed in the following tenets: Reality is our GodScience is our BibleEvidence is our ScriptureBig History is our Creation StoryEcology is our TheologyIntegrity is our SalvationPositive Evolution is our Mission Further: The Church of Reality is Religion 3.0. Religion … Read moreThe Church of Reality