This interdisciplinary project will critically assess the implicit theological beliefs of those who eschew institutional religion in favor of nature-based spiritualities. It will investigate the extent to which nature-based spiritualities among the "spiritual but not religious" implicitly rely on traditional religious/theological concepts, even as they may wish to distance themselves from religion. The project will also consider how psychology can provide insight into the phenomenon of "nature spirituality" by studying the psychological mechanisms that contribute to humans having spiritual experiences in nature. An additional concern is to investigate the relationship between nature spirituality and care for the environment.
The project will draw from the psychological sciences, philosophies and theologies of nature, and first-person accounts of contemporary nature spiritualities. Activities will include study of relevant texts, hosting a workshop to engage other specialists, and collaboration with psychologists to collect data about practitioners of nature spirituality concentrated in "Wild Churches" using questionnaires, artistic tasks, and interviews.
Deliverables will include one publication in a peer-reviewed Theology journal, a co-authored publication with a psychologist (Synnevåg Løvoll) in a peer-reviewed Psychology journal, an article length articulation of the major findings of the project in a web-based or other popular publication outlet, and a draft of a popular-level book on theology and nature-based spirituality.
As affiliation with traditional religions continues to decline in the United States, it has become increasingly important to understand the ways in which US Americans continue to explore the human capacity for connection with the divine, even as it takes non-traditional forms. This project develops the first interdisciplinary examination of nature spirituality and ecological action among the "spiritual but not religious."
