We seek renewed reverence for the biosphere as
the ultimate context for human existence....
We seek renewed reverence for the biosphere as
the ultimate context for human existence....
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Living in contemporary America, it is difficult for non-traditional religious adherents to find ways of expressing their faith that will meet not only their own need, but also meet the concerns that the general public must have. In an era where strange "cults" abound, too often with a frightening propensity for mind-warping, personality exploitation, and violence, Pantheists need ways to assert their faith yet avoid being labeled as "cultist." The American Buddhist Church has found one way to better assimilate its beliefs into our society: a typical congregation may use many of the forms of American Protestant or Catholic church services, yet retaining Buddhist ideology. For example, the congregation may sing hymns, recite responsive readings, and have formal sermons. Yet, while the subject matter of such activities remains Buddhist, the form may occasionally be counter-productive to true Buddhist ideals. For example, it is impossible to really have any form of "public prayer" within Buddhism since there is no deity in Buddhism, and in fact "supplication" as an idea is simply antagonistic to Buddhist beliefs. Yet, adopting some of the forms of conventional American religiosity has helped the American Buddhist Church maintain a large membership, and has prevented it from being derided as a "cult" which so frequently happens to other "religious" groups based on Eastern religions. Some Pantheists have likewise adopted the forms of traditional Christian worship patterns. It is not difficult to think of a few appropriate songs which can be sung as Pantheist "hymns", or to find suitable quotations from Pantheist literary figures which could be used for "responsive readings." Nonetheless, most Pantheists carry out their faith in a more solitary manner. It is in this fact that should prevent Pantheism from either becoming or appearing to be a "cult." The most common characteristics of all of the current cults which frighten us so is a total immersion in the cult group, with a total restriction on soliltude. But it is perhaps unavoidable for a Pantheist to worship in solitude, for only by being alone can one fully experience the omnipresence of deity throughout the Universe, which is our fundamental tenet. Because of our strong emphasis on individualism, we are more likely to err in the direction of behaving in conventional (ie., American-Christian) ways rather than in "cultist" ways. In fact, it is possible that in an effort to "validate" our faith, we have adopted methodologies of religious worhsip from the Judeo-Christian heritage which do not really "fit" into the Pantheist world-view. For example, in a number of Universal Pantheist Society publications, it has been suggested that many Pantheists celebrate certain dates as commemorative religious holidays. It is easy to analogize from Judeo-Christian practices of celebrating specific "feast days" to such supposed Pantheist "holidays" as John Muir's birthday on April 21, or a Species Requiem day on September 1 (commemorating the date of death of the last Passenger Pigeon). But are celebrating such commemorative dates truly Pantheist? Although I personally enjoy commemorating such days, I fear that enjoyment derives more from my Christian upbringing than my adult adherence to Pantheist principles. A little comparative religion study serves us well in this situation. The American Indian religions are devoid of "holy days." The commemorating of events by means of annual dates re-occurring on the calendar is meaningless to them. After all, while cycles may exist, it is better to be alert to the ever present "now" than to arbitrarily assign significance to a particular date for purely historical purposes. The American Indian approach is to commemorate places rather than dates - places where significant events took place. While such commemoration of place may include events of tribal historical significance, it may also include personal religious experiences, and this last in a way that sounds remarkably Pantheist. Every Native American who in youth engages in a Vision Quest is likely to return to the same spot in the future for other religious ceremonies and for personal worship. Such locales are invariably in what we call "Wilderness". For Pantheists, the attribution of holiness and reverence to particular locales which remain in a wilderness condition may be more meaningful than substituting particular "holidays." The celebration of wildness, in terms of place, is clearly far closer to recognizing God-in-Nature than the celebration of human birth dates or other historical events. But, perhaps the celebration of the equinoxes and solstices by Pantheists does make sense, because they are actually occurring events which aid us in our recognition of our relationship with he rest of the Universe, unlike mere dates which merely commemorate past events. But even here, it seems that an emphasis on the celebration of the Winter Solstice for many of us is seen merely as a substitution for Christmas (in spite of the fact that we know historically it was actually the reverse!). As such, it is a way to validate our religion to non-Pantheists around us by virtue of our having our "own" religious holiday in December. But imitation merely for such purposes does not assure a meaningful religious worship experience. Religious experience for Pantheists is simply more likely to occur during times of our personal immersion in Nature - physically and mentally - rather than merely because the date on the calendar (which is itself derived from non-pantheist religion) reflects a certain anniversary or astronomical event. We should, therefore, be cautious in placing undue reliance on religious "holidays" as a validation of our faith. - Harold Wood |
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