Why you might like Scientific Pantheism

Atheism and agnosticism are great as starting points, but each defines itself negatively, in relation to a belief in "God" that it denies or doubts. Scientific pantheism moves beyond "God" and defines itself by positives. We take Nature and the Universe as our start and finish point, not some religions' preconceived idea of “God.” We relate closely to some of the central challenges of our era. At a time when the balance of our Earth is under unprecedented threat, scientific pantheism is one of the few forms of spirituality in which Nature plays a fundamental part. For us, Nature is a source of peace and beauty, as well as the focus for our care and vigilance. Nature was not created for us to use or abuse. Nature created us, we are an inseparable part of her. We have a duty to live sustainably, care for Nature and to halt and reverse the harm that humans have done to her. Scientific pantheism is the only form of spirituality we know of which fully embraces science as part of the human exploration of Earth and Cosmos. It embraces the picture of a vast, creative and often violent Universe revealed by the Hubble Space Telescope. It opposes climate change denial and evolution denial. We regard stargazing as a spiritual practice. Scientific pantheism has a joyous affirmative approach to life. It has a healthy and positive attitude to sex and life in the body. We won’t tell you what you should be smoking, or doing in the bedroom. We fully accept diverse gender choices, and we oppose all forms of discrimination.

Basic Principles

- Reverence, awe, wonder and a feeling of belonging to Nature and the wider Universe .

- Respect and active care for the rights of all humans and other living beings.

- Celebration of our lives in our bodies on this beautiful earth as a joy and a privilege.

- Strong naturalism – without belief in supernatural realms, afterlives, beings or forces.

- Respect for reason, evidence and the scientific method as our best ways of understanding nature and the - Cosmos.

- Promotion of non-discrimination, religious tolerance, freedom of and from religion and complete separation of state and religion.

The ministers at The Sunrise Ministries of Delaware are spiritual but not religious. We don’t have churches, priests, or prescribed dogma and rituals. But we do aim to provide a “home base” for people who love Nature and the Universe and do not believe in supernatural entities.