Number of the records: 1  

Nature Worship: From Idolatry to Modern Paganism and Eco-Spirituality

  1. 1.
    SYSNO ASEP0558155
    Document TypeA - Abstract
    R&D Document TypeThe record was not marked in the RIV
    R&D Document TypeNení vybrán druh dokumentu
    TitleNature Worship: From Idolatry to Modern Paganism and Eco-Spirituality
    Author(s) Horák, Pavel (UEF-S) ORCID, RID
    Number of authors1
    ActionInternational Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society. The Common Grounds Research Network /12./
    Event date09.06.2022 - 10.06.2022
    VEvent locationUniversity of Córdoba, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Córdoba
    CountryES - Spain
    Event typeWRD
    Languageeng - English
    CountryES - Spain
    Keywordsnature worship ; paganism ; history of religion ; ecology ; indigenous religion
    Subject RIVAC - Archeology, Anthropology, Ethnology
    OECD categoryAntropology, ethnology
    R&D ProjectsEF18_053/0017842 GA MŠMT - Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS)
    Institutional supportUEF-S - RVO:68378076
    AnnotationHow to make sense of contemporary nature- or eco-spiritualities and nature revering currents like modern Paganism or the new animism? The paper addresses the human relation to nature on the example of its worship as a peculiar topic within European religious history. The methodology involves comparing the ethnographical data from my fieldwork among modern Pagans in Europe between 2014–2017 with the history of ideas perspective and analysis of primary and secondary literature on nature worship. The paper explores nature worship topos as an idolatrous act in early Christianity. It analyses its later transformations throughout the Enlightenment, Romantic period, the rise of modern sciences in the 19th century until the utilization of this concept by various New Age, Pagan, or eco-spiritual or animistic movements in the 20th- and 21st-century. Next, it juxtaposes the historical analysis with fieldwork data focusing on the modern Pagan understanding of nature reverence or worship. It addresses the immanent notion of the divine as a way of challenging the Christian, transcendental notion of the divine. The paper argues that despite alternative religions like modern Paganism opposing Christianity, the Christian topoi of nature worship still shapes beliefs and practices within these religions. In conclusion, the paper offers conceptual tools to understand nature worship and human-nature relations. Also, it brings attention to possible Christian lenses in the way we understand human-nature relations in currently very popular indigenous or pre- or non-Christian ontologies.
    WorkplaceInstitute of Ethnology
    ContactVeronika Novotná, novotna@eu.cas.cz, Tel.: 532 290 277
    Year of Publishing2023
Number of the records: 1  

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