by Rev. Carie Johnsen
Last fall I had the opportunity to walk in the woods with a group of Maine naturalists. You know the type, the ones who venture off from the parking lots and side roads with magnifiers and binoculars around their neck. Unlike the thousands of hikers who arrive in Maine every year, you will not find this group scaling a mountain in record time. They are the ones who saunter through the forest marveling at the miracles and wonders of creation’s beauty and mystery. They are the ones who pause to ponder new growth protruding through the dense spring debris. They are the ones who encounter a mushroom pushing up from the forest floor and stop to consult the fungal expert to find out if it is edible. They are the ones who claim the day to be promising when the experienced bird watcher identifies every distinct song and points upwards into the treetops to marvel at the colors and sounds of our feathered friends. They are the ones who notice where the beaver has been busy gnawing at a tree in the thicket. They are the ones who experience the sacred and ponder the existence of God in the forest, the floral, the fauna and in the creatures that abound.
A day with a naturalist is a day in which one moves beyond the sacred texts and obedience to creeds, doctrine and dogma to discover the sacred story of a universe brilliantly unfolding in the DNA of each specimen and the laws of nature. The wonder and awe with which this group approaches the mysteries of creation are both inspiring and awakening. Their devotion to creation’s endless and diverse presence is evident in their penetrating gaze and endless wonder.
While the group I journeyed with that day, may not call themselves Religious Naturalist, it was clear to me their attention, curiosity and praise of the transcendent was no less passionate or reverential than the Christian or Jew or Muslim or Buddhist who approaches the sacred scriptures, stories, theologies and religious practices of their tradition.
Rev. Carie Johnsen has been serving as minister of the Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Augusta, ME since 2009. You will often find her roaming the halls of the Maine State House living out her call to create a more compassionate and just society through legislative ministry. She is co-chair of the Public Policy Committee for the Maine Council of Churches and a founding member of the Maine Unitarian Universalist State Advocacy Network. www.everydayordinarytheologies.com
