Natural religion

Natural religion most frequently means the "religion of nature", in which God, the soul, spirits, and all objects of the supernatural are considered as part of nature and not separate from it. Conversely, it is also used in philosophy, specifically Roman Catholic philosophy, to describe some aspects of religion that are knowable apart from divine revelation (see Deism).

Most authors consider natural religion as not only the foundation of monotheistic religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam but also distinct from them. Natural religion is found universally among all peoples, often in such forms of shamanism and animism. They are still practiced in many parts of the world. The religions of Native American societies for example are considered natural religions.

Natural religion might have the following meanings:

The basic tenets of natural religion were outlined by Aristotle, whose hylomorphism considered all things as made of matter and form. The form of all living things is the soul, which guides and directs their development. Many natural religions consider God as the "soul of the universe." Most authors today consider these basic tenets of natural religion as rational. Although not set proven with empirical evidence, they present a non-material explanation for life, the mind, and the apparent purposefulness of nature, which modern science so far has been unable to explain.

Early monotheism had many naturalistic elements. Heaven and hell were considered physical places above and below the earth. "Salvation" was considered resurrection of the body.

In the fourth century, Christians were concerned that Jesus had not returned and wondered what happened to those who died before the Second Coming of Christ. Christians, led by Augustine of Hippo and under the influence of both gnosticism and neoplatonism, developed a new belief in the soul as capable of a separate existence abstract from the material world. The human souls, unlike those of animals, would survive death and, depending on God's judgment, be transferred to the non-material realms of heaven or hell and the new realm of limbo for unbaptized persons and purgatory for those who do not deserve hell but are not purified for heaven..

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