The Sacred Universe: Earth, Spirituality, and Religion in the Twenty-first CenturyA leading scholar, cultural historian, and Catholic priest who spent more than fifty years writing about our engagement with the Earth, Thomas Berry possessed prophetic insight into the rampant destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of species. In this book he makes a persuasive case for an interreligious dialogue that can better confront the environmental problems of the twenty-first century. These erudite and keenly sympathetic essays represent Berry's best work, covering such issues as human beings' modern alienation from nature and the possibilities of future, regenerative forms of religious experience. Asking that we create a new story of the universe and the emergence of the Earth within it, Berry resituates the human spirit within a sacred totality. |
Contents
Traditional Religion in the Modern World 1972 | 3 |
Religion in the Global Human Community 1975 | 18 |
Alienation 1974 | 35 |
Historical and Contemporary Spirituality 1975 | 49 |
The Spirituality of the Earth 1979 | 69 |
Religion in the Twentyfirst Century 1993 1996 | 80 |
Religion in the Ecozoic Era 1993 | 88 |
Its Religious Implications 1994 | 103 |
The Cosmology of Religions 1994 1998 | 117 |
An Ecologically Sensitive Spirituality 1996 | 129 |
The Universe as Divine Manifestation 2001 | 141 |
The Sacred Universe 1998 2001 | 152 |
Notes | 179 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
achieved alienation ancient anthropocentrism anthropology of religions aspect awakening awareness basic become Berry century Christian communion comprehensive concern Confucianism consciousness contemporary context cosmic cosmological creative cultural devastation dimensions divine E. O. Wilson Earth community earthly economic Ecozoic emergence ence entire especially established existence experience experienced exploitation expression fulfillment functioning future Gaia Gaia hypothesis gions global healing heavens Henry David Thoreau historical human community human condition humanist immense inner integral interior interpretation intimacy John Neihardt journey larger living forms manifestation manner Mencius modern world mystery natural world numinous ourselves period person Peter Raven physical planet Earth powers present primary primordial reality relation religions religious traditions René Descartes renewal rience rituals rivers role sacred community scientific scriptures sense sequence shaping simply social society spiritual spiritual disciplines spiritual traditions story studies sustain symbol technological things Thomas Berry tion transformation understanding universe vision Wang Yang-ming wonder