A New Clarification About Ozarks Church of Nature
Apparently I need to update the update. 😂 Some of you may remember a post I made not very long ago explaining that Ozarks Church of Nature was a sanctuary, garden, and community space, but was not affiliated with a religion or spiritual organization.
That was completely true when I wrote it. And then…things grew. oops….
Ozarks Church of Nature has since formally become an independent, nature-centered interfaith church and spiritual community, while continuing to be the sanctuary, gardens, educational space, community space, and home of The Herbal-Tique that many of you already know.
We are not affiliated with any denomination, political party, or outside religious or spiritual organization. And because the word church can carry a lot of assumptions, I want to explain what it means here.
Nobody is required to believe anything. Truly. I do not personally claim certainty about any religion myself.
I find beauty, wisdom, history, symbolism, teachings, and meaningful practices in many different religious and spiritual traditions, but I do not claim that any one of them gives me the absolute and unquestionable explanation of God, the Divine, existence, or what happens beyond what we can actually know.
Most of what I trust comes from my own lived experiences. And I am humble enough to admit that even my interpretation of those experiences might be wrong. 😂
“I don’t know” is a perfectly acceptable answer here.
You can believe in God. You can believe in many gods. You can believe in no God. You can understand the Divine through Nature. You can belong to a particular religion. You can be spiritual without being religious. You can question all of it. You can believe none of it. AND you can still sit at the table with us!
Interfaith does not mean everyone here must believe every religion is true.
It means people with very different religious, spiritual, philosophical, and life perspectives can share the same community without being required to surrender their own conscience.
Nobody is required to believe what I believe. Nobody is required to abandon what they believe. Nobody needs a spiritual password to walk through the door. 😂
One thing that has also changed since my earlier post is my thinking about the idea that people should “leave their differences at the door.” I don’t believe that anymore. Bring your differences.
- Bring your questions.
- Bring your traditions.
- Bring your uncertainty.
- Bring your experiences.
- Bring your different ideas about God, Nature, spirituality, science, religion, philosophy, and life.
We do not have to agree. In fact, I believe people can disagree deeply about theology and still sit at the same table, serve the same community, care for the same Earth, feed the same hungry person, and treat one another with dignity.
What matters here is not forced agreement. The boundaries are about behavior, not belief.
To protect the peace and safety of the sanctuary, we do not permit harassment, intimidation, threats, personal attacks, unwanted attempts to convert other people, hostile political campaigning or arguments that disrupt the sanctuary, discrimination, or disrespect toward visitors, residents, animals, gardens, buildings, or the land.
Respectful conversation, questions, disagreement, and exchange of ideas are welcome. What matters much more to me than what label someone chooses is what we do with the life in front of us:
- How do we treat one another?
- How do we care for the Earth?
- What do we do when someone is hungry?
- What do we do when someone needs help?
Can we listen? Can we learn? Can we disagree without trying to control one another? Can we give another person the same freedom of conscience that we want for ourselves?
Ozarks Church of Nature is not intended to be a church of certainty. It is a place where people are free to wonder, and perhaps wander.
Come enjoy the gardens. Learn about herbs. Attend a gathering or class. Browse The Herbal-Tique. Help with a project. Share a meal. Sit beneath a tree. Have a conversation. Ask a ridiculous question about the universe. 😂
Or simply breathe…and be…………….
This sanctuary is located on private property, some of which we have chosen to open for community use. Being welcoming does not mean abandoning reasonable boundaries for safety, peaceful conduct, and care of the land.
And because all of this has been developing VERY quickly, you may still find older wording somewhere on this Facebook page or website that reflects an earlier stage of what we were building.
Please forgive me while I catch up with my own life. 😂
Apparently the organization is currently evolving faster than its founder can edit Facebook. LOL
But the heart of it has remained remarkably consistent:
Kindness.
Service.
Freedom of conscience.
Stewardship.
Community.
Curiosity.
Respect.
Love in action.
Ozarks Church of Nature
Many paths. One table. Room to wonder. Room to grow.
And yes…
apparently it really is a church now.