Lesson 14: Nature Religions

Miri was a small child in a village in Papua New Guinea. He had few toys but sometimes played with the skull of his grandfather. The skull was kept in the house as a way of respecting their ancestor and also to keep away evil spirits.

► Read Psalm 147 aloud together. Each student should write a paragraph that summarizes this scripture passage. What does this passage say about God’s involvement with creation? Each student should write a list of statements. As a group, discuss what you have written.

[1]A nature religion is a religious belief system or worldview that is typical of most primitive cultures, and is the basis for religious practice in most primitive societies. Many beliefs and practices of nature religions can also be found among worshippers in other major world religions including Hinduism, Buddhism, Voodooism, and Roman Catholicism. Many people in the New Age religion study nature religions to find ways to interact with the supernatural.

Nature religion has sometimes been called animism. Animism is a term that emphasizes the belief that the elements of nature have spirits. This includes animals, trees, mountains, and rivers. Animists believe that they must acknowledge and interact with those spirits to succeed at raising food, building houses, and staying healthy.

Animists believe in spirits that stay in certain places, but God has all power in every place, see 1 Kings 20:28.

Animists also believe in spirits that are not necessarily attached to a material body or location. They may also believe that the spirits of their ancestors are involved in the world and in their lives.

Animists may not call their beliefs a religion. Animism is just reality to them. Animism in general has no authoritative scripture and no written doctrine.

► What similarities do you see between nature religions and other religions we have studied?

[2]In nature religions, humans are not distinct from the world, but part of it, with no special status.

God puts special value on humans and gives them special care, see Matthew 10:31.

Those who practice nature religions have special words, items, or actions to interact with the spirits. These customs are different in different societies. The customs are supposed to help them avoid antagonizing spirits, and possibly get good responses from them. A person may carry with him an object that is supposed to have power. Often, an animist cannot explain why a custom is practiced.

God wants us to get rid of anything that is used for depending on spirits for help. If we have those things, we are not completely trusting God, see Acts 19:19.

Animists may believe there are ways for a person to gain power from an object or other person. They believe a person must be careful not to be affected by harmful power from particular objects or places.[3]

Most practices that are called superstitions come from animist concepts. A superstition is the idea that a person must follow certain practices because particular objects, actions, or places have spiritual power. Christians are not superstitious, even though they know that evil supernatural powers are real, because they trust the supreme power of God.

► Why does the Bible tell us not to use the things that are part of superstition?

Animists believe that the world is full of spiritual danger, and that they must be careful not to offend the spirits of nature or of their ancestors. Their life is guided by constant fear. Sometimes people think that primitive societies are happy and without worries until missionaries come with organized religion, but that is not true. Primitive people who do not have the gospel live in slavery to fear of spirits. The gospel comes as a wonderful message of deliverance. They learn that they can serve a God who loves them and not have to fear the spirits.

The Bible tells us many times that we do not have to fear because we can trust God, see Isaiah 41:10.

People who follow nature religions may have religious specialists who are considered experts in dealing with matters of the spirits. Each culture has its own name for these religious specialists.

[4]Animists may believe in a supreme God who created, but they do not pray to him because they think having contact with him is impossible. They think that the spirits around them are the ones they must deal with for results in their lives.

The attempt to interact with spirits often leads animists into interaction with demons.

► Now go back and read the bold and italicized text and each scripture.

Many animists already believe in a supreme God, but do not believe they have access to him or that he is interested in them. The gospel tells them that God loves them and demonstrated his love by sending Jesus.

Many animists think that they have offended a spiritual being: God, their relatives who became divine, or someone else. The gospel explains that God is ready to forgive our sins so we can come into relationship with him.

Animists live in fear of spirits. We can assure them that if they come to know God, they are under his protection and can deal with him instead of with spirits.

Hato was a chief of a tribe in Papua New Guinea. He had lived in fear of spirits and ancestors. The villages were often at war with each other. A missionary came to live in his village. Hato saw how the missionary trusted God during a crisis when the missionary’s sons were in danger. Hato made the decision to serve God instead of the spirits.

► Now read Psalm 147 again. Each student should write a paragraph explaining the message this passage has for the animist. Several students can share what they wrote.

Remember to find an opportunity to present the gospel to someone from this religious group. Prepare to share with your classmates about the conversation you have had. Write your 2-page written report and turn it in to your class leader.