Reflections on Native American Spirituality...from an atheist
I have been an atheist for most of my adult life. At times, I have been an angry one, profoundly enraged by the bigotry and hatred espoused by many different sects of mainstream religion in the U.S. and elsewhere. Part of this comes from having to battle the "creationists" who will not accept the fact of evolution, and from defending LGBT rights from the condemnations and political machinations of hateful ministers and their followers. I find myself in the company of some notable folks, Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins being two of note. But some of you will note the tone of the blog I posted about Grandfather William Commanda. And I must admit, having visited his gathering and been allowed to spend time in the midst of First Nations people, I am conflicted because of their very spiritual way of being. For them, life cannot be separated from spirit, and they feel a unity with all living things and with the earth, whom they revere as "Mother." They walk gently on the earth and seek a path that I would recognize as wise stewardship and even strongly ecological thinking. Having been invited into their midst, welcomed warmly by folks who've been badly mistreated over the centuries by western ideas, I find myself wanting to find accommodation with their world view. It may be "mythology" but to say that is not to dismiss it. And while I cannot give up my rationalist, scientific world view, I cannot find it in me to dismiss theirs, and certainly I cannot disrespect it. I saw genuine compassion and acceptance so universal in the group that I've not seen in any other context I've yet experienced.
It is far more important to me that we find ways of co-existing with respect and tolerance, than it is for me to try to dismiss or destroy a religious point of view, when that world view advocates for peace and tolerance and understanding. Grandfather William's dream of a Circle of All Nations is built on compassion and respect, not on proselytizing or "conversion." It was a profound personal honor to have met this humble man, and I will cherish those moments spent at his gathering for the glimpse of a community built on sharing and mutual respect.
It is far more important to me that we find ways of co-existing with respect and tolerance, than it is for me to try to dismiss or destroy a religious point of view, when that world view advocates for peace and tolerance and understanding. Grandfather William's dream of a Circle of All Nations is built on compassion and respect, not on proselytizing or "conversion." It was a profound personal honor to have met this humble man, and I will cherish those moments spent at his gathering for the glimpse of a community built on sharing and mutual respect.
I find that while I do not accept their beliefs as true (they are most certainly not true), I find Native American spirituality and religious groups like Quakers and Jains to be mostly unobjectionable. As an atheist, I will continue to critique the false claims of religion...but that said, I have enough on my hands arguing with creationists and proponents of the major Christian denominations. These cultures, the Native Americans and the Quakers, promote respect rather than hate, and I will respond accordingly. Excellent post, Dr. E.
ReplyDeleteI am a Native American Atheist. I am a descendent of the Metis` Cree tribe. Who as you may have noticed never signed any treaties, we are composed of five nations. This makes me fiercely proud of my heritage as a native american. I can honestly say that a lot of the mythological aspects of native american spirituality were designed as children's stories. afaik. Ways to get the children to behave properly in random situations w/out putting themselves in harms way. Little white lies that would help us to die with honor should a mountain Lion or Lioness attack. i.e. The Happy Hunting Grounds. Or, our concept of after-life. You see we had no technology with which to defend ourselves from efficient natural predators. So what we would do is go on a quest for a perfectly round white stone which would then be made into a pendant. Worn around the neck/solar plexus area this pendant would defend against mountain lion attack as the natural predator would, hopefully, chip it's teeth on the leather pouch. Also, we have a word for Pancreas. We also have a word for shoe which I shall phonetically sound out. "mah" "skiss" "an" "ah" these are standard US english pronounced syllables. When you say it real fast it sounds like the American/Native American word for shoe. Moccasin.
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