Most followers of organized religions
– for example, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists – find their
connection with God strengthened through attending worship
activities in buildings like churches, temples or mosques.
Most followers of organized religions – for example, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists – find their connection with God strengthened through attending worship activities in buildings like churches, temples or mosques.
On the other hand, caring for the earth is a fundamental part of religious faith, and nearly every tradition has a statement about the need to respect, enjoy and protect God’s gift of the world around us. Some believers may shun houses of worship, offering the explanation that they can commune better with God on the golf course or at the beach.
Edwin L. Andersen, a practicing Episcopalian who attends church in the Diocese of Los Angeles, has written a book, “Lessons of the Wild: Learning from the Wisdom of Nature.” In it he explains how his experiences in the natural world have changed his life.
Last month, Andersen addressed members of Morgan Hill’s St. John the Divine Episcopal Church on this topic. Copies of his book were available for sale at the event, and all proceeds were donated to the parish.
Raised in the Santa Cruz area (which instilled in him his love of nature), Andersen graduated from Santa Clara University, served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army and spent more than 30 years in the corporate world. Most recently he was with a leading global career management company and before that with Proctor and Gamble.
He is now a partner in the Executive Career Group, a Southern California nonprofit organization he helped found, which offers career services to senior-level executives. He is also an assistant women’s softball coach at Citrus College in Glendora. “Lessons of the Wild” is his second published book.
It relates many stories illustrating why nature is critically important to people’s lives today. He defines “wilderness” as a place where there is “limited evidence of human contact.” Many of the anecdotes he supplies show how people experience God’s presence in nature, “find their souls in nature,” or “rediscover who they are by reconnecting with God” though such experiences.
The stories include a wide range of characters:
– Business executives
– Gang members
– Alcoholics
– Prostitutes
“Their stories illustrate faith, fear, prayer, beauty, danger and love in a way that speaks compellingly to men and women everywhere,” said Dr. Steven Sample, the president of the University of Southern California. “The reader can feel his own vision expanding in response to Andersen’s powerful message.”
Andersen suggests that today’s city-dwellers and suburbanites may be suffering from “nature deprivation syndrome,” and that our reliance on technology has caused us to forget that we are part of the “integrated web of life.” He has even created a new version of the 23rd Psalm in which he addresses God as his “Trailblazer.”
According to Andersen, spending more time in the isolated grandeur of nature will produce many improvements in our lives:
– Harmony
– A sense of wonder
– Knowledge of dependency beyond ourselves
– Awareness of sacredness
– Authenticity
Yosemite National Park Ranger Scott Gediman praises Andersen’s book for its “insightful revelation … illustrating the importance of wilderness in terms of physical, mental and spiritual well-being.”
In commenting upon Andersen’s presentation at the church, Father Phil Cook, Rector of St. John’s, said: “His great feeling and passion was a blessing to all of us.”
