Creation Spirituality is a socially conscious, earth-centered, unorthodox Christian spiritual system formulated in the 1970s by Matthew Fox, then a Catholic priest. Fox identifies Creation Spirituality in the Old and New Testament, ranging from the prologue to John's Gospel to the Book of Revelation. Creation Spirituality is also found in the teachings of the Greek fathers of the Church. The high point of the Creation Spirituality development was from the 12th to 15th centuries with the theories and practices of mystic-prophets such as: Hildegard of Bingen, Thomas Aquinas, Meister Eckhart, and Nicholas of Cusa. Illumination from the Liber Scivias showing Hildegard receiving a vision and dictating to her scribe and secretary Hildegard of Bingen (German: Hildegard von Bingen; Latin: Hildegardis Bingensis; 1098 – 17 September 1179), also known as Blessed Hildegard and Saint Hildegard, was a German magistra who later founded convents (Rupertsberg in 1150... Saint Thomas Aquinas, O.P.(also Thomas of Aquin, or Aquino; c. ... The Meister Eckhart portal of the Erfurt Church. ... Nicholas of Cusa Nicholas of Cusa (1401– August 11, 1464) was a German cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, a philosopher, jurist, mathematician, and an astronomer. ...

Theologian and Episcopal priest Matthew Fox, formerly a Roman Catholic priest of the Dominican Order claims that revelation is found in two places: the Bible and nature. Therefore, the bulk of his teachings and texts lie in these two foundations. It is a mystical philosophy that celebrates the universe, emphasizes creativity as a key component of the universe, and believes that all people have a divine creative impulse. It espouses a panentheist view of God. This article is about the Episcopal Church in the United States. ... Matthew Fox (1940-) is a controversial American priest and theologian, and the leading exponent of Creation Spirituality. ... Catholic Church redirects here. ... “Dominicans” redirects here. ... Panentheism (from Greek (pân) all; (en) in; and (Theós) god; all-in-God) is the theological position that God is immanent within the Universe, but also transcends it. ...

The history of the ideology of Creation Spirituality Fox says, "is the oldest tradition in the Bible, and the way of indigenous peoples." Fox contends that Creation Spirituality is not a new religion, but is concerned with renewing theologies and practices within religion and culture that promote personal wholeness, planetary survival, and universal interdependence. The term indigenous people has no universal, standard or fixed definition, but can be used about any ethnic group who inhabit the geographic region with which they have the earliest historical connection. ...

Creation Spirituality begins with the notion of creation as an original blessing as opposed to original sin. For Fox sin results not so much from disobedience with God's laws as it does from disconnectedness to God's creation. He compares the seven traditional sins to seven principles of Creation Spirituality: cosmology, feminism, liberation, compassion, prophecy, creativity, and community. “Original Sin” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Sin (disambiguation). ... Cosmology, from the Greek: κοσμολογία (cosmologia, κόσμος (cosmos) order + λογια (logia) discourse) is the study of the Universe in its totality, and by extension, humanitys place in it. ... Feminists redirects here. ... Look up Liberation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Compassion is best described as an understanding of the emotional state of another; not to be confused with empathy. ... For other uses, see Prophecy (disambiguation). ... For other uses of Creativity, see Creativity (disambiguation). ... A community is a social group of organisms sharing an environment, normally with shared interests. ...

Fox formulated his beliefs in several books, including The Coming of the Cosmic Christ and Original Blessing.

Response of Catholic Church

In December 1988, Fr. Matthew Fox was silenced by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI), in his capacity as head of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, citing his refusal to condemn homosexuality, among a host of other issues. Fox was later expelled from the Dominican order in 1992. In correspondence with Fox, Ratzinger confirmed the pre-Vatican II spiritual three paths of purgation, illumination and union, rejected the four paths of the creation spiritual tradition: the via positiva (joy, awe , wonder), via negativa (letting go, silence and darkness), via creativa (creativity) and the via transformativa (justice and compassion) as “dangerous and deviant.” Fox's views on “Original Blessing” vs. Original Sin, were also rejected as heretical. Fox has retorted that both the fourfold path and original blessing are Biblical in nature, whilst "original sin" was a Neo-Platonist concept, adopted by Saint Augustine from the work of Plotinus. His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI (Latin: ; born April 16, 1927 as Joseph Alois Ratzinger) is the 265th and reigning pope, the head of the Roman Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City. ... Papal Arms of Pope Benedict XVI. The papal tiara was replaced with a bishops mitre, and pallium of the Pope was added beneath the coat of arms. ... The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) (Congregatio pro Doctrina Fidei) is the oldest of the nine congregations of the Roman Curia. ... Homosexuality refers to sexual interaction and / or romantic attraction between individuals of the same sex. ... The Second Vatican Council, or Vatican II, was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church opened under Pope John XXIII in 1962 and closed under Pope Paul VI in 1965. ... Laxatives (or purgatives) are foods, compounds, or drugs taken to induce bowel movements, most often taken to treat constipation. ... Illumination is either Illumination as the practice of living in Love and Light lighting — supplying light to an area Enlightenment (Satori), see also Illuminati the art of decorating letters or pages with ink and embossing techniques. ... Union generally refers to two or more things joined into one, such as an organization of multiple people or organizations, multiple objects combined into one, and so on. ... “Original Sin” redirects here. ... Neoplatonism (also Neo-Platonism) is the modern term for a school of religious and mystical philosophy that took shape in the 3rd century AD, founded by Plotinus and based on the teachings of Plato and earlier Platonists. ... St. ... Plotinus (Greek: ) (ca. ...

Basic Beliefs

A good summary of the main tenets of Creation Spirituality can be found in the 2004 book Who Is My God?, which lists ten major principles.

• The universe is basically a blessing, that is, something we experience as good.
• Everyone is a mystic--born full of wonder and capable of recovering it at any age.

• Everyone is a prophet, a mystic in action, who is called to interfere with anything that interrupts authentic life.

• Humans have to dig and work at finding their true self.

• Salvation is best understood as "preserving the good."

• The journey that marks that digging can be named as a fourfold journey: 1) via positiva: delight, awe, wonder, revelry; 2) via negativa: darkness, silence, suffering, letting go; 3) via creativa: birthing, creativity; and 4) via transformativa: compassion, justice, healing, celebration.

• Everyone is an artist in some way, and art as meditation is a primary form of prayer.

• We are all sons and daughters of God; therefore, we have divine blood in our veins, the divine breath in our lungs; and the basic work of God is: Compassion.

• Divinity is Mother and Father, Wife and Husband, Son and Daughter, Creative Mystery,

History of God, and is as much encompassing all beings as filling all beings and aspects of Creation.

• We experience the Divine in all things and all things are in the Divine.

Much of this summary is drawn from 95 Theses of Matthew Fox, which can be found here: www.matthewfox.org

See also

• New Thought
• Religious Science
• Divine Science
• Unity

The New Thought Movement or New Thought is comprised of a loosely allied group of denominations, organizations, authors, philosophers, and individuals who share a set of metaphysical beliefs concerning healing, life force, visualization, and personal power. ... Church of Religious Science Religious Science, also known as Science of Mind, was founded in 1927 by Ernest Holmes (1887–1960) and is a religious movement within the New Thought Movement. ... The Church of Divine Science is a religious group co-founded in the late 19th century by Nona L. Brooks (1861-1945) and her sister Fannie James in Denver, Colorado during the dramatic growth of the New Thought Movement in the United States. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Relation to other religions Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Unity...

External links

• http://www.creationspirituality.info/
• http://wildfaith.homestead.com/creation.html
• Creation Spirituality on the Religious Movements site, University of Virginia

Creation spirituality is our reflection on the nature in the light of God's Revelation. Ecology concerns us, hence creation spirituality or eco-spirituality is derived from theology of earthly realities. We all together with the air that we breathe, the water that we drink, the food that we eat, the earth on which we live and move are all forming the house in which God takes delight, the "oikos", hence ecology and eco-theology and eco-spirituality. This "oikos" displays the infinite splendour of God's creation. Everything that God made was good, together with human beings they are very good (cf.Gen 1:31). As vicegerents of God, we play our role in protecting our brethren in preserving the environment and the earth. The Bible presents us in its opening pages God, World and the Humans (Gen1-3), and closes itself once again by portraying God, World and the Humans (Rev 21). (Page developed by Dr.Ivo da C.Souza, Goa, India)