Creation Spirituality
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'''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 Testament|Old]] and [[New Testament]], ranging from the prologue to the [[Gospel of John]] 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]].
Theologian and [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Episcopal]] priest [[Matthew Fox (priest)|Matthew Fox]], formerly a [[Roman Catholic Church|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 [[panentheism|panentheist]] view of God.
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.
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]].
Fox formulated his beliefs in several books, including ''[[The Coming of the Cosmic Christ]]'' and ''[[Original Blessing]]''.
==Response of Catholic Church==
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In December 1988, Fr. Matthew Fox was silenced by [[Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger]] (now [[Pope Benedict XVI]]), in his capacity as head of the [[Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith|Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith]], citing his refusal to condemn the lifestyle and practice (as distinct from the mere inclination) of [[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, 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 [[Neoplatonism|Neo-Platonist]] concept, adopted by [[Saint Augustine]] from the work of [[Plotinus]].
== 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.
*[[Human]]s 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: [http://www.matthewfox.org/sys-tmpl/door/]
==See also==
* [[New Thought]]
* [[Religious Science]]
* [[Divine Science]]
* [[Unity Church|Unity]]
==External links==
* http://www.originallyblessed.org Originally Blessed
* http://www.creationspirituality.info/ Creation Spirituality Communities
* http://wildfaith.homestead.com/creation.html
* [http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/creation_spirituality.html Creation Spirituality] on the Religious Movements site, University of Virginia
[[Category:Christian movements]]
[[Category:Christian theological movements]]