Word.ws English Dictionary

natural religion

natural religion noun: religion that arises from human reason and experience, as opposed to that which is based on miraculous or supernatural revelation.

Noun

natural religion (countable and uncountable, plural natural religions)

  1. Religion that arises from human reason and experience, as opposed to that which is based on miraculous or supernatural revelation.
    • I own indeed that most who have evinced the truth of reveal religion, have said something of the weakness of natural religion.1812, Thomas Halyburton, Natural Religion Insufficient, and Revealed Necessary, to Man's Happiness in his Present State; or, A Rational Inquiry into the Principles of the Modern Deists, page 39
    • But this natural religion of mankind has, in every country, become encrusted over by many accretions which are artificial.1923, Joseph Shaw Bolton, Natural Religion: The Ultimate Religion of Mankind
  2. Religion that sees God and spirituality as a part of nature, and not as something supernatural.
    • Man is the most exalted manifestation of Nature, and thus the highest object of reverence to him, who is imbued with natural religion.1867, George R. Drysdale, The Elements of Social Science, page 445
    • Nature, considered as the residuum which is left after the elimination of everything supernatural, comprehends man with all this thoughts and aspirations not less than the forms of the material world. Accordingly, the natural religion of which we are in search will certainly include a religion of...1886, Sir John Robert Seeley, Natural Religion, page 78

Examples of natural religion in a sentence

  • The Enlightenment's emphasis on reason brought about an elevation of natural religion in New England thought as Calvinist ideals declined in the 1700s.2007, James V. Guiducci, Natural Religion Against Slavery, page 1:
  • In our own day, natural religion has been contrasted with supernatural religion or revealed religion properly so called.2012, Vernon Staley, The Natural Religion, page 4:
  • Accordingly, the natural religion of which we are in search will certainly include a religion of Humanity as well as a religion of material things.1886, Sir John Robert Seeley, Natural Religion, page 78:
  • Nay, further, positive religion presupposes natural religion, for the recognition of God in nature enables man to understand and accept the divine dealings in revelation and history.1898, Franz Hettinger, Henry Sebastian Bowden, Natural Religion, page 258:

Forms of natural religion

pluralnatural religions

Questions about natural religion

What does natural religion mean?
Natural religion means religion that arises from human reason and experience, as opposed to that which is based on miraculous or supernatural revelation.
How do you use natural religion in a sentence?
The Enlightenment's emphasis on reason brought about an elevation of natural religion in New England thought as Calvinist ideals declined in the 1700s.
What part of speech is natural religion?
Natural religion is a noun.
What is the plural of natural religion?
The plural of natural religion is natural religions.

Words near natural religion in the dictionary

  1. natural price
  2. natural prices
  3. natural product
  4. natural products
  5. natural protection
  6. natural religion
  7. natural religions
  8. natural reserve
  9. natural reserves
  10. natural resource
  11. natural resources

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: natural religion (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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