Dark Green Religion: Nature Spirituality and the Planetary Future

By: Bron Taylor

Narrated by: Jack Chekijian

Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

In this innovative and deeply felt work, Bron Taylor examines the evolution of "green religions" in North America and beyond: spiritual practices that hold nature as sacred and have, in many cases, replaced traditional religions. Tracing a wide range of groups - radical environmental activists, lifestyle-focused bioregionalists, surfers, new-agers involved in "ecopsychology", and groups that hold scientific narratives as sacred - Taylor addresses a central theoretical question: How can environmentally oriented, spiritually motivated individuals and movements be understood as religious when many of them reject religious and supernatural worldviews?

The "dark" of the title further expands this idea by emphasizing the depth of believers' passion and also suggesting a potential shadow side: besides uplifting and inspiring, such religion might mislead, deceive, or in some cases precipitate violence. This book provides a fascinating global tour of the green religious phenomenon, enabling listeners to evaluate its worldwide emergence and to assess its role in a critically important religious revolution.

The book is published by University of California Press.

©2010 The Regents of the University of California (P)2012 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Dark Green Religion is intelligent, well-written, and very much worth reading." ( Worldviews)

"A fascinating analysis of our emotional and spiritual relationship to nature. Taylor takes us through our spiritual relationship with our planet, its ecosystems and evolution, in an enlightened and completely undogmatic manner." (Dr. Claude Martin, former director general, World Wildlife Fund)

"This important book provides insight into how a profound sense of relation to nature offers many in the modern world a vehicle for attaining a spiritual wholeness akin to what has been historically associated with established religion." (Stephen Kellert, Yale University)

Fascinating Analysis

This book is a fascinating analysis of a phenomenon that often goes undiscussed in our modern world: the religiosity, and even fundamentalism, found in the world of ecology and conservationism.

Taylor goes into great depth detailing the many ways that the religious impulse expresses itself in everything from green activism, to surfing culture, and even to Disney movies. His thesis is compelling: that much of what we take for granted in our society when we think of ecology is in fact, grounded in an unexamined, but deeply felt religiosity.

This book is extremely well researched, and a very enjoyable read. Highly recommended!

Interesting & informative....

I received this audio book as a gift for the purpose of me listening to it an writing a honest and unbiased review.

This subject is both interesting &and informative. This author discusses many different forms of religion , both past and present, many of which I never even knew existed. Religions such as Green Religion and Dark Green Religion and so on. How nature relates with these religions and who has done these religions past and present. Also how these religions fit in with past, present and future of our planet and what these religions do for our planet.

The author, Bron Taylor does a good job of explaining things. He ventures into many different areas, all of which are new to me. I am not a religious person, yet I found it fascinating that there are so many religions out there. The narrator, Jack Chekijian, does a really good job delivering all this information. He reminds me of the narration on the Discovery Channel. I finished this book yesterday, but just now getting around to writing my review.

Book excellent

This book is excellent. The narrator does have some strange way of pronouncing things particularly trying to Frenchify English words that happen to be derived from French, and the name of Joseph Wood Krutch who is properly pronounced with a long oooooh sound like the word “true” not the word “much”.

comparative religion looks at deep greenieness

Faithful followers of my powerful reviews will be pleased to hear fine account on though-going greenie belief systems readily overlapping or morphing into religious thinking as evident fact of life, for good or bad.
The book is done in detached academic style and very well narrated.

Enjoyed how the reader would become skeptical-sounding when reciting some of the more florid dark green claims about the spiritual value of connection to nature, talking to trees for example to give one extreme.
I liked this because while it is good to be sympathetic in the subject matter I did not wish the book to come across as mere hippy hurrah crusade for nature religion, so the narrator pitched it just right in my opinion.

A smart, well-researched discussion

extremely interesting, this philosophical discussion of the nature of Earth worship was well researched. Many different sources were quoted in trying to point out the various types of "fanatics". From ecoterrorists to nature lovers, all types of people were described, along with their dogmas. the narrator has a great voice, which is well-suited to this book.

Quintessential Reading for Earth based traditions

Taylor presents a solid overview of developing thoughts in Earth based traditions that he defines as Dark Green Religion.

He argues solidly the aspects of these trends which will provide a path for humanity to rally together in healing the Earth's environment.

Highly recommend as a beginner for deeper research.

Dark Green Religion

This was a very long book that basically breaks down to...every culture has religion that is earth based.Due to the American Indian tribes being so hard to break into and learn their teachings,Mr Taylor went to learn Asian cultures and their earth based /body based attitudes and religions.Jack Cheikijan does a fine job narrating,but I found the repetition and long winded explainations tedious and boring.
"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."

Here is the scholarly thesis you are looking for

Clearly aimed at the scholarly upper echelon, this work seems to find it's goal attainable by repeating Dark Green Religion several times per paragraph, introducing arcane terminology, and beating the reader over the head with it before moving on to the next OED term. I found the presentation annoying and condescending with an end result of obfuscation rather than clarity.
Kudos to the narrator for laboring to attempt to make this palatable.
I am thankful that I did not have to pay for this item

Green Religion

Any additional comments?

I tried listening to this audiobook but it never got my interest. One of the books I did not finish.
I got this copy in exchange for my honest review.