A Qualitative Study of Sanctification: How Nature Becomes Sacred for Nontheistic Environmental Activists

Sanctification theory describes the process by which objects are perceived as sacred and has been a relatively recent focal point for research in the psychology of religion and spirituality. Quantitative research has examined sanctification extensively across multiple life domains. Yet, a fundamental question remains unresolved: what does the process of sacred-making actually look like? Hints exist for theism, but there remains a gap where nontheism is concerned. Sanctification theory needs to be examined insofar as it is able to generalize to nontheist groups. Through a narrative phenomenological approach, this study addressed these questions by examining how twelve participants arrested for nonviolent civil disobedience to protect and preserve nature came to experience nature as sacred. Findings suggest that sanctifying the earth is enacted through five inter-related themes: early experiences of imprinting, experiences of immanent transcendence, connecting crisis to sociocultural norms, skeptical and seeking, and interconnection and integration. The discussion brings the themes into dialogue with sanctification theory, provides insights regarding sanctification for nontheist individuals, and describes how to integrate these ideas into clinical work and applied settings.