saut

Well I recently found a term to describe the ideas I have been having about the possible existance of god, that term being pantheism.


Pantheism:

The doctrine that the universe, taken or conceived of as a whole, is God; the doctrine that there is no God but the combined force and laws which are manifested in the existing universe

So what do you think of pantheism?

Seraphim

Something like Gaia Theory, perhaps?

Deadend

For me, pantheism = atheism. So I like it!

andy_d

Islam sort of tends in that direction, too (or at least that's my understanding from my extremely limited knowledge of Islam) They believe that all things are an expression of god.

That's why they reject the Christian need for miracles as proof of god's existence. They think that proof is unnecesary. If god created everything, then he is everything already. So everything is proof.

I admire it's simplicity, at least. Could it be that Islam is simply the result of the application of Occam's Razor to Christianity?

Jet Grind

I certainly respect the pantheistic position, but I wonder why it's neccessary. Pantheism is basically atheism that applies theistic terminology to the universe, so I don't see why they don't just call themselves atheists.

johngalt

I agree with pantheism, but why does everything have to be called God? It seems that when people explain something or someone important, they give it the term god. Well, pantheism goes well with Atheism, so i'm okay with it!

Seraphim

by andy_d

Islam sort of tends in that direction, too (or at least that's my understanding from my extremely limited knowledge of Islam) They believe that all things are an expression of god.

That's why they reject the Christian need for miracles as proof of god's existence. They think that proof is unnecesary. If god created everything, then he is everything already. So everything is proof.

I admire it's simplicity, at least. Could it be that Islam is simply the result of the application of Occam's Razor to Christianity?

Where did you get a notion like that from?
I suggest you learn more about Islam first before making such assumptions.

andy_d

From a leaflet given to me by some Muslims on the street. Where am I going wrong?

Don't Muslims view the whole world as the representation of god?

I did say my knowldege was limited, so i'd ask you to leave out the insults and try educating me instead.

emotional

Pantheism, if you mean the Natural Pantheism type that is expounded in Paul Harrison's nice website, is just materialism spiritualised or religionised. Same old sh*t: matter all there is, matter preceded mind, no life after death, etc.

No longer accepting materialism, I don't accept pantheism either.

Infidelettante

Hi Saut,

I accept pantheism as a valid understanding of the universe. All things are Divine. All things are living. The universe is alive.

I accept atheism as valid as well. I reject the God of the theists but I think you can believe in the Divine Universe and remain an atheist.

While I use deities in my religion I understand them to be metaphorical. Because I recognize several deities of my own and any others you may recognize I am also a polytheist.

If this seems confused it is because I don't think religion should be cut and dry. It should remain a work in progress. The one bit of advice I can give you is that being a Pantheist allows you to construct a religion that fits your own soul. And, a religion should be a celebration of life. Make it your own and make it fun. You can't go wrong.

Well, that was two or three bits of advice. Good luck. Have fun.

JT