Pantheism
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Pantheism is the belief that God and the universe are equivalent (the same thing).[1] A pantheist believes that everything that exists is a part of God, or that God is a part of everything that exists. The name pantheism comes from the Greek words theos (belief in God) and pan (all).[1]
Pantheism is not only one religion or full set of beliefs. Any doctrine or philosophy that believes that the universe and everything in it is God is said to be pantheistic. Discussion about pantheism usually avoids using words like "God", "church", and "worship", because those words can make others believe pantheism is like a traditional religion.[2]
Many pantheists have a personal relationship with the universe and the natural world. Making these relationships better is a key idea for these pantheists.[3] Some pantheists believe the universe is sacred, and that the earth and nature must be protected.[2]
Pantheistic beliefs date back to ancient times.[1][4] Most of the early Greek philosophers from Thales on to the Stoics believed in some sort of pantheism. Pantheism is an important part of many Eastern religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism[4] and Taoism, and modern religions such as Druidism. Some Western philosophers such as Baruch Spinoza are pantheists, as are some scientists.
Some Christians, Jews and Sufis say they are pantheists. However, their majority believes that while God is in everything, there is more to God than just the universe.
There are several different types of pantheism, including panpsychism (the belief the universe itself has a mind), naturalistic pantheism (the belief the universe is identifiable with the title of "God", as it can be seen as a wondrous and transcendent power), and scientific pantheism (the worship of nature as a life-giving force).[2]
Related pages
changeOther websites
change- Hindu Wisdom Archived 2007-01-25 at the Wayback Machine
- Pantheist Prophet: Henry David Thoreau Archived 2006-10-12 at the Wayback Machine by Harold W. Wood, Jr
- The Holographic Paradigm Archived 2007-02-05 at the Wayback Machine
References
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Mander, William (2023), Zalta, Edward N.; Nodelman, Uri (eds.), "Pantheism", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2023 ed.), Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, retrieved 2024-12-06
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Martin. "Scientific Pantheism: A Spirituality of Nature and the Universe". World Pantheism. Retrieved 2024-12-06.
- ↑ "Home". Universal Pantheist Society. Retrieved 2024-12-06.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "PANTHEISM: Nature, universe, science and religion". web.archive.org. 2001-11-15. Archived from the original on 2001-11-15. Retrieved 2024-12-06.
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