1: Pantheism is a philosophical claim not an empirical/scientific one. His explanation made me admit I am not a pantheist in the traditional, academic sense, though no doubt I agree with many of you. I use a lot of analogies and metaphors and words in quotes because the right words don't exist. If it's true, it's real. In other words, you are IT! The sun gives off a photon, a packet of energy. The fact that you can even have a rational, scientific discussion about this stuff with them is awesome! It is absorbed by a blade of grass. I do however, leave open the possibility of the Universe having a "brain" somewhere, that may act through us through "nerves", or may just leave us alone to operate independently, like a heartbeat. Though the idea of Pantheism is implicitly contrary to oneness of God, it may encourage the researchers whose ultimate purpose They are the closest thing we have to brothers and sisters in this world. An atheist might have more rationalistic views about the nature of the universe while a pantheist might be geared towards transcendentalism but I don't necessarily think either are mutually exclusive. Edit: This was 7,000 words. (1) Manyof the world’s religious traditions and spiritual writings aremarked by pantheistic ideas and feelings. It's not different for an atheistic universe. I'm not sure what this argument was really getting at - maybe this argument is directed at some specific type of pantheism or maybe the arguer is speaking towards an anthropomorphic god that is all powerful and all good and doesn't know what the view of pantheism is. Many pantheistic and theistic alternatives claim the same advantages, but their natural tendency toward absoluteness may make justification of these claims in some cases difficult and, in others, some argue, quite impossible. It doesn't matter how long it takes to realize it. When I want to get across why I am a Pantheist, which is different than an Atheist (I used to be a MILITANT Atheist. An infinitely old universe favors atheism. Through such quest, hatred can be replaced by love and peace. The reason pantheists use 'God' instead of Universe is because it incorporates the divine aspect and wonder which is usually associated with God. When it was a packet of energy being hurdled through space at the speed of light? So, do I think there is a Godhead? TL;DR Everything is made of energy. 1. Atheists have figured out human feeling exists, but throw their hands up and declare they have no idea why. 6: No. Pantheism is the belief that the universe is God, and that everything within it is a divine manifestation of the entire Cosmos. I'm sure I'm stereotyping the idea of an atheist here, but I feel like atheists in general just don't see any point to anything. Sometimes I see bits of this thinking in religious texts, but then they veer off and try to talk about prophets, fables, and a physical description of what "god" is, they try to humanize it. That's not likely to change. Most people who believe in a deity, believe in this entity as Creator of the universe. Fraud, deception, denial of informed consent, ritual abuse, involuntary servitude, economic I'd rather place the attention on what I am, not on what I'm not. Good, evil, and morality in general are human constructs that don't apply to anything beyond human society. It may always have been brain dead! Why assign the word 'god' to be synonymous with the universe when there is already the word 'universe'? Key Links Join or Renew Donate Elements of Pantheism book. This is particularly so forexample, in Hinduism of the Advaita Vedanta school, in some varietiesof Kabbalistic Judaism, in Celtic spirituality, and in Sufi mysticism. An atheistic universe says the entire universe is energy. Here lies the deepest tap-root of Pantheism and of the objection to traditional imagery. I guess it depends on the definition of "sexed up". "We are all one.". Using such a word on the entire Universe is nonsense. So if "we are all one", how come I can't feel what's in your head? Overcoming this pantheistic desire for ultimate harmony is an important step in the quest for political rationality... (essay by Joseph T. Stuart) Other pantheistic themed ideas however may not be. The object of my love is the entire human race, though not, of course, as we so often find it, namely in a condition of corruption, servility, and inertia. A common label of Spinoza’s philosophy is pantheism – a doctrine defined by Merriam-Webster as equating God with the … Many who take this view consider this an explanation for how anything could exist. Yes, some still enjoy science and want to find answers to things, but in my mind, it's a little more pessimistic. You need to expand upon this, you could say that about anything ;). Criticism. In biblical Christianity God is sovereign and we are not. pantheism and Religion 6: Yes, the evil aspects of the universe are indeed evil. Consciousness also (as I understand it) is not one level of existence. I was bound to screw up a few! Like the famous quote a judge said about Pornography, "I can't define it, but I know it when I see it!" 5: For me personally, the reason I prefer pantheism to atheism is that atheism is defined by a lack of belief. No. Criticism and evaluation of pantheism and panentheism. I agree with a lot of what you say, but feelings are relegated to chemicals in our brains. A way to appreciate the Earth and Universe. But every time we look inside the brain for a new kind of energy, some kind of good/bad feeling energy, we find nothing but the same quarks, atoms, molecules, and energy that we find in the rest of the Universe, nothing special or unusual. Panentheism understands God and the world to be inter-related with the world being in God and God being in the world. For me, it doesn't need to be proven. Why do I need to distract/entertain myself with the play of form? What became a wider cultural debate in German society started as a personal disagreement between Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi and Moses Mendelssohn over their understanding of Gotthold Ephraim Lessing's Spinozist … Just because the Universe is a "living organism" does not mean it is conscious! It comes from ‘pan’ meaning all, and ‘theism,’ which means belief in God. Really, we are never apart. I'm 99.9% sure the Universe is brain dead. Pantheists explain human feeling, while in no way contradicting Atheist physics. This is a misconceived Christian criticism of pantheism. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. To our perception the world presents a multitude of beings each of which has qualities activities, and existence of its own, each is an individual thing. It doesn't realize it felt something, it just "felt" it. Multilevel pantheism is seen in certain forms of Hinduism, especially as communicated by philosopher Radhakrishnan (1888-1975). Understood as a metaphysical interpretation of the universe, pantheism is decidedly lopsided and lacking. A self-creating universe favors pantheism. 5: It's not so much "sexed up" Atheism as it is Atheism with the gaps filled in. Also, calling someone deluded is not an argument. Note: I'm addressing these questions from my own naturalistic pantheist perspective. Opponents of naturalistic pantheism allege that it constitutes an intentional misuse of terminology, and an attempt to justify atheism by mislabeling it as pantheism. 04. I can respect a beautiful painting without assuming it is conscious. pantheism as 'sexed up atheism' / harmless view- not worth addressing. Pantheism doesn't need to assume consciousness on the Universe. Pantheism pursues him to watch beauty and prevail everywhere love and peace. I guess I don't know and it would be impossible for me to comprehend. To some degree I feel like the people who wrote the religious texts may have had pantheistic views that got warped over time from their words being taken too literally, or had lies and egos interjected, and now we have these weird traditions of baptism and bread breaking and megachurches and crosses etc that people do just because that's 'what you do. Here's how I explain it. So what is the body? I think that's it! It's a difference in perspective and in the value we place on the universe. This depends on exactly what you believe God is and other pantheistic ideas. There are several different ways to think about pantheism. Newton threw his hands up and said he understood that Gravity existed, but had no idea why. There is a difference in beliefs between atheism and pantheism - and it is worth addressing but until proponents of atheism move on from the traditional religions I don't think there will be too much dialogue. As a general criticism, pantheism negates or limits the excellence of God to the point where He does not seem to be a special and distinct being. God is unassailable as the unmanifest, and this is our one true freedom. I don't enjoy someone stating that my belief is superfluous because it is confusing to them. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. If it's real it's true. He is male, she is female, it is gender neutral. When it was part of a living animal? I believe the body simply exists, and pockets of consciousness form in the form of living beings brains from time to time. The Criticism Of Spinoza 859 Words | 4 Pages. Always moving, always growing, always changing. There is nothing to ask. Atheists say it has something to do with brain chemistry, but it's a mystery. Likewise, I can respect the Universe. And of course all my answers are what one person believes at this particular point in time. I also lean toward a belief in panpsychism (i.e. Another impetus for change has beencriticisms of panentheism. A second important difference between pantheism and traditional theistic religions is that pantheists also reject the idea of God’s personhood. Pantheism definition is - a doctrine that equates God with the forces and laws of the universe. Pantheism is the belief that God and the universe are one and the same. Last note: I love Atheists! It's like asking is the Universe orange? Toland published his “Pantheisticon” in 1732. A standard criticism of pantheism has it that pantheists cannot offer a satisfactory account of God as personal. That is very, very likely! If it could be shown that human feeling comes from something other than the known forces of physics, that could disprove the Pantheist theory. Form: It … Subjectivity is a nice thing. Pantheism offers an explanation for the "human brains have feeling" phenomenon that does not contradict physics. 4: It does make sense, but I agree there is some ambiguity when seemingly everyone has a different idea of what the word 'god' means. But Pantheism takes it a crucial step further, with an explanation as to why people feel, as opposed to the usual shrug of the shoulders and "there are things we just don't understand" you get from an Atheist. I remember I was in a parking lot of the Culver City studios in Hollywood when I first realized this. Some people like to talk about spiritual topics, some people like the idea of unison or the nature of the universe and so on. Pantheism is the belief that God is all and all is God. 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