Ask a Pantheist

[spartacandream]

Ask whatever questions you got for pantheists.

I'm a pantheist naturalist/atheist. For me, that means that I admire and just look upon the universe with a sense of awe, and feel connected with it at a deep level. I am a part of the universe, it is a part of me, as I am made of it.

[pihlaja]

Re: Ask a Pantheist

Hmm.. I thought pantheism can also be considered as a pagan path? Or does it depend on how you define it?

[thalassa]

Re: Ask a Pantheist

[quote author=pihlaja link=topic=258.msg2511#msg2511 date=1287058919]
Hmm.. I thought pantheism can also be considered as a pagan path? Or does it depend on how you define it?
[/quote]

Pretty much...most of the other pantheists (actually all of them) here on the board identify as Pagan as well.

[B. de Corbin]

Re: Ask a Pantheist

So I'll ask the question then...

Spartacandream, why did you choose to post this as a non-pagan path? Do you concider it non-pagan?

[Bjorn]

Re: Ask a Pantheist

That seems like a very loose definition of Pantheism - could you elaborate more? At one point I thought that I was a Pantheist but then realizing that I was using too vague a definition of it and therefore revoked my status as one.

Elaboration?

[thalassa]

Re: Ask a Pantheist

Stanford's Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on Pantheism

[Bjorn]

Re: Ask a Pantheist

[quote author=thalassa link=topic=258.msg2819#msg2819 date=1287105493]
Stanford's Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on Pantheism
[/quote]

Thank you. I suppose by that right I AM a Pantheist.

[pihlaja]

Re: Ask a Pantheist

[quote author=Bjorn link=topic=258.msg2845#msg2845 date=1287107543]
Thank you. I suppose by that right I AM a Pantheist.
[/quote]

I guess I could be too.. Not sure. I've always thought pantheist should believe in that there are kinds of individual spirits of all living (and maybe non-living) things. But after reading a bit of that it makes more sense. And sounds quite familiar. So I'm really greatful to you Thalassa, for posting that link!

But anyway, for Spartacandream who started the topic:

That site Thalassa posted also says this:

With some exceptions, pantheism is non-theistic, but it is not atheistic. It is a form of non-theistic monotheism, or even non-personal theism. It is the belief in one God, a God identical to the all-inclusive unity, but pantheists (generally) do not believe God is a person or anything like a person. The fact that pantheism clearly is not atheistic, and is an explicit denial of atheism, is disputed by its critics.

Would be interesting to hear how you explain you're both atheist and pantheist? And when believing everything (nature, world, universe) is god or god is everything, how's that not pagan? Surely the border is vague, but to me it sounds like a path which falls under paganism.

[B. de Corbin]

Re: Ask a Pantheist

[quote author=pihlaja link=topic=258.msg2984#msg2984 date=1287134658]
I guess I could be too.. Not sure. I've always thought pantheist should believe in that there are kinds of individual spirits of all living (and maybe non-living) things. [/quote]

That's more like animism - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animism.

[quote author=pihlaja link=topic=258.msg2984#msg2984 date=1287134658]
Would be interesting to hear how you explain you're both atheist and pantheist? And when believing everything (nature, world, universe) is god or god is everything, how's that not pagan? Surely the border is vague, but to me it sounds like a path which falls under paganism.
[/quote]

When Spartacandream comes back, he can explain for himself, but pantheism is one way of describing the sense of awe at the wonder of the physical world. If you take a look at Richard Dawkin's book The God Delusion, what he describes as an atheist's sense of awe comes pretty close to pantheism. It seems that whether it is a religions perspective or an atheistic perspective depends on the speaker's attitude toward it.

[cesara]

Re: Ask a Pantheist

[quote author=thalassa link=topic=258.msg2513#msg2513 date=1287059096]
Pretty much...most of the other pantheists (actually all of them) here on the board identify as Pagan as well.
[/quote]
*raises hand*

[Caliburn]

Re: Ask a Pantheist

[quote author=spartacandream link=topic=258.msg2358#msg2358 date=1287017661]
Ask whatever questions you got for pantheists.

I'm a pantheist naturalist/atheist. For me, that means that I admire and just look upon the universe with a sense of awe, and feel connected with it at a deep level. I am a part of the universe, it is a part of me, as I am made of it.
[/quote]
Could you please clarify your claim that you are both pantheist and atheist (since you've got me very confused)? :-\

[spartacandream]

Re: Ask a Pantheist

[quote author=pihlaja link=topic=258.msg2511#msg2511 date=1287058919]
Hmm.. I thought pantheism can also be considered as a pagan path? Or does it depend on how you define it?
[/quote]
In a sense it is, in that it's a nonabrahamic religion/spirituality. Though as a pantheist naturalist, its technically just feeling a "spiritual" connection with nature, and not much more. At least for me anyway.

[quote author=B. de Corbin link=topic=258.msg2539#msg2539 date=1287065993]
So I'll ask the question then...

Spartacandream, why did you choose to post this as a non-pagan path? Do you concider it non-pagan?
[/quote]
I was a babylonian recon, but could no longer justify my "beliefs". So I chose to admit that I've been an atheist in denial for a while now. I was always a spiritually inclined person, so I just thought the term applied.

It can be seen as pagan, but I don't consider myself pagan.

[quote author=Caliburn link=topic=258.msg3340#msg3340 date=1287216138]
Could you please clarify your claim that you are both pantheist and atheist (since you've got me very confused)? :-\
[/quote]
I use the -theist part of pantheist metaphorically.

[Caliburn]

Re: Ask a Pantheist

[quote author=spartacandream link=topic=258.msg3491#msg3491 date=1287255937]
I use the -theist part of pantheist metaphorically.
[/quote]
Hm, I'm sure I wrote "clarify", not "add more confusion". :-\
So, if I understand correctly you are not pantheist but an atheist. Right?

[spartacandream]

Re: Ask a Pantheist

[quote author=Caliburn link=topic=258.msg3538#msg3538 date=1287260877]
Hm, I'm sure I wrote "clarify", not "add more confusion". :-\
So, if I understand correctly you are not pantheist but an atheist. Right?
[/quote]
I'm trying to clarify it for you, and not trying to confuse.

I'm an atheist/pantheist. I don't believe in any supernatural at all. I see the universe, metaphorically speaking, as God, as in something that I revere and admire.

[pihlaja]

Re: Ask a Pantheist

My question is if the starter would mind if the mods moved the topic to pagan section? Because I think it's kinda confusing now for the newbies like me. I would have searched the pantheist topics from the pagan section and I don't think I'm the only one. And also if most of the pantheists on the forum consider themselves as pagan, I think that's another reason too.. And I'm not saying you couldn't write to the topic there too, of course it would be highly appreciated to hear lots of different viewpoints, but maybe it'd be easier for people to find the topic from there and also the other pantheists to pay attention to the thread.