by LittleToe 87 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
If we were, say, a crystal, God would be the light source in the middle of our "chandelier."
His energy, the light, is the only thing that differentiates US from the inanimate rocks from which we sprang (or were carved). But it is through us (and our facets) that the true brilliance, radiance, and variance of the light is displayed.
We are both completely individual and completely a part of something bigger.
Paradox is the only truth in the universe.
Gather what was scattered...
CZAR
I thought xena was a goddess incarnated
just not an omnipresent one probably just as well
I think pantheism is a human way to define the different aspects of omnipresence.... or the intelligence of the universe(s).... attempting to define the undefinable.
Interesting topic, LT............I stumbled upon a wonderful site one day and found that everything I read resonated deeply with me. I copied and pasted some of the main points from the site below FYI:Are You a Pantheist?When you look at the night sky or at the images of the Hubble Space Telescope, are you filled with feelings of awe and wonder at the overwhelming beauty and power of the universe?When you are in the midst of nature, in a forest, by the sea, on a mountain peak - do you ever feel a sense of the sacred, like the feeling of being in a vast cathedral? Do you believe that humans should be a part of Nature, rather than set above it? If you can answer yes to all of these questions, then you have pantheistic leanings. Are you sceptical about a "God" other than Nature and the wider Universe? Yet do you feel an emotional need for a recognition of something greater than your own self or than the human race? If you answer yes to these additional questions then pantheism is very probably your natural religious home. If you want to see why others chose it, then check Why I am a pantheist . Pantheism is older than Buddhism or Christianity, and may already count hundreds of millions among its members. Most Taoists are pantheists, along with many Chinese, Japanese and Western Buddhists, deep ecologists, pagans, animists, followers of many native religions, and many Unitarian Universalists. The central philosophical scriptures of Hinduism are pantheistic. Many atheists and humanists may be naturalistic pantheists without realizing it. Scientific or natural pantheism is a modern form of pantheism that deeply reveres the universe and nature and joyfully accepts and embraces life, the body and earth, but does not believe in any supernatural deities, entities or powers. |
What Pantheism believesAt the heart of pantheism is reverence of the universe as the ultimate focus of reverence, and for the natural earth as sacred. Scientific or Natural Pantheism - Pan for short - has a naturalistic approach which simply accepts and reveres the universe and nature just as they are, and promotes an ethic of respect for human and animal rights and for lifestyles that sustain rather than destroy the environment. When scientific pantheists say WE REVERE THE UNIVERSE we are not talking about a supernatural being. We are talking about the way our senses and our emotions force us to respond to the overwhelming mystery and power that surrounds us.We are part of the universe. Our earth was created from the universe and will one day be reabsorbed into the universe. We are made of the same matter and energy as the universe. We are not in exile here: we are at home. It is only here that we will ever get the chance to see paradise face to face. If we believe our real home is not here but in a land that lies beyond death - if we believe that the numinous is found only in old books, or old buildings, or inside our head, or outside this reality - then we will see this real, vibrant, luminous world as if through a glass darkly. The universe creates us, preserves us, destroys us. It is deep and old beyond our ability to reach with our senses. It is beautiful beyond our ability to describe in words. It is complex beyond our ability to fully grasp in science. We must relate to the universe with humility, awe, reverence, celebration and the search for deeper understanding - in many of the ways that believers relate to their God, minus the grovelling worship or the expectation that there is some being out there who can answer our prayers. This overwhelming presence is everywhere inside you and outside you and you can never be separated from it. Whatever else is taken from you, this can never be taken from you.When pantheists say WE REVERE AND CARE FOR NATURE, we mean it with just as much commitment and reverence as believers speaking about their church or mosque, or the relics of their saints. But again we are not talking about supernatural beings. We are saying this: We are part of nature. Nature made us and at our death we will be reabsorbed into nature. We are at home in nature and in our bodies. This is where we belong. This is the only place where we can find and make our paradise, not in some imaginary world on the other side of the grave. If nature is the only paradise, then separation from nature is the only hell. When we destroy nature, we create hell on earth for other species and for ourselves. Nature is our mother, our home, our security, our peace, our past and our future. We should treat natural things and habitats as believers treat their temples and shrines, as sacred - to be revered and preserved in all their intricate and fragile beauty. |
So, according to the above info., pantheism is more of a feeling towards nature. It doesn't think the universe is god or sentient, it's adherents just "reverence" the natural world. Omnipresence, according to a thesaurus:
| Main Entry: | presence |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | occupancy |
| Synonyms: | attendance, being, companionship, company, dormancy, existence, habitation, inhabitance, latency, occupation, omnipresence, potentiality, residence, subsistence, ubiety, ubiquity, whereabouts |
Based on the above words, then, I would say no, pantheism is not a form of omnipresence. It is a state of being.
Sunnygal
Here are some more:
n 1: (rare) worship that admits or tolerates all gods 2: the doctrine or belief that God is the universe and its phenomena (taken or conceived of as a whole) or the doctrine that regards the universe as a manifestation of God
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=pantheism
That site is run by a materialist. He/she has his own version. That's fine. But, it doesn't fit w my view. It doesn't match the traditional view, iether.
S
link:PANTHEISM: the World Pantheist Movement
I have actually joined this organization dispite my reservations about the crazy choice in name. It is an atheist/agnostic approach to loving and protecting the physical earth. The word has a broader definition that either means belief in all gods or belief in no gods but dedication to the earth and it's life.
If the universe as a whole is God, what are the parts? If all that is (reality) , is God and I'm a part of all that is (reality), than am I a part of God?
Ken
Ask one of the bacteria in your mouth if it is part of you. Another thing, don't forget about your spirit.
S
S,
That's what Listerine is for: to extinguish the germs in the mouth. I view the spirit as within the body, but distinct from it. What happens to the spirit when the body dies? What about water in a glass? Are not the two distinct?
