We seek renewed reverence for the biosphere as
the ultimate context for human existence....
We seek renewed reverence for the biosphere as
the ultimate context for human existence....
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What Pantheism Means To Meby Universal Pantheist Society Members
Editors Note: Pantheism is not something to which someone hears from others and then decides to be, like most other world religions or philosophies. Instead, in Pantheism, its adherents usually already know how they feel, and merely seek to identify a name for that which they already know from their personal experience in Nature. (For more on this viewpoint, and more member's statements, see The Inner Source of Pantheism.) Such an approach leads of course to a diversity of viewpoints -- as it should be, and which is why this Pantheist Society is an "Universal" one. We have a huge variety of beliefs and opinions among our members; many different from one another, but all of which provide insights which are valuable to one another, and all of which point to one consistent direction in looking toward the natural world for our source of spiritual enrichment. The following are responses from some of our members on what it means to them to be a Pantheist, contributed over the past several years. This listing is only partially representative, as many older responses are not included here, and newer responses are held in reserve for publication in Pantheist Vision, our quarterly newsletter.
"Pantheism is the best 'ism' or symbol to represent a feeling that regards
Nature/The Earth Mother/The Cosmos as Sacred and Holy. Love, Growth, and Caring are all
part of an interchange with the surrounding nurturing wholeness, a wholeness that is far
more than the sum of its parts." "Pantheism to me means perceiving strong, vibrant life throughout the whole
natural world and universe. The traditional white man view of the natural world as being
dead can only lead to the death of whoever perceives the world as such. I believe that the
world is to each individual what he or she makes of it. Faced with a choice between life
and death, I prefer the former. If we who prefer life can join together and seek out
others like us then our strength grows synergistically and our whole becomes greater than
the sum of us individually." "It is the end-point toward which all human history is inevitably reaching.
Unfortunately, its import will not be fully appreciated until man has almost destroyed
himself and the world that nourishes him. but this too, is inevitable, perhaps even
necessary, if the truths of Pantheism are to finally triumph. Although we pantheists may
be too late to stop the world from its present near-fatal collision course with itself, I
hope we will be around to help rebuild the Earth afterwards." "Personally, to and for me, Pantheism justifies and warrants my existence - and
the right to exist. I have long believed of man's duty and obligation to revere the real,
the Earth underfoot to the rest of the Universe overhead. Personally, I believe its late
for man to triumph over his evil with good... but I'm less concerend with an's salvation
than with saving some of his fellow creatures, particularly the great whales, the great
apes, and predators and any endangered species. I am interesed in Pantheism's potential to
'convert' human arrogance to human humnility. "Recognizing one's role as a plain citizen of the Earth's community of life,
instead of being a divinely appointed subduer or steward of the Earth. Respecting the
right of all beings to live according to their nature. Backing up your beliefs with
action. Learning about the local bioregion, gradually becoming a Native of it. "To me, to be a pantheist means to give expression to my sense and reverence and
love for the natural world and all its creatures. I have experienced the divine as
identical with the created Universe. My main concern now is to encourage others to move
beyond speciesism. I would like to learn new ways to show my loyalty to the Earth and
promote the well-being of all its life-forms, but especially to help those which are
currently forced to sufffer most at the hands of 'man'." "Man, Nature, and God are One!" "Pantheist ideas give me some organization and rationality for my more intuitive
understanding about how the world works. I have felt a great sense of purpose and value in
my life since I've come to see the whole world as interconnected, intrinsically valuable,
and in need of human consideration and care. Pantheism makes sense of the best things
about humankind and the natural world. "All of my life I have been awed by the beauty and intelligence of Nature, both on
Earth and in the vastness of the universe. At times I have felt a very close sense of
'one-ness' with it all, a solemn and profound joy. I studied science, which leads to some
intellectual understanding, but also opens even deeper, subtler, more mysterious layers of
Nature which I feel can be grasped only in an intuitive sense. So I have come to value the
spiritual experience of Nature, as a primary value from which most of my other values
derive. "I was born a Jew, and while I retain a special sense of social and perhaps even
spiritual bond with the Jewish nation as a whole, my religious views are contradictory
with Judaism. My theology rests in the natural world and the energy that flows in divine
cycles through and among the many natural systems, many of which we are a part." "Raised Catholic, I left that religion when I attained the age of reason and
started thinking about it. I never found anything in an organized religion, though
Unitarianism came close. I always felt reverence for things natural, felt awe in the face
of natural forces. The closest I would ever come to God would be through nature, I know. I
also feel a strong moral/religious obligation to preserving this earth. I'm happy to find
others who believe as I do!" "As a physicist and engineer I found it very difficult to relate any modern
religion to the knowledge of the micro- and macro- microcosm revealed by the open minded
study of physics. Later, as a healer, I learned that the full experience of Nature reveals
forces not covered in a study of physics alone. We find our personal consciousness to be a
subset of a universal consciousness that connects us to all of nature. There can be no
true understanding of ourselves until we understand our place in nature, how the forces of
nature affect us, and how we can affect the forces of nature. Through Pantheism I an at
last bring my scientific learning, personal experience, and spiritual yearning into a
consistent whole." "Whatever happens to the earth (Universe) happens to me, because it's all one
thing (event)). "In short: every place is a holy place; God is neither inside me nor outside me, but through me! - infusing every quark in the universe." "Once upon a time, I had friends who were trying to convert me to their way of
thinking in a religious way! For some reason, they always failed! Nevertheless the void
was there. Their way did not work. I always feel the urge to touch, a definite need! Then
comes your magazine! "1. Diversity is a reality. "In my book, Full Circle, you'll notice my use of the word
"Pantheist" interchangeably with "deep ecology" and "sacred
world-view", all indicating recognition of an intrinsic spirit in all life forms
equally. I'd be interested in exploring any perceived distinctions, although I find the
similarities more meaningful." "Pantheism is my hope of finding a believable basis and object of adoration,
preferably closer to nature than humanity, closer to science than myths. I wish to explore
it, but already suspect it may be the closes thing I'll ever find for my longings and odd
views. " "My religion has been, for a long time, a respect for and awe of life and an
attempt to live by the golden rule. A few years ago, however, I read Merlin Stone's When
God Was a Woman. I became pretty angered by the things I learned from it. Since
then I have read quite a few books on the religion of the Goddess because I began to
realize how much patriarchal religion has hurt women and nature and has promoted a
war-like mentality. "God is everywhere and in all of us." "To be a pantheist is to have a clearer view of how life should be lived, and a
belief that can be understood through logic and reality." "The idea of religion has always been very inviting to me, but I never identified
with any of the religions I looked into, until pantheism. It allows me to put my life in
perspective and to relate to somethng larger than myself in a meaningful way. It does not
contradict any of my beliefs, and it does not cause me any internal strife. While reading
about the fundamentals of pantheism, it was like reading pages of my own thoughts, there
were no 'leaps of faith' necessary to grasp the concepts. "I always thought I was the only person who thought and felt this way. I'm not
alone!" "For me Pantheism is my belief system, my foundation. It places me in at the
center of our mother earth and all living things inteerconnected within that center. Human
interdependence - Species, Inter-dependence gained only through my consciously competent
mind. A conscious awarenes that I am a microcosm... A very small part of an even bigger
picture. I can not control or dominate that bigger picture. We are organs in this Place we
call Earth, when the forest gets burned down, erected in its space are condos.... That
affects me and every species within existence. It is like having a heart attack, cancer, a
broken leg.... "Above all else, being a pantheist just 'makes sense' to my mind and to my heart.
As a pantheist I revere the divine unity that is the universe, as opposed to placing
credence in a man-made or revealed religion." Contributions to What Pantheism Means to Me are regularly published in Pantheist Vision the quarterly newsletter of the Universal Pantheist Society. The foregoing is just a sampling of such submissions from recent years. For more quotations from such submissions, see The Inner Source of Pantheism. |
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