Am I a Pantheist?
By Able_Reason
Lately it seems to me that the term atheist really isn't a sufficient label anymore for my purposes. Everyone you ask assigns the word a slightly different meaning.
I’ve been telling people for 12 years now that I'm an atheist. At first I simply wanted people to know that I reject belief in theism. But now I’ve come to a point in my life where it’s more important to me that I let others know how much I love science, nature, and the quest for knowledge about all the different aspects of our universe.
I still reject belief in theism, even more so than I did 12 years ago, but that rejection is no longer what I feel compelled to emphasize about myself. This change in attitude is not out of any fear of persecution, nor out of a desire for conformity. It’s simply because, after 12 years of this ongoing intellectual journey, the label that I once assigned to myself no longer seems adequate. The desire for a new label is really just a personal thing that’s been brewing in me for a few years now.
I’ve seen online discussions both here (at the AtheistParents.org forum) and at other atheist/freethought forums dealing with the term "pantheist." Many folks don't like the label because they don’t want to refer to themselves as any kind of theist (unless it’s an atheist or a nontheist) and/or because they don’t see any reason to call the universe "god".
I've been looking into Scientific Pantheism (SciPan) lately to see what it's really all about and I'd like to share a little bit of that journey with everyone.
A while back I wrote an essay entitled "Am I a Secular Humanist?", which can be found here. In that essay I went thru each one of the "Affirmations of Humanism" from the Council for Secular Humanism website found here, and I commented on what I thought about each one. At the end of the essay I decided that I really didn't feel comfortable calling myself a Secular Humanist.
I'd like to do something similar in this essay with the "The Pantheist Credo".
A bit of the intro to the credo that can be found here.
Now I’m just going start quoting each of the 9 creeds and then follow each one with a sentence or two about my thoughts and feelings on that particular creed.
This is a very poetic sounding proclamation. It puts into words my feelings exactly. I don't see any reason why I couldn't assent to this statement.
This is a very admirable statement and I couldn't agree with it more. Meditation is probably the word that will bother most nontheist types, but personally I see introspection, deep thought, clearing of the mind, and escapism each as different forms of meditation or stress relief. I don't think that it's necessary to take the term in its strictest religious/metaphysical sense.
I certainly agree with this statement wholeheartedly. However, I can see where this creed could be taken to its extreme by eco-terrorist types.
These are certainly noble ideals and I fully support them, unless or until it means that I must compromise my personal and/or economic liberty.
I like this statement. It’s basically a statement of fact. It says, this is what the evidence shows, and so, I believe it. I completely support this statement.
When I read this statement it makes me smile. I think that this statement is a beautiful way to describe how I feel about life and death.
This is exactly the kind of personal information that I want people to understand about me when I’m discussing my beliefs with them. The label atheist is not only a negative label; it lacks all of the positive connotations that I desire others to attribute to me.
This basically says to me that anyone can emotionally connect with nature, which I fully agree with. This creed is a bit touchy-feely sounding, but hey, it's high time I stopped being afraid of my emotions and started embracing them.
This creed not only speaks to my nontheist/freethinker side, but also to my libertarian side. I can’t help but fully support this statement.
So, that's it for the creeds. They're really not that controversial from a nontheist’s standpoint, IMHO.
I'm still concerned about labeling myself any kind of "-theist", but as I get older this appears to be lessening. I really like the fact that I could use the word Scientific in my self described label (I'm referring here to "Scientific Pantheist" or SciPan for short). I saw nothing in this credo that required a SciPan to use the term "god" in any kind of capacity; which certainly alleviates one of my main concerns. There doesn't appear to be any compulsion whatsoever to call the Universe or nature by any other name than what I already do.
Most nontheists, and I’m sure many theists as well, would probably interpret "pantheist" to mean a person with the view that everything is god. Because of this, calling oneself a "pantheist" might be a stretch that most nontheists aren't willing to make. I personally don't have a problem with interpreting "pantheism" as simply the view that "everything is divine" (divine in this sense as worthy of awe, wonder, and respect).
I’m sure that by now, those of you who’ve stayed with this essay can guess that I'm seriously considering switching my self-described label from "atheist" (or nontheist which I use interchangeably) to "Scientific Pantheist" (or SciPan).
When the topic of my beliefs (or lack there of) comes up I normally have to explain what it is exactly that I believe and don’t believe and how I arrived at those positions. So, switching my label to "pantheist" really won’t make that task any harder. And besides, most people already have preconceived notions about "atheists," which I’ve always felt forced to overcome. With "pantheist", most people have probably never even heard the term before.
Thanks for allowing me to share a bit of my journey with all of you. I hope that reading this stimulated thoughts and ideas that you hadn’t previously considered. Writing this certainly did that for me.
Discuss this article here.
By Able_Reason
| ||
| ||
| ||
|
I’ve been telling people for 12 years now that I'm an atheist. At first I simply wanted people to know that I reject belief in theism. But now I’ve come to a point in my life where it’s more important to me that I let others know how much I love science, nature, and the quest for knowledge about all the different aspects of our universe.
I still reject belief in theism, even more so than I did 12 years ago, but that rejection is no longer what I feel compelled to emphasize about myself. This change in attitude is not out of any fear of persecution, nor out of a desire for conformity. It’s simply because, after 12 years of this ongoing intellectual journey, the label that I once assigned to myself no longer seems adequate. The desire for a new label is really just a personal thing that’s been brewing in me for a few years now.
I’ve seen online discussions both here (at the AtheistParents.org forum) and at other atheist/freethought forums dealing with the term "pantheist." Many folks don't like the label because they don’t want to refer to themselves as any kind of theist (unless it’s an atheist or a nontheist) and/or because they don’t see any reason to call the universe "god".
I've been looking into Scientific Pantheism (SciPan) lately to see what it's really all about and I'd like to share a little bit of that journey with everyone.
A while back I wrote an essay entitled "Am I a Secular Humanist?", which can be found here. In that essay I went thru each one of the "Affirmations of Humanism" from the Council for Secular Humanism website found here, and I commented on what I thought about each one. At the end of the essay I decided that I really didn't feel comfortable calling myself a Secular Humanist.
I'd like to do something similar in this essay with the "The Pantheist Credo".
A bit of the intro to the credo that can be found here.
The Pantheist Credo is not like the creed of Christianity. There is no compulsion to agree to it. Basically it is intended as a succinct statement for members of the World Pantheist Movement, and a guide for people who are thinking of joining. It is a belief statement for the scientific, naturalistic, materialist strand of pantheism … .
Now I’m just going start quoting each of the 9 creeds and then follow each one with a sentence or two about my thoughts and feelings on that particular creed.
1. We revere and celebrate the Universe as the totality of being, past, present and future. It is self-organizing, ever-evolving and inexhaustibly diverse. Its overwhelming power, beauty and fundamental mystery compel the deepest human reverence and wonder.
This is a very poetic sounding proclamation. It puts into words my feelings exactly. I don't see any reason why I couldn't assent to this statement.
2. All matter, energy, and life are an interconnected unity of which we are an inseparable part. We rejoice in our existence and seek to participate ever more deeply in this unity through knowledge, celebration, meditation, empathy, love, ethical action and art.
This is a very admirable statement and I couldn't agree with it more. Meditation is probably the word that will bother most nontheist types, but personally I see introspection, deep thought, clearing of the mind, and escapism each as different forms of meditation or stress relief. I don't think that it's necessary to take the term in its strictest religious/metaphysical sense.
3. We are an integral part of Nature, which we should cherish, revere and preserve in all its magnificent beauty and diversity. We should strive to live in harmony with Nature locally and globally. We acknowledge the inherent value of all life, human and non-human, and strive to treat all living beings with compassion and respect.
I certainly agree with this statement wholeheartedly. However, I can see where this creed could be taken to its extreme by eco-terrorist types.
4. All humans are equal centers of awareness of the Universe and nature, and all deserve a life of equal dignity and mutual respect. To this end we support and work towards freedom, democracy, justice, and non-discrimination, and a world community based on peace, sustainable ways of life, full respect for human rights and an end to poverty.
These are certainly noble ideals and I fully support them, unless or until it means that I must compromise my personal and/or economic liberty.
5. There is a single kind of substance, energy/matter, which is vibrant and infinitely creative in all its forms. Body and mind are indivisibly united.
I like this statement. It’s basically a statement of fact. It says, this is what the evidence shows, and so, I believe it. I completely support this statement.
6. We see death as the return to nature of our elements, and the end of our existence as individuals. The forms of 'afterlife' available to humans are natural ones, in the natural world. Our actions, our ideas and memories of us live on, according to what we do in our lives. Our genes live on in our families, and our elements are endlessly recycled in nature.
When I read this statement it makes me smile. I think that this statement is a beautiful way to describe how I feel about life and death.
7. We honor reality, and keep our minds open to the evidence of the senses and of science's unending quest for deeper understanding. These are our best means of coming to know the Universe, and on them we base our aesthetic and religious feelings about reality.
This is exactly the kind of personal information that I want people to understand about me when I’m discussing my beliefs with them. The label atheist is not only a negative label; it lacks all of the positive connotations that I desire others to attribute to me.
8. Every individual has direct access through perception, emotion and meditation to ultimate reality, which is the Universe and Nature. There is no need for mediation by priests, gurus or revealed scriptures.
This basically says to me that anyone can emotionally connect with nature, which I fully agree with. This creed is a bit touchy-feely sounding, but hey, it's high time I stopped being afraid of my emotions and started embracing them.
9. We uphold the separation of religion and state, and the universal human right of freedom of religion. We recognize the freedom of all pantheists to express and celebrate their beliefs, as individuals or in groups, in any non-harmful ritual, symbol or vocabulary that is meaningful to them.
This creed not only speaks to my nontheist/freethinker side, but also to my libertarian side. I can’t help but fully support this statement.
So, that's it for the creeds. They're really not that controversial from a nontheist’s standpoint, IMHO.
I'm still concerned about labeling myself any kind of "-theist", but as I get older this appears to be lessening. I really like the fact that I could use the word Scientific in my self described label (I'm referring here to "Scientific Pantheist" or SciPan for short). I saw nothing in this credo that required a SciPan to use the term "god" in any kind of capacity; which certainly alleviates one of my main concerns. There doesn't appear to be any compulsion whatsoever to call the Universe or nature by any other name than what I already do.
Most nontheists, and I’m sure many theists as well, would probably interpret "pantheist" to mean a person with the view that everything is god. Because of this, calling oneself a "pantheist" might be a stretch that most nontheists aren't willing to make. I personally don't have a problem with interpreting "pantheism" as simply the view that "everything is divine" (divine in this sense as worthy of awe, wonder, and respect).
I’m sure that by now, those of you who’ve stayed with this essay can guess that I'm seriously considering switching my self-described label from "atheist" (or nontheist which I use interchangeably) to "Scientific Pantheist" (or SciPan).
When the topic of my beliefs (or lack there of) comes up I normally have to explain what it is exactly that I believe and don’t believe and how I arrived at those positions. So, switching my label to "pantheist" really won’t make that task any harder. And besides, most people already have preconceived notions about "atheists," which I’ve always felt forced to overcome. With "pantheist", most people have probably never even heard the term before.
Thanks for allowing me to share a bit of my journey with all of you. I hope that reading this stimulated thoughts and ideas that you hadn’t previously considered. Writing this certainly did that for me.
Discuss this article here.
August 09, 2003