That doesn’t mean we are rude in telling them this. Whatever we can see is not only made by God but is God Himself. false gods, But the Christian defines this relation in terms of Maker and made, whereas the Pantheist (at least of the popular kind) says, we are “parts” of Him, or are contained in Him. It specifically teaches that God is greater than the universe and that the universe exists within God. In pantheism, there is no difference between deity and reality. Physical matter is just that, matter. ", Learn Religions uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. This will only drive people away. That’s why theism isn’t really necessary to have morals if we agree that we all are capable of thought and feels to understand that hurting does just that, hurt; if we relate to joy, love, pain and sadness moral can exist. Theism’s view of God can be clarified by contrasting it with those of deism, pantheism, and mysticism. I doubt that…unless you’re talking about “the Rock.”. God is in the butterfly and the butterfly is part of God. But they have a very different idea about what happens after death. The term comes from two Greek words meaning "all (pan) is God (theos)." Transcendental Meditation is a veiled form of Hindu yoga, though it claims to be a religiously neutral method of relaxation and rejuvenation. I am still not completely sure if the two can fit together though. This article explores approaches to theism in Western theology and philosophy. { 12 comments… read them below or add one }. As Peter Kreeft rightly noted, “Men are reluctant to pass over from the notion of an abstract and negative deity to the living God. It not only robs God of glory but it robs God of Whom He is, and that is Holy, Holy, Holy. God is the creator of that rock but He is not that rock. Let Scripture be our guide to truth and nothing else. Maybe he can help. Is Pantheism a threat to Christianity? Pantheism is popularly featured in contemporary spirituali… I do not wonder. Atheism. Panentheism (Greek pan which means "all," en which means "in," and theos which means "God") is the position that God is greater than the universe, that the universe is in God, that he permeates every part of nature, is part of nature, extends beyond nature, and is also distinct from it. God is the Creator of matter, but He Himself is not that matter. Hello Joe and thank you sir. This belief extends beyond polytheism (belief in multiple gods) and states that every person, plant, animal, living and non-living thing, is part of the One. Sadly, it’s all too rare in the Christian churches as well. Here lies the deepest tap-root of Pantheism and of the objection to traditional imagery. Who was the first cause if God is matter? Jesus said you are either for me or against me, and all other religions that don’t deal with repentance and faith is false. He is God and there is none other like Him, saying, “I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God” (Isaiah 45:5). This isn’t too far off from Christianity or Catholicism with God punishing those who sin. God wants us to choose the path to eternal life, and just having information on Christianity for any who want to seek it is perfectly fine, but devaluing other’s beliefs because you personally found it absurd? The God of the Bible declares, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen 1:1), and all He had to say was, “Let there be light,” and there was light” (Gen 1:3), so the pantheist should consider the fact that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. If you knew there was only one fire escape but deceived people into thinking there is another way, then that is sin and so should we sit by and say nothing while others are sucked into the deception that man-made religion brings people into. But the Christian defines this relation in terms of Maker and made, whereas the Pantheist (at least of the popular kind) says, we are “parts” of Him, or are contained in Him. There is no justice in the world, and the ones who commit horrific crimes have no god to punish them. If you like what you're reading, you can get free daily updates through the RSS feed here. In biblical Christianity God is sovereign and we are not. The understanding that ultimate reality is a being which isdistinct from the world and any other reality. What Is the Meaning of Immanuel in the Bible? Pantheism vs. Atheism. I feel that these false teachings must be exposed in order to stay away from them and be deceived like many others are. Pantheism – What is it? Pantheistic religions include: * The Shinto faith in Japan. Christianity says that God created everything, not that he is everything or that everything is God: Christianity teaches that God is omnipresent, or exists everywhere, separating the Creator from his creations: In Christian theology, God is everywhere present with His whole being at all times. What Do Christians Believe About Dinosaurs? Can Pantheism, Shintoism, Taoism, Sikhism, Jainism or Judaism. Just look at all that nature shows and geography shows. Joe, nothing can stop the church of Jesus Christ so not false religions can stop it. God is not the world around them; God is present everywhere around them, being … He is in all and all is He. God existed before nature did and nature is actually a display of God’s glory. No wonder people prefer pantheism. Several Sufi saints and thinkers, primarily Ibn Arabi, held beliefs that were somewhat panentheistic. PANENTHEISM VS. PANTHEISM The following is an excerpt from New Thought: A Practical American Spirituality, pp. Pantheism comes from the Greek word pan (all) and theos (God), so all things are God and God is all things. The biggest threat to christianity is the tendency of some of it’s members to tear down other religions and impose their own. Christianity vs. Pantheism: Afterlife How do Christian and Pantheistic views of the afterlife differ? Bible Verses, Quotes, Christian Answers, Songs and More. If that means being bold in condemning false religions, so be it. Pantheism – What is it? You outright pondered if it was a threat (your word). It’s these closed mentalities that pushed me away from Catholicism and Christianity because those people are telling me I have no choice even when God gave me free will. Introduction to the Catholic Religion: Beliefs, Practices and History, Compare Major Beliefs of 7 Christian Denominations, 10 Common Misconceptions About Christian Life, Ask for 7 Gifts Through the Novena to the Holy Ghost. Christian theology opposes the ideas of pantheism. What Was Jesus Doing Before He Came to Earth? Differences between Christianity and Hinduism: Category: Christianity: Hinduism: Nature of God: Monotheism: Infinite and personal Pantheism: Infinite and impersonal Creation: Creatio Ex nihilo: Latin for “Creation from nothing”; creation came from a direct act of God Cyclical creation: Creation occurs and reoccurs forever; creation came from preexisting materials He did his graduate work at Moody Theological Seminary. '” No wonder people prefer pantheism. Yet he is also a God who transcends the world, who passes far beyond … God is nature and nature is God, so God is the stars, moons, suns, the oceans, the mountains…all matter in fact is God. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail, Previous post: Jesus’ Earthly Ministry – 5 Memorable Events, Next post: The Book of Acts: Summary and Overview. Just as many have attacked Jesus divinity and tried to make Him only human, for ages people have been trying to bring down God to a human level. I am sorry if it offended you (apparently). As nouns the difference between theism and pantheism is that theism is (religion) belief in the existence of at least one deity while pantheism is the belief that the universe is in some sense divine and should be revered pantheism identifies the universe with god but denies any personality or transcendence of such a god. Without faith in Jesus Christ, His death and Resurrection a person is going to hell. He died and paid the price for “Our” sin, so we get to go free if we simply believe in Jesus’s death and Resurrection, repenting of our sin and turning from sin and following Christ. Thank you Stephanie. Because modern “panentheism” developed under the influenceof German Idealism, Whiteheadian process philosophy, and currentscientific thought, panentheists employ a variety of terms withmeanings that have specialized content. Mankind has broken God’s Laws. Here lies the deepest tap-root of Pantheism and of the objection to traditional imagery. This universal arrangement is not pantheism (all is God), but panentheism, a term devised by Karl C. F. Krause (1781-1832) to describe his thought.It is best known for its use by Charles Hartshorne and recently by Matthew Fox. Thus, pantheism rules out miracles because "all is God and God is all." One of the biggest issues for pantheists is if God is matter or the universe or all things, then how could He be Creator of all things. Jesus says this more succinctly and to the point than I can ever hope. Humanity, as a social being, is drawn to community, and communities need to agree on things to function for a long term. The Bible teaches that God the Father is a spirit and is not a physical being. This is so contrary to biblical teaching that God is spirit (John 4:24) and not composed of physical matter, therefore matter cannot be God and God cannot be matter. Jack has written 1099 articles on What Christians Want To Know! The Bible also teaches that God created all things. See more. There is no room for kumbaya with other religions. They are similar in a sense that they both believe in existence beyond the fall of the physical body. If that’s all God really is, then we are most miserable, for there’s no hope in a rock. Jesus is not one of many ways to the Father. In biblical Christianity God is sovereign and we are not. What you believe are “false teachings” others believe to be true, and what you believe to be true other’s believe to be “false teachings”. Jack Zavada is a writer who covers the Bible, theology, and other Christianity topics. Christianity rightly separates the Creator from His creation. If God is nothing more than matter, then so many of the great injustices in human history are left unrectified? Hitler’s off the hook, but so is the pantheist. As Peter Kreeft rightly noted, “Men are reluctant to pass over from the notion of an abstract and negative deity to the living God. You chose a title that makes it sound like pantheism is an attack on you and your beliefs. Attacking another religion for not following your beliefs only encourages members of that religion to return fire. It is all glory to God, as you know, but you are encouraging. These beliefs all share the same purpose, to establish moral in a society based on cultural values. 1 Chronicles 16:11 Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! Ideas resembling pantheism existed in East/South Asian religions before the 18th century (notably Sikhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, and Taoism). No one has to obey a God that is nature. If you believe pantheism is true, try to stop the sun from its circuit, and then you can come and talk to me about your rock that is also god. We are all condemned to hell…you, me, everyone, because we have all sinned(broken God’s Laws). The word “atheism” comes from two Greek words: “a”, meaning “no”, or “without”, and “theos”, meaning “God” or “deity”. You can believe in gravity or not, but when you jump off a 70 foot roof, you will demonstrate that gravity is real… Ask yourself who Jesus was, what He did and why He did it. Sadly, it’s all too rare in the Christian churches as well. We are only presenting what is true about them so that Christians might not be drawn into these other areas that draw them away from God. However, a lot people with these beliefs don’t think carefully about this difference, so, practically speaking, pantheism and panentheism tend to overlap or blend, as they do with polytheism. I do not wonder. If a pantheist looks at a rock, they believe God is in that rock and God is that rock, however the Rock that Christians follow, is the Rock, and that Rock is Christ (1st Cor 10:4). “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us"- Augustine, Copyright © 2010-2020 Telling Ministries LLC. I was not familiar with this view. A pantheistic religion is one that believes that a quality of the Divine is within (immanent in) all life or all things, but that there is no transcendent element of the Divine. It is not God, but it is from God. Here lies the deepest tap-root of Pantheism and of the objection to traditional imagery. Panentheism is a blending of theism (belief in a God) and pantheism (all is God). ... sought to reconcile monotheism with pantheism and used the term in 1829. Problems with pantheism: Scriptural evaluation. God is not the world around them; God is present everywhere around them, being omnipresent (present-everywhere). We sin by our silence to warn others that there is only one way and His name is Jesus. Thanks for stopping by! Pastor jack was simply stating that other beliefs are leading the unwary away from the truth(Christianity)…hence, “the threat”. Substantial evidence in favor of a belief in God incudes: This is the central idea of pantheism: that “God is everything, and everything is God.”. They don’t separate God from matter because God is matter. God’s Word states that there is only one way and I believe it (Acts 4:12). These notions later took shape in the theory of wahdat ul-wujud (the Unity of All Things). It kind of makes sense that Pantheism and Christianity could mix because God the father is omniscient and omnipresent, therefore he is everywhere and all things. Both in the East and West, Pantheism has a long history. A rock is a rock and if god is in the rock, how can a rock bring into account, every single thing a person’s done in this life? In biblical Christianity God is sovereign and we are not. As for what Doc asks about other teachings, while I can’t speak for all theologies listed, Buddha and Confucius don’t teach people to free themselves of ‘sin’ but to practice self reflection to better yourself as a person, holding a strong emphasis in respect for your community. If God is in the rocks, hills, rivers, and the sun and the moon, then there is no accountability. Why do you feel that anything anyone else believes that doesn’t exactly follow what you believe is a threat to you? All rights reserved. I think you make a good point. Pantheism definition, the doctrine that God is the transcendent reality of which the material universe and human beings are only manifestations: it involves a denial of God's personality and expresses a tendency to identify God and nature. This perspective is held by a variety of religious belief systems. As Peter Kreeft rightly noted, "Men are reluctant to pass over from the notion of an abstract and negative deity to the living God. It is not God, but it is from God. That is love, not hate. From what I also understand, God can punish a large group of people as well if necessary. Then, God would have had to exist prior to His creating Himself. There is no need for forgiveness, no need for the Savior, no need for God, unless you’re talking about the God that is in the sunset. For example, a tree is God, a mountain is God, the universe is God, all people are God. Answer: Christian pantheism is an attempt to connect the Bible with the false idea that everything that exists is, itself, actually God. If you see error, and people are putting their trust in that, then we have an obligation to tell people the truth. This is clearly idolatry. This distinction attimes develops into an ontological separation between God and theworld that makes any i… 89-92.. Pantheism and Panentheism. This is pantheism (all is divine), not Christianity. They believe in a God who is present and active in this world, a God who can dwell in each person if they accept the grace of the Holy Spirit. I am grateful for your reply! This belief extends beyond polytheism (belief in multiple gods) and states that every person, plant, animal, living and non-living thing, is part of the One. For pantheists, they see the beauty as being God. What is Pantheism, Jack Wellman is a father and grandfather and a Christian author and pastor of Heritage Evangelical Free Church in Udall, KS & also a Prison Minister. Pantheistic thoughts featured in some South/East religious systems before the 18th century such as Taoism, Sikhism, and Confucianism. Christians believe that that atheism requires more faith than Christianity does, because in point of fact there is more hard evidence that Christianity is true! In other words, God and nature is the same thing. That means we do not strive to “Coexist” while all these other sects are sending their supplicants to hell. No wonder people prefer pantheism. Deism Christian theism teaches that the universe was created "ex nihilo," or "out of nothing.". His books are include: “Teaching Children The Gospel/How to Raise Godly Children,“ “Do Babies Go To Heaven?/Why Does God Allow Suffering?,“ "The Great Omission; Reaching the Lost for Christ," and “Blind Chance or Intelligent Design?, Empirical Methodologies & the Bible.". Jesus tells us this Himself, “For I came to set a man at odds against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”(Mt:10:35) Christianity is exclusive. How are they similar? What is Pantheism? All is God, and God is all. In Eastern Orthodox Christianity, creation is not "part of" God, and the Godhead is still distinct from creation; however, God is "within" all creation, thus the parsing of the word in Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christianity is "pan-entheism" (God indwells in all things) and not "panen-theism" (All things are part of God but God is more than the sum of all things). Used by permission. All Rights Reserved. Panentheism (Greek pan which means "all," en which means "in," and theos which means "God") is the position that God is greater than the universe, that the universe is in God, that he permeates every part of nature, is part of nature, extends beyond nature, and is also distinct from it. Or, you can try to impose your beliefs on others, tell them what they believe is deceitful and can not be tolerated, and cause strife. If I were Christian (I was raised Catholic but I consider myself Agnostic), I would inform of what Pantheism is, why Christianity disagrees and conclude that ‘no, it’s not a threat’ because it really is not; Christianity will not win or lose recognition for another belief existing it the same world/universe, as it will still be there with the same testaments. PANENTHEISM VS. PANTHEISM The following is an excerpt from New Thought: A Practical American Spirituality, pp. Theistic views of God. Focus on enriching your faith instead of depleting another. Physical matter is just that, matter. A miracle requires God to intervene on behalf of something or someone outside of himself. He is totally “other” from us. The world is God, and God is the world. God has given you a great gift, please continue to write. And God is sovereign and we are not not strive to “ Coexist ” while all these sects. Above all things ). humans and other Christianity topics the Highest God: pantheism that. 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