After reading MinnesotaMike's post on religion and philosophy, I wondered what you all thought of pantheism, esp. scientific and/or naturalistic pantheism. I think this is another area where the line between religion and philosophy is very blurry, and where the emphasis is very strongly on philosophy.
I would call myself a pantheist, but I don't worship nature in the way that the religious worship their gods. Also carrying on from that thread, are there any rituals associated with pantheism? ??? IMO it's much more a philosophy or worldview than a religion, unless you really broaden the definition.
Pantheism can overlap with some religions and religious people's philosophies though, but they're not the same exactly.
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on October 03, 2011, 04:53:09 AM
Also carrying on from that thread, are there any rituals associated with pantheism? ???
One pantheist site I found did have a collection of rituals for the usual things (births, deaths, marriages, etc) but none of them were what could be called conventionally religious -- that is, common phrases like Mother Nature might be used but that was as anthropomorphic as it got. I wouldn't be surprised if creating rituals, or not, was left up to each group.
Totally agree that it seems more of a worldview that anything else but I can see people who miss certain minor aspects of religion but not the "big stuff" (as I sometimes do myself) using this to fill in those small gaps.
Pantheists have to show how nature and God is one, or at the least, nature is divine.
Quote from: Gawen on October 03, 2011, 12:53:01 PM
Pantheists have to show how nature and God is one, or at the least, nature is divine.
It can be easy, depending on the definition of "divine". Actually, depending on whether or not a "higher intelligence" is a part of the definition.
If it is not, well, nature (and I am not refering simply to the biosphere of this planet) has sort of created itself and, as a part of it, us. And it does have the power to frag our asses with an asteroid. That there is probably divine enough for quite a lot of people.
While I have as little belief in pantheistic faiths as any other religion, it does make slightly more sense then monotheism.
Conan Doyle wrote a story about the world being a gigantic organism: When the World Screamed (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_the_World_Screamed). It's fun, if a tad unlikely.
Quote from: Asmodean on October 03, 2011, 02:41:48 PM
Quote from: Gawen on October 03, 2011, 12:53:01 PM
Pantheists have to show how nature and God is one, or at the least, nature is divine.
It can be easy, depending on the definition of "divine". Actually, depending on whether or not a "higher intelligence" is a part of the definition.
This ^
I wouldn't say, for instance that, the creative powers of the universe are conscious or intelligent in the same sense that we are: capable of planning and carrying out a design for a purpose.