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Ilya · 06-18-2007

I've decided to post a thread about my own metaphysical belief system because it's fairly unknown/misunderstood, and because I know I'll get some honest arguments about it, and I always enjoy those (not because I want to convince anyone of anything, but because I want to explore my own faith further).

Anyway, here goes...

I am a Pantheist. It's not quite a religion, but a metaphysical view that is very present in Hinduism, and is to some extent present in Monotheistic religions and paganism. The basic premise is very simple: God, Substance and Nature are synonymous. God is all that exists, and all that exists is God.

The main opposition to this view is that God thus defined is quite different from the common view of God, especially among the fundamentalist faiths (certainly God cannot be a man, like Jesus Christ, nor can he 'punish' anyone or grant wishes). However, I believe that there are enough similarities between the two concepts to use the same word. Here are a few reasons:

1. He is omniscient. Is knowledge any more than a model of reality? Well, God here is defined as the perfect model of reality, since He is reality. Consider Rodney Brooks's Nouvelle AI premise: The world is its own best model.

2. He is omnipotent. Since He represents ultimate reality, all that can possibly be done is done through Him, and therefore by Him.

3. He is omnipresent. This one should be fairly obvious.

4. He is perfect. Perfection is a very vague and muddy term, but if we use its original definition, it becomes very evident that God is perfect. After all, the original meaning of perfection is completion, and God is the most complete thing that can be, since he is Everything that exists.

5. God is unique. There obviously cannot be another 'Everything', from the very definition of 'Everything'. This is quite consistent with Monotheism.

At this point, I am sure that at least some theists would agree that it is indeed God that I am talking about. I would add to this another idea that is certainly not held by all Pantheists, but one that I personally believe in:

6. God is a conscious, thinking being. I believe that there can only be one consciousness in the world, and that seeing our own consciousnesses as being distinct is an illusion. If there is only one thinking substance, it can very accurately be described as the mind of God. I've had personal experience (prophetic dreams) that suggests this, and while I am sure it will never convince anyone but myself, I can't deny its reality. See this thread for more about this: http://socialdiscussion.com/religion...ciousness.html

I'll be happy to answer any questions, as I've done quite a bit of research on this subject.

06-18-2007	#1 (permalink)
Ilya Eligible for a custom title Join Date: May 2007 Location: Toronto Posts: 107	My faith: Pantheism I've decided to post a thread about my own metaphysical belief system because it's fairly unknown/misunderstood, and because I know I'll get some honest arguments about it, and I always enjoy those (not because I want to convince anyone of anything, but because I want to explore my own faith further). Anyway, here goes... I am a Pantheist. It's not quite a religion, but a metaphysical view that is very present in Hinduism, and is to some extent present in Monotheistic religions and paganism. The basic premise is very simple: God, Substance and Nature are synonymous. God is all that exists, and all that exists is God. The main opposition to this view is that God thus defined is quite different from the common view of God, especially among the fundamentalist faiths (certainly God cannot be a man, like Jesus Christ, nor can he 'punish' anyone or grant wishes). However, I believe that there are enough similarities between the two concepts to use the same word. Here are a few reasons: 1. He is omniscient. Is knowledge any more than a model of reality? Well, God here is defined as the perfect model of reality, since He is reality. Consider Rodney Brooks's Nouvelle AI premise: The world is its own best model. 2. He is omnipotent. Since He represents ultimate reality, all that can possibly be done is done through Him, and therefore by Him. 3. He is omnipresent. This one should be fairly obvious. 4. He is perfect. Perfection is a very vague and muddy term, but if we use its original definition, it becomes very evident that God is perfect. After all, the original meaning of perfection is completion, and God is the most complete thing that can be, since he is Everything that exists. 5. God is unique. There obviously cannot be another 'Everything', from the very definition of 'Everything'. This is quite consistent with Monotheism. At this point, I am sure that at least some theists would agree that it is indeed God that I am talking about. I would add to this another idea that is certainly not held by all Pantheists, but one that I personally believe in: 6. God is a conscious, thinking being. I believe that there can only be one consciousness in the world, and that seeing our own consciousnesses as being distinct is an illusion. If there is only one thinking substance, it can very accurately be described as the mind of God. I've had personal experience (prophetic dreams) that suggests this, and while I am sure it will never convince anyone but myself, I can't deny its reality. See this thread for more about this: http://socialdiscussion.com/religion...ciousness.html I'll be happy to answer any questions, as I've done quite a bit of research on this subject.