pantheist

A pantheist is a person who holds the view that the divine and the universe are identical: God is not a separate personal being but is equivalent to the totality of existence. The term derives from Greek roots meaning "all" (pan) and "god" (theos). Pantheism can be expressed as a metaphysical claim about the nature of divinity, as a religious orientation toward reverence for the natural world, or as a philosophical position that rejects transcendent deities.

Historically, ideas associated with pantheism appear in various traditions. Classical Stoic philosophy, some strands of Hindu thought, and certain mystical currents have been seen as pantheistic or pantheistic-adjacent. In Western thought, Baruch Spinoza is often cited as a central figure whose monistic identification of God and nature was interpreted as pantheism. Modern forms include naturalistic pantheism, which emphasizes scientific understandings of the cosmos without supernaturalism, and religious pantheism, which maintains ritual or spiritual practices centered on nature.

Pantheism is distinct from panentheism, which holds that the divine pervades the universe but also transcends it, and from conventional theism, which posits a separate personal God. Critics argue pantheism blurs important distinctions between creator and creation and may lack a basis for personal religious practices. Supporters find in it a coherent framework for ecological ethics, spiritual awe, and a nondual interpretation of reality. Contemporary organizations and communities promote pantheist ideas through education, nature-centered spirituality, and philosophical discussion.