Draft:Panendeism
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Panendeism (or pan-en-deism) is a philosophical and theological belief system that combines elements of panentheism and deism. It posits a divine entity that is both immanent and transcendent:
- Immanence: The divine isn't a distant creator but the very essence of the universe, pulsing within every atom and swirling within galaxies. This omnipresent force transcends mere physicality, within an all-encompassing presence, a divine "otherness" that suggests potential for agency beyond or outside the material world's constraints, hinting at a deeper mystical presence beyond our grasp of current understanding.
- Transcendence: The divine also transcends the universe existing beyond our known physical limitations and boundaries of the physical material universe. This resembles the deistic view of a separate creator God.
Panendeism distinguishes itself from pantheism by maintaining a separation between the divine and the universe. While God encompasses all things, it is not simply identical to them. This allows for the possibility of a divine consciousness or will that exists beyond the material world.
Similarly, panendeism differentiates itself from theism by asserting the divine's minimal involvement or intervention with the universe. Unlike a theistic creator who sets the universe in motion and also has active involvement in it's evolution, the panendeistic divine remains actively present within its creation without intervening. This immanence suggests a calculated plan that doesn't require ongoing creation or evolution because it is already to specifications of the divine plan
Key Characteristics:
- Divine Immanence: God is present within and inseparable from the universe.
- Divine Transcendence: God exists beyond the limitations of the universe in some way.
- Distinction between God and the Universe: While God encompasses all things, it is not simply identical to them.
- Active Divine Involvement: God is not a passive creator but remains actively present within the universe.
- Potential for Ongoing Creation and Evolution: The ongoing relationship between God and the universe allows for both continuity and change.
Historical & Modern Thinkers:
- Plotinus (204-270 AD): Neoplatonist philosopher who proposed a model of emanation, with the One (divine) as the source of all existence.
- Baruch Spinoza (1632-1670): Rationalist philosopher who argued that God is identical with nature, the infinite substance of which all finite things are modes.
- Friedrich Schelling (1775-1854): German idealist philosopher who conceived of God as the absolute ground of all being, both immanent and transcendent.
- Charles Hartshorne (1897-2000): American philosopher and process theologian who developed a panentheistic system centered on the concept of God as the principle of novelty in the universe.
- Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947): English philosopher and mathematician who proposed a model of "panentheistic naturalism," where God is the immanent power within the world, continually creating and sustaining it.
Panendeism continues to be a topic of contemporary philosophical and theological discussion, particularly in the context of science and religion dialogue. Its emphasis on both immanence and transcendence offers a compelling alternative to traditional understandings of God and the universe.