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Question: “What is pantheism?” Pantheism is the view that God is everything and everyone and that everyone and everything is God. Pantheism is similar to polytheism (the belief in many gods), but goes beyond polytheism to teach that everything is God. A tree is God, a rock is God, an animal is God, the sky is God, the sun is God, you are God, etc. Pantheism is the supposition behind many cults and false religions (e.g., Hinduism and Buddhism to an extent, the various unity and unification cults, and “mother nature” worshippers).
Answer:
Does the Bible teach pantheism? No, it does not. What many people confuse as pantheism is the doctrine of God’s omnipresence. Psalm 139:7-8 declares, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” God’s omnipresence means He is present everywhere. There is no place in the universe where God is not present. This is not the same thing as pantheism. God is everywhere, but He is not everything. Yes, God is “present” inside a tree and inside a person, but that does not make that tree or person God. Pantheism is not at all a biblical belief.
The clearest biblical arguments against pantheism are the countless commands against idolatry. The Bible forbids the worship of idols, angels, celestial objects, items in nature, etc. If pantheism were true, it would not be wrong to worship such an object, because that object would, in fact, be God. If pantheism were true, worshipping a rock or an animal would have just as much validity as worshipping God as an invisible and spiritual being. The Bible’s clear and consistent denunciation of idolatry is a conclusive argument against pantheism.
Question: “What is panentheism?”Related to Process Theology, panentheism is essentially a combination of theism (God is the supreme being) and pantheism (God is everything). While pantheism says that God and the universe are coextensive, panentheism claims the God is greater than the universe and that the universe is contained within God. Panentheism holds that God is the “supreme effect” of the universe. God is everything in the universe, but God also is greater the universe. Events and changes in the universe effect and change God. As the universe grows and learns, God also increases in knowledge and being.
Answer:
Panentheism is most definitely not biblical. In fact, it is extreme heresy that impugns the character of God and makes Him more like a man. God is present everywhere (Psalm 139:7-8), but God is not everything. God knows everything, whether actual or possible (Psalm 139:1-6; Romans 11:33-35). God does not learn because He already has all knowledge. God is “affected” by things that occur in the universe, but only in that sin angers Him and holiness pleases Him. Our actions do not change God or impact His essential being.
The Bible presents God as holy (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8), sovereign (1 Chronicles 29:11; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 83:18; Isaiah 37:20), omnipresent (Psalm 139:7-10), omniscient (Job 28:24; Psalm 147:4-5), omnipotent (Job 42:1-2), self-existent (Exodus 3:14; Psalm 36:9), eternal (Psalm 90:2; Habakkuk 1:12), immutable (Psalm 33:11; James 1:17), perfect (Deuteronomy 32:3-4), and infinite (Job 5:9; 9:10). None of these attributes are compatible with panentheism. God transcends all of His creation, and is in no sense limited or changed by events in His Creation.
Recommended Resource: Jesus Among Other gods by Ravi Zacharias.
DiscernIt 
19 comments
June 16, 2011 at 8:43 pm
jonel
i was born and raised a christian but now i’m a pantheist. pantheism is not biblical of course, because it is the product of philosophy and science. my simplified explanation of pantheism can be found at
http://thenegativepolarity.com/2011/06/08/everything-is-god-and-god-is-everything/
i must disagree that philosophy should be rejected just because it may counter the things written in the bible. if something, religion included, is true, then it must make more sense as you explore it with your mind. such is pantheism.
June 16, 2011 at 9:29 pm
Kim
Hi Jonel
I like this article by Matt Slick
“Pantheism is the position that God and nature are the same thing. “Pantheism” comes from two Greek words, ‘pan’ meaning ‘all’ and ‘theos’ meaning ‘god.’ So, it would teach that all the stars, galaxies, planets, mountains, wind, and rain, are all one and the same… part of what God is. So, pantheists would say that all is God.
“Biblical Christianity teaches that God is separate from his creation and he created it (Gen. 1:1-30), where pantheism says that God and creation share the same nature and essence.
“A huge problem with pantheism is that it cannot account for the existence of the universe. The universe is not infinitely old. It had a beginning. This would mean that God also had a beginning, but how can something bring itself into existence? This is impossible, so this leaves us with the question of where God and the universe came from. Pantheism cannot answer this question and it naturally leads to absurdities.”
You’re correct pantheism is not biblical. The Bible is the Word of God and philosophy is mans atttempt to answer questions without the creator.
June 16, 2011 at 9:57 pm
jonel
interesting argument…my defense for this is the law of conservation of energy. in simple terms, it states that matter is neither created nor destroyed, but it is simply converted from one thing into another. it means that everything that exists now, and everything that will ever exist in the future, has been around all along if there was ever a beginning. i will admit defeat for now regarding the beginning or end of the universe because our limited knowledge in science has not YET determined how the universe was formed or how it will go but as stated in the law of conservation, everything has already been here and there will be no real end, just a “conversion” into something else. i hope i made sense even just one bit. i’m writing another article right now, thank you for inspiring me.
June 16, 2011 at 10:03 pm
Kim
Also you said….
“In this sense, all religions are merely parts of a whole, because religions revere and hold on to a specific part of the whole, and that whole is God.
“Therefore, we pantheists do not seek to argue with or reject anyone’s beliefs, because it is a part of Everything, and Everything is God.”
Jesus said that He is the only way to God in John 14:6…Acts 14:12 says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
Over and over again Jesus says “I tell you the truth…”
If what you think is true, that all religions are parts of a whole then you have to call Jesus a liar. Do think Jesus is a liar?
You said you wanted to make peace with everyone but this is not possible with Christianity.
June 16, 2011 at 10:17 pm
jonel
well im not saying that jesus is a liar. he simply states what he believes and every christian in the world like you who believe that they have become a better person because of his teachings lead the universe into a good direction. everything is part of a whole. if we all do what we think is right, then the universe will steer itself in the right direction because we are all connected. i do not wish to say that we are superior to anyone, what i’m really trying to say is that we should keep an open mind. jesus was all about kindness and selflessness right? for that, i must say that we(christians and pantheists) have that in common. if you wish to find salvation through jesus, please by all means do. we will always if we discuss our different views. i will only stand by my statement that if a religion is true, then it must make sense even if placed under “human attempts to search for the truth” because truth is something that should come out on its own regardless of how many times and ways that it is bent and twisted and regardless of who tries to search for it.i don’t know if i made sense again sorry…i think that for as long as you are a christian and i am a pantheist, we will never agree on who and what is god, but we will both agree that we are aiming to make the universe a better place.
June 16, 2011 at 10:43 pm
Kim
Yes, you are right that Jesus was about kindness and selflessness, but that is only a part of it. Chrisitanity or following Jesus Christ as savior and Lord is believing He died for sin, and that He rose again. The empty tomb proves His deity.
The world is not becoming a better place, violence is exploding, the nations are hungry, people are out of work. But this was all predicted in the scriptures and when it does, we are to look up for our redemption is near. He is coming again, it may be soon.
June 16, 2011 at 11:06 pm
jonel
I wish to give more points but i’m afraid i would be insulting christianity with what i really want to say next so i’ll just say it this way: science cannot explain everything YET. YET. YET. but we will eventually come to an answer as time goes by. in a moral sense yes, i would agree that the world is not becoming a better place, but that does not mean that we should stop trying to make it a better place. anyways i’m writing an article about this conversation we are having. i hope you don’t mind me mentioning this. thank you for a wonderful conversation.you seem to be a very intelligent person kim, and i would like to have someone like you to talk to. go to my site and you can see my email address there. i would love to share ideas with you. i know you might not be interested, but at least i tried. though to you i may be a tool of the devil, to me you are now a connection. though you might simply ignore my invitation, you have certainly touched my mind. if you really believe in jesus, then spread his teachings of love and kindness. i do not care the slightest what religion people belong to because to me, you are all parts of the same universe and by doing what you think is right, you are helping to steer the universe in the right direction. this is my version of pantheism: as long as you are helping to make the world a better place, then what you wish to believe does not really matter. i don’t have to convert anyone to pantheism and we don’t have to argue who is right and who is wrong. i am thankful for christ teaching people about love and kindness.
June 16, 2011 at 11:26 pm
Pantheism: The Alpha And The Omega | The Negative Polarity
[…] https://kimolsen.wordpress.com/2010/07/05/what-is-pantheism-and-panentheism/ […]
June 16, 2011 at 11:28 pm
jonel
here’s the resulting article: http://thenegativepolarity.com/2011/06/17/the-christian-and-the-pantheist/
June 19, 2011 at 7:52 am
Kim
In our congregation we have a man involved with physics. He explains that as the scientists delve to prove that God does’t exist, the opposite conclusion occurs.
This article states:
http://www.christiantrumpetsounding.com/Athiests%20Scared/Prove%20there%20Is%20a%20God/There%20Is%20A%20God%20Ch1.htm
Robert Griffiths, who won the Heinemann Prize in mathematical physics, described the physicist’s encounter with God:
” If we need an atheist for a debate, I go to the philosophy department. The physics department isn’t much use.(17)”
And on Creation this article states
http://www.christiantrumpetsounding.com/Evolution/C%20V%20E%20Bklt/evol_1.htm
“The Darwinists’ “molecular clock” is beginning to look more like the “Genesis clock.” Molecular research confirms what would reasonably be expected of a creation model.(11)
“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. . .And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.(12) ”
I believe in the Bible 100%. God’s prophecies written in the OT have been fulfilled. The prediction of Jesus’ birth was fulfilled exactly. Archaeologists are unearthing bibical cities. Now we wait for the next prophetic passages to be fulfilled which is the return of Jesus Christ. Teaching the full council of the Bible is important because Jesus did come in love, but He is returning in judgment for those who reject Him as Lord and Savior.
At the end of day, when the plane is going down…when fear envelopes their hearts, when their lives flash before them….who do people call on?
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Don’t wait to seek the true and living God and your Creator.
If he comes and you’re not ready…it will be too late. Does this sound unloving? It is the kindest and most loving thing in the entire universe that I can tell you because it involves your eternal soul….If God is touching or drawing you to Him…Pray and ask God to reveal His truth to you today.
June 19, 2011 at 7:58 am
Kim
One more thing…you cannot be born a Christian…A Christian accepts what the entire Bible teaches as true. A conversion happens. The Holy Spirit is given as a promise of eternal life as a seal. A persons life is changed and sin becomes evident. If one does not hate their sin…then they are probably not a converted Christian. Instead they explain it away.
June 19, 2011 at 11:01 pm
jonel
interesting. i have nothing else to say that would not cross the line. im just happy that we’re having this discussion. im glad that you at least find happiness and a sense of security with your religion. like i said, i don’t mind what you want to believe. i believe that all things are possible, and i am not rejecting the bible. as a historical and biographical book, it is a very reliable source. and let me rephrase: i was born in a christian country with a christian family. wait, are you having the idea that i am disproving god because i’m not. pantheist okay, not atheist and that was what i was trying to say all this time; that the more we learn of science, the more the idea that there is a god makes sense. our god, the pantheist god, is a god defined by science. here’s a simple explanation of our god: http://thenegativepolarity.com/2011/06/18/the-pantheist-god/
i wrote it after our conversation. yes, when a plane is going down, people call their god. i would too but just not your god. please don’t mix us with the atheists, we are the same as you guys in the sense that we believe that there is only one true god and i agree with you and everyone else 100% that science can prove the existence of god. i realized this myself. i didn’t just wake up one morning and decided to be a pantheist because it was “cool” or anything. there was one point where i held a respectable position in our christian church but i guess i’m the the questioning type. if something doesn’t make sense to me, i look for answers. i went from one christian denomination to another, and then explored buddhism, islam, and even satanism to find a full answer to the questions i had. at one point i was agnostic, then atheist. but, even atheism has its questions and then one day i found the world pantheist movement site and read their creed and i was instantly converted because the very things i had in my head for the longest time were answered there. i’m not trying to convert you or anyone for the matter and i’m not seeking to argue with your beliefs on christianity. if it makes you a better person then go for it. the only thing i would like to argue with you really is this statement:
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men, after rudiments of the world and not after Christ.”
Anything that leads us into a worldview and away from a biblical view, removes the impact of God’s word.”
i didn’t like it because it simply says that “this is the truth because we said so”, and like i have said, people should be encouraged to find the answer for themselves. if in the end they decide to follow christ then at least they know that what they are following is the right thing. like you for example. you believe in the bible 100% but im sure you also had your questions at one point in your life. you looked and you found that the bible had your answers so you stick to it and defend it. i didn’t want to be mean, but i’m going to say it anyway: have you really searched or did you just stick to the king james or whatever version of the bible? have you read how your dear bible became the way it is? have you at least heard of the other gospels? if you already have and you still hold on to the bible as it is, then i have nothing more to tell you and i will never question your personal faith again. read my article and all my future pantheist articles and i will read yours. im offering you my friendship, at least we can have these wonderful discussions. it’s nice having this discussion with you kim. may your god bless you and may my god favor me.
June 20, 2011 at 8:13 am
Kim
Yes, I know how the Bible was put together, the authors and how/what books were considered to be canon, or the authoritative scripture for the church.
I like to read from the Geneva version, the KJV, but I use an ESV, and I like to check verses against the Hebrew and Greek which is readily available online in the form of Strongs Condorance. The information online is sea-deep for the seeker.
Once I committed my life to Jesus, the Bible opened up to me because the Bible was written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and once I had the indwelling, I hungered and thirsted for it. Verses jump out at me…comfort, peace and joy are given. The Bible is a supernatural work and equips his sheep to do his work.
But what the Word of God also does is expose SIN in life and convicts man of it. It is only when man can see the need for a savior that he then sees his need for Jesus Christ who paid your penalty and mine.
You are right in the sense that you have nothing more to tell me because:
I receive a strength and power from on high, to do God’s work. I am a nothing, I was lost, and by relying on the Holy Spirit, which totally changed me, btw, and scripture, I can be a part of the Kingdom of God and I am secure in my eternal destiny.
God is HOLY, and hates sin…. God is also JUST. How can a just God, just look the other way at sin and remain just?….He cannot for the wages of sin is death. Jesus came and offered himself in our place. That is what my God has done for me.
It is the God from scripture and not one of my own making.
June 20, 2011 at 8:48 am
Kim
This is CARM which has great information about the Bible..Also any who may searching may also want to access http://www.gotquestions.org. It answers many questions in a simple and biblical way.
from CARM:
“Copies of the Bible dating to the 14th century A.D. are nearly identical in content to copies from the 3rd century A.D. When the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, scholars were shocked to see how similar they were to other ancient copies of the Old Testament, even though the Dead Sea Scrolls were hundreds of years older than anything previously discovered. Even many hardened skeptics and critics of the Bible admit that the Bible has been transmitted over the centuries far more accurately than any other ancient document.
“There is absolutely no evidence that the Bible has been revised, edited, or tampered with in any systematic manner. The sheer volume of biblical manuscripts makes it simple to recognize any attempts to distort God’s Word. There is no major doctrine of the Bible that is put in doubt as a result of the minor differences that exist between manuscripts.
“Again, the question, can we trust the Bible? Absolutely! God has preserved His Word despite the unintentional failings and intentional attacks of human beings. We can have utmost confidence that the Bible we have today is the same Bible that was originally written. The Bible is God’s Word, and we can trust it (2 Timothy 3:16; Matthew 5:18).”
June 21, 2011 at 7:56 pm
jonel
seriously, i cannot go further on this discussion without being insulting to christianity, but i guess i’ll just do it in the form of a question:what happened to the other gospels? why aren’t they featured in the bible? yes, the old testament and the four gospels may not have changed much, but how did the bible become the way it is? to anyone reading this, do your own research and find your own answer. i recognize christianity as a religion that proclaims love, kindness and peace. i am a pantheist in all aspects, but i am different from them in such a way that i wish to tolerate other religions. as long as a religion teaches man to live beautifully then let them be but i am against any religion that will prohibit free thought. that is all i ask – to let people explore more into everything and let them decide for themselves what is right for them. the god you believe in gave you intelligence and free will right? why give you so much capabilities if you’re not allowed to use it to the fullest and at least explore and decide what is right for you. yes,
June 21, 2011 at 9:03 pm
Kim
Here is some text from Got questions.org that I gave a link to:
The criteria the church used for recognizing and collecting the Word of God are as follows:
1) Was the book written by a prophet of God?
2) Was the writer authenticated by miracles to confirm his message?
3) Does the book tell the truth about God, with no falsehood or contradiction?
4) Does the book evince a divine capacity to transform lives?
5) Was the book accepted as God’s Word by the people to whom it was first delivered?
Other books were not canonized for various reasons. There were historic errors, theological errors, the author could not be verified….
The prophet Joshua said in chapter 24 verse 15….”But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourself this day whom you will serve…” Then in the book of Matthew there are two gates one wide and one narrow and two paths. Many decide to enter the wide gate and walk the wide path…but it leads to destruction…your choice.
As far as insulting Christianity… I go to 1 Corinthians 1:18-19
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”‘
Lastly God promised to preserve His Word through the ages.
“The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. “(Psalms 12:6-7)
Time to go…..
June 22, 2011 at 8:04 pm
jonel
i guess so…like i said earlier, for as long as i am a pantheist and you are a christian, we will never agree. we don’t have the luxury of having a default book to get answers from because our book is not finished yet and will never probably finished ever. the only time the pantheist book will be finished will probably be at the end of the universe itself, if it will ever end. all we have is science. whatever makes a good person i guess that’s what i’ll settle for. for as long as christianity preaches kindness i have nothing against it. i guess we will only truly know who was right and who was wrong at the very last moment of our lives. peace be with you.
July 14, 2011 at 10:59 pm
The Christian And The Pantheist « Jonel Fernando.com
[…] https://kimolsen.wordpress.com/2010/07/05/what-is-pantheism-and-panentheism/ […]
November 30, 2012 at 7:49 am
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