Pantheism

Pantheism is the belief that the Universe (or nature as the totality of everything) is identical with divinity, or that everything composes an all-encompassing, immanent god. Pantheists thus do not believe in a distinct personal or anthropomorphic god.

In the West, Pantheism was formalized as a separate theology and philosophy based on the work of the 17th-century philosopher Baruch Spinoza, whose book Ethics was an answer to Descartes' famous dualist theory that the body and spirit are separate. Although the term pantheism was not coined until after his death, Spinoza is regarded as its most celebrated advocate. His work, Ethics was the major source from which Western pantheism spread.

Pantheistic concepts may date back thousands of years, and some religions in the East continue to contain pantheistic elements.

Definitions

Pantheism is derived from the Greek πᾶν pan (meaning "all, of everything") and θεός theos (meaning "god, divine"). There are a variety of definitions of pantheism. Some consider it a theological and philosophical position concerning God.