“The Pantheist World View” was first published in 1979 to provide a concise and succinct four page summary of the basic vision of life shared by most Pantheists. It was one of the first efforts of the Universal Pantheist Society, which formed in 1975, to help people learn about a way of life combining ancient inspirations with modern scientific understanding.

Revised at intervals over the years, this Kindle edition is intended to bring wider knowledge of this world view as a form of religious naturalism. The length is deliberately limited, expressing the fundamentals of Pantheism in the most brief yet authentic way we can provide.

Pantheists are persons who derive their fundamental religious experience through their personal relationship with the Universe. They feel that Nature is the ultimate context for human existence, and seek to improve their relationship with the natural world as their fundamental religious responsibility.

In universal pantheism, religion is seen as a system of reverent behavior toward the Earth rather than subscription to a particular creed. Because Pantheists identify God with Nature rather than an anthropomorphic being, Pantheists oppose the arrogant world-view of anthropocentrism.

About the Author

Despite a long religious history, dating back beyond Spinoza to the Stoics of ancient Greece and the philosophers of ancient India, there was no modern organization to represent Pantheists until the formation of the Universal Pantheist Society in 1975. The Universal Pantheist Society is the oldest known organization dedicated to modern and universal Pantheism. Today, the need for an ethical, universal approach to Pantheism has never been greater.

In Universal Pantheism, there is no creed or requirements to follow any particular belief or practices. Rather we seek to provide ways for individuals to promote their own spiritual growth and understanding. Our goal is to provide Pantheism with a unified worldwide presence — bringing Pantheists of all varieties together to share in our commonality while providing a continually growing source of information and inspiration.

Recognizing that freedom of belief is inherent in the Pantheist tradition, our bylaws prohibit any requirement for or subscription to any particular religious belief, doctrine, or creed. Persons uniting with the Society do so to further their own understanding of Pantheists attitudes, and through their fellowship with others find purposive means of expressing their faith in daily life. Our membership includes all varieties of pantheists, panentheists, religious naturalists, and other like-minded folks.

The purposes of the Society are: “to unite Pantheists everywhere into a common fellowship, to undertake the conveyance of information about Pantheism to the interested public, to encourage discussion and communication among Pantheists, to provide mutual aid and defense of Pantheists everywhere, to stimulate a revision of social attitudes away from anthropocentrism and toward reverence for the Earth and a vision of the ultimate context for human existence, and to take appropriate action toward the protection and restoration of the Earth.”