MP, Which definition comes closest to your position on theism? It stikes me as pantheistic in relation to MoQ. Theism, in its most inclusive usage, is the belief in at least one deity.[1][2] Less inclusive usages specify that the deity believed in be a distinct identifiable entity, thereby contrasted with pantheism. Other narrower usages specify a specific doctrine concerning the nature of the deity believed in, such that it be a single supreme transcendent God that remains an active, immanent force in the universe.[3][Request quotation on talk to verify] This more specific use of the word theism arose in the 18th century[citation needed] to contrast with the then-widely-held deism which contended that a creator deity—though transcendent and supreme—did not intervene in the natural world and could be known rationally but not via revelation.
A deity is a postulated preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by human beings. Deism is a religious and philosophical belief that a supreme natural God exists and created the physical universe, and that religious truths can be arrived at by the application of reason and observation of the natural world. Deists generally reject the notion of supernatural revelation as a basis of truth or religious dogma. These views contrast with the dependence on divine revelation found in many Christian,[1] Islamic and Judaic teachings.-wiki Deism is the belief that a god or gods exists, created the world, but does/do not alter the original plan for the universe.[8] It typically rejects supernatural events (prophecy, miracles) and divine revelation prominent in organized religion, along with holy books and revealed religions that assert the existence of such things. Instead, Deism holds that religious beliefs must be founded on human reason and observed features of the natural world, and that these sources reveal the existence of a supreme being as creator. Pantheism (Greek: πάν ( 'pan' ) = all and θεός ( 'theos' ) = God, it literally means "God is All" and "All is God") is the view that everything is part of an all-encompassing immanent abstract God; or that the Universe, or nature, and God are equivalent. More detailed definitions tend to emphasize the idea that natural law, existence, and the Universe (the sum total of all that is, was, and shall be) is represented in the theological principle of an abstract 'god' rather than a personal, creative deity or deities of any kind. This is the key feature which distinguishes them from panentheists and pandeists. As such, although many religions may claim to hold pantheistic elements, they are more commonly panentheistic or pandeistic in nature. Thanks -Ron ________________________________ From: Michael Poloukhine <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, February 8, 2009 6:38:41 PM Subject: Re: [MD] Theism/epistemology > Ron; > Then if you?would, please define theism as you understand the > term. MP: the-ism -noun 1. the belief in one God as the creator and ruler of the universe, without rejection of revelation (distinguished from deism ). 2. belief in the existence of a god or gods (opposed to atheism ). Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. The second definition being the one I am on about, notably "as opposed to atheism" and the where the "god or gods" are absent any subsequent cultural layering or definition. Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/ Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
