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With this article, I am continuing a series on modern
Pantheism.
As mentioned in the last article (Pantheism: The New
World Religion), this religion is quickly invading the
fabric of our society, and being incorporated into denominations.
Therefore, an investigation into this religion will
help us see the beliefs behind many of the changes in
our world. And hopefully, prevent us from falling prey
to false doctrine.
About the Series
Although there are different forms of Pantheism, I want
to focus on mainline Pantheistic beliefs in contrast
to God's word.
In order to do this, I'll include references from
the World Pantheism Movement (pantheism.net),
so you can educate yourself.
But please understand that this is a broad brush,
and every Pantheistic sect is not represented by every
statement.
Pantheism: Nature (The Universe) is God
Paul Harrison, President of the World Pantheism Movement,
clearly states the Pantheistic view that the universe
and nature alone are worthy of reverence.
- "Pantheism is the belief that the universe and
nature are numinous - that they and they alone
are worthy of the reverence that traditional
religions devote to 'God'" (http://www.pantheism.net/paul/history.htm).
Also, in the beliefs section of the World Pantheism
Movement website (pantheism.net/beliefs.htm),
there are three statements that are particularly interesting.
- "The central belief is that the universe and
nature should be regarded with the deepest reverence,
and nature should be treated with the deepest respect."
- "Nature is our mother, our home, our security,
our peace, our past and our future. We should
treat natural things and habitats as believers
treat their temples and shrines, as sacred - that
is, to be revered and preserved in all their
intricate and fragile beauty."
- "The universe creates us, preserves us, destroys
us. It is deep and old beyond our ability to reach
with our senses. It is beautiful beyond our ability
to describe in words. It is complex beyond our ability
to fully grasp in science."
From these quotes, we see that Pantheists believe
nature (the universe) is god.
They assign divine attributes to nature and the universe,
rather than Jehovah God, believing that:
- Only nature is to be revered, not Jehovah (cf.
Ps. 111:9; Matt. 23:8-10; Jn. 4:23-24).
- Nature is our mother. In other words, nature is
our creator, not Jehovah (cf. Gen. 1:1-2:25; Heb.
1:2; 11:3).
- Nature gives us peace and security, not Jehovah
(cf. Phil. 4:4-9; Rom. 8:34-39; Eph. 1:13-14).
- Nature preserves and destroys us, not Jehovah (cf.
Matt. 6:9-13; 10:28).
Paul: The Sin of Pantheism
In Romans 1, Paul teaches us about Pantheists and the
sin of Pantheism (cf. Deut. 4:15-19).
- Rom. 1:22-23, 25 They exchange the worship
of God for the worship of nature. They exchange the
truth for a lie.
- Rom. 1:18-20 They are without excuse. Nature
proclaims there is a God whom we must know and worship.
Nature itself is not god.
- Rom. 1:21 They do not honor God or give
thanks.
- Rom. 1:22 They are fools.
- Rom. 1:26-32 God gives them over to degrading
passions and a depraved mind, because they do not
acknowledge Him. Homosexuality, and resulting diseases,
are signs that God has given them over to sin.
Today, we see the same things happening in the United
States as in first century Rome. As Pantheism and Pantheistic
religions have increased, so has homosexuality.
Universal Unitarian Church: Pantheism / Homosexuality
An example of this is in the Universal Unitarian Church,
which is openly Pantheistic and pro-homosexual.
One source of faith they draw their religion from
is nature.
- "Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions
which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct
us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature"
(http://www.uua.org/visitors/6798.shtml).
Also in a statement regarding their beliefs, they
confess embracing Pantheistic religions.
- "Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religion that
draws wisdom and inspiration from many sources. Unitarian
Universalists include people who identify as Christians,
Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Pagans, Atheists, Agnostics,
Humanists, and with other religious or philosophical
traditions" (http://www.uua.org/visitors/beliefswithin/index.shtml).
As in Romans 1, wherein we learn the correlation between
Pantheism and homosexuality, the Unitarian Universal
Church is pro-homosexual, which is obvious by their
Office of Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Concerns.
And, making the Unitarian Universalist stance on homosexuality
clear, Barbara Pescan, a Universal Universalist pastor,
writes:
- "In 1996 the UUA made history by being the first
mainline denomination in the U.S. to adopt a position
supporting legally recognized marriage between
members of the same sex" (http://www.uua.org/visitors/uuperspectives/59581.shtml).
Conclusion
Modern day Pantheists revere nature and the universe
rather than God. They worship nature, just as first
century Romans (Rom. 1:18-32).
As a result, God has given them over to degrading
passions and a depraved mind, because they don't see
fit to acknowledge Him (Rom. 1:26-28).
The foremost evidence of this is the sin of homosexuality,
and resulting diseases (Rom. 1:26-27).
Homosexuality cannot be separated from Pantheism.
As Pantheism spreads, so does homosexuality.
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