The Goat Man (rituals, Earth, mission, atheist, pagans)

[lilithu]

Originally Posted by Kungfuzed

I don't hug trees or dance around campfires or celebrate the new moon or the solstice or equinox. I have no prayers or rituals or ceremonies. I wouldn't even know about daylight savings time if it wasn't for my computer. I'm not quite sure where people draw the line between Pantheism and Paganism.

I do drive a car with ultra low emissions. I don't litter. If I see a recycle bin instead of a trash can, I use it. But to me, that's just all part of being a responsible human being. I do it out of consideration for others and also for myself. As far as my actions go, I don't seem to revere the earth much more than average.

I do believe that we came from the earth (we were the earth before we were born) and are an inseperable part of it, and will continue to be the earth after we die. People are born and die every day. I don't believe in a soul, some invisible supernatural being inside me that lives on after I die. The earth is not living or consious, but it is full of life. You can't go anywhere on this planet without finding some living thing.

Am I a Pantheist? What's the difference between a Naturalist and a Pantheist? I know you can also combine the two. It seems to me that Pantheism is a more romanticized version of Naturalism.

It seems to me that you are confusing several terms - pantheism, paganism, naturalism, and environmentalism. You need not hug trees or recycle to be a pantheist or a naturalist, or a pagan for that matter.

Einstein was a pantheist, as were Leibniz and Spinoza, which may be why Willamena suggested that you check it out. One can certainly be a pantheist and value reason above all else. But if the word "God" doesn't work for you regardless of how you conceive of it, then it doesn't work for you.

[Willamena]

Originally Posted by bflydad

That's an interesting perspective. I hadn't thought of it like that. Personally, when I think of polytheism I think of the multiple Gods as different aspects/archetypes (which would be compatible with panentheism). I realize this is not a universal perspective on polytheism, just my own.

Whenever I read the word "archetype" I always have to go back to references and remind myself what the Jungian archetype means. I think it's a lovely idea in its originality. The way I remember it, loosely, is the example of the woman who is attracted to certain characteristics of men because of an image in the unconscious based on a father figure in her life. The particular characteristics that attract her comprise the archetype. That is entirely consistent with the "image" I mention --it doesn't have to be a visual image, or even a verbal one, it is simply a product of our imag-inative faculty.
So basically we think of "multiple Gods" in the same way.