Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.
Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!
LOL! I get you, I think. Languages are tricky things.Odion, I think we have different ideas of consciousness, or as you put it, your concept of the consciousness of the Source Deity is more difficult to describe. When I say that I don't think many panentheists hold there is a singular consciousness to Deity I am thinking more along the lines of willful, decision-making, singular consciousness like would be attributed to us or gods/goddesses. Again, I don't know if I'm communicating this well, but I hope you get my general meaning. I would kind of agree with you a little bit that there is a flowing consciousness to the Source in a way, like you I don't know how to describe what I'm meaning, but I don't think of it like a singular consciousness like I just described. I really don't know if I'm making any sense here.
Pretty much.So willful, decision making (as Draka put it) may or may not be a part of your belief system? Just depends on the person?
And mine.Pretty much.
It's part of mine.
Is god in panentheism a conscious being who makes decisions through some sort of through process? Or, no? Is there a variety of belief in that area?
To extend this idea (or this question) a little further...
What is the role of prayer in panentheism? Or would praying even make sense in this belief system?
In this context I am referring to prayer in two varieties: First, prayers of petition, where the prayer is asking for some blessing from God, and second, prayers of gratitude to thank God (or gods) for some blessing that has already been received.
I consider myself a panentheist. Like Draka, I have polytheistic leanings, although mine have appeared quite recently.
I believe my God is life itself, and it is Pure Consciousness (not "consciousness" which relies on mental faculties, but something more difficult to describe) itself, so yes, I believe it is aware.
Does it make decisions? I don't know. Possibly, probably, but maybe not the way we would understand it; I doubt it acts upon them. Does it mete it out punishments or rewards, or intervene with the universe's laws? Not in my view,
even though I believe it is possible to have some sort of experience with this Noumenon; I believe that every action, thought, event and feeling that occurs, the Divine is experiencing.
My opinion is, if the Divine allows events to occur and has any control over them or any influence in them whatsoever (which I don't really believe, but accept may occur), then it would be allowing them occur to experience a plethora of events.
What do you see as the difference?...while god has consciousness I would not say god is conscious