Panteism claims that the Universe itself is God. Does that mean that the Universe has a consciousness?

Quote:Pantheism is the belief that all reality is identical with divinity,[1] or that everything composes an all-encompassing, immanent god.[2] Pantheists thus do not believe in a distinct personal or anthropomorphic god.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheism

Quote:pan·the·ism
ˈpanTHēˌizəm/Submit
noun
noun: pantheism
1.
a doctrine that identifies God with the universe, or regards the universe as a manifestation of God.
2.
rare
worship that admits or tolerates all gods.

I have met a lot of people who were raised religious - devout catholics, protestants, or ex-batshit-crazy-fundie like myself - who dabbled in witchcraft or spiritualism or other types of mystical woo before finally deciding it was all ridiculous.  It's kind of a backwards erasing of religion - you know, man went from worshiping mother earth or the sun or the moon or the wolf spirit to monotheism.  Go backwards!  You can have a goddess of gardening, a god of car repair, a goddess to help you study, a god to help you work on your telepathic powers - - all more fun than asking Jeebus to help find your car keys!
    For those extricating themselves from an evil bastard sky god, the peacefulness of nature religions and communing with the earth's mystical lines of force can have a lovely pull.  Until you realize the mystical lines of force are fantasy unless you're talking magnetic fields.  Communing with nature gods is great - I now just call it gardening though.
    Pantheism - history.  Also an alternative form of woo for those disgusted with Yahweh and Allah and their ilk.

(July 22, 2017 at 2:03 pm)Die Atheistin Wrote: Panteism claims that the Universe itself is God. Does that mean that the Universe has a consciousness?

Since these people are a part of the universe, are they also a very very very tiny god?

(July 22, 2017 at 2:03 pm)Die Atheistin Wrote: Panteism claims that the Universe itself is God. Does that mean that the Universe has a consciousness?

We have no idea what the universe really is so we can't say what  its attributes are.  We might be on the equivalent of an electron that's circling the nucleus of an atom in a chemical compound.  Our universe might be comparable to a single dandelion flower in a field of dandelions in a small median strip on a highway.  We simply don't know what we are a part of of how large it is.  We only know that it seems large to us.  However, people used to think that the universe consisted of just the visible stars and that we were at the center of it.  Yeshua thought that stars would fall to the Earth because he thought that stars were just tiny points of light, just like meteorites that he thought were stars.    But now we know differently but we are still ignorant as to what the reality is.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxs5wye0JXs

You're not alone. Pantheism makes no sense to me either. I see no reason to call the universe "God". I just call it "the universe".

The trouble with pantheism is that, in trying to equate the word 'god' with the word 'universe', it does a disservice to both concepts.  As Jesster said, we already have a perfectly good word that means 'universe' ('universe') and a perfectly good word that means 'nebulous concept of a supranatural entity who will punish you forever if you fuck the wrong person' ('god').  I see no value in trying to muck up this arrangement.

Boru

I'm a pantyist. I worship at the temple of the divine garden of the lady, with its sheer lacy veil that leaves much to be desired. In the name of the tanga, the thong and the holey gusset.

(July 22, 2017 at 2:03 pm)Die Atheistin Wrote: Pantheism claims that the Universe itself is God. Does that mean that the Universe has a consciousness?

Pantheism is bullshit too, it is simply a watered down form of woo.

It is simply another form of human projection of human qualities on non human things.

No, the universe is not conscious. It is no different than a hurricane or snow storm. It is simply a giant weather pattern as to which we are a manifestation riding in it as a temporary blip. 

The universe is not a giant brain and is not structured like a human brain so it cannot think like a human brain. 

This is a popular belief for many who want to try to avoid the old tribal rival kingships of the polytheism and monotheism of the past. It is however, another form of dreamy eyed romance of the idea of a "forever", but in si fi form. 

Just because everything is made up of atoms, does not mean our consciousness survives us. NO, once you die, that is it. You are merely your brain in motion. Trying to paint the entire universe as being a giant super brain is just as absurd as the God/gods of antiquity.

(July 22, 2017 at 2:03 pm)Die Atheistin Wrote: Panteism claims that the Universe itself is God. Does that mean that the Universe has a consciousness?

You are part of the universe, and you have consciousness, so therefore the universe has consciousness.