Isn’t pantheism the same thing as atheism?

[Alan V]

When I think of a God or gods, which is what any kind of theism implies, I think of a form of being with a mind and willfully directed powers.  Without those attributes, you are talking about some mechanical force or forces.

That being the case, I think of pantheism as necessitating that the universe as a whole has a mind and a will.  I don't know of any atheists who also believe that about it.

Pantheism - God is all things, and all things are God.

I think Pantheists do believe that there is some sort of "potential" or "purpose" inherent in the universe.  However, I don't think they see it as an active intelligence, but rather see intelligence as something that evolves with the universe.  We are part of God, and our intelligence is important to the ongoing evolution of God/The-Universe.

Some may, however, have New Age ideas.

A pantheist will see the divine in the connections that exist within nature.

Per Google: "pan·the·ism: 1. a doctrine which identifies God with the universe, or regards the universe as a manifestation of God.  2. worship that admits or tolerates all gods."

Also: "God: 1. (in Christianity and other monotheistic religions) the creator and ruler of the universe and source of all moral authority; the supreme being.  2. (in certain other religions) a superhuman being or spirit worshiped as having power over nature or human fortunes; a deity.

So as long as you are using the words "pantheism" and "God," and are going by standard definitions, you are going to have to consider the pantheistic God as a superhuman being rather than a series of mechanical laws running the universe.

Of course, people will still believe whatever they want.

Here are a few more related terms from Wikipedia:

Panentheism was formally coined in Germany in the 19th century in an attempt to offer a philosophical synthesis between traditional theism and pantheism, stating that God is substantially omnipresent in the physical universe but also exists "apart from" or "beyond" it as its Creator and Sustainer.  Thus panentheism separates itself from pantheism, positing the extra claim that God exists above and beyond the world as we know it. The line between pantheism and panentheism can be blurred depending on varying definitions of God, so there have been disagreements when assigning particular notable figures to pantheism or panentheism.

Pandeism is another word derived from pantheism, and is characterized as a combination of reconcilable elements of pantheism and deism. It assumes a Creator-deity that is at some point distinct from the universe and then transforms into it, resulting in a universe similar to the pantheistic one in present essence, but differing in origin.

Panpsychism is the philosophical view held by many pantheists that consciousness, mind, or soul is a universal feature of all things. Some pantheists also subscribe to the distinct philosophical views hylozoism (or panvitalism), the view that everything is alive, and its close neighbor animism, the view that everything has a soul or spirit.