Isn’t pantheism the same thing as atheism?

[HappySkeptic]

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.

Of course, people will still believe whatever they want.

There is no "standard" definition of God.  A Pantheist does not believe in the Christian God, or the Hebrew God, or Norse Gods, or any standard superhuman concept of God.

Pantheism isn't that far different from "a reverence for nature".  It sees divine in the connections between all things, and sees intelligence as a particularly special expression of the universe.

Whether a Pantheist adds other attributes to the Universe such as "it listens to me", or "it responds to desires and prayer" is beyond the requirements of being a Pantheist.  As I said, some may have New Age ideas given by woo-peddlers such as Eckhart Tolle, but not all.