Where did pantheism come from?

Question

Where did pantheism come from?

Answer 1

The term "pantheist"—from which the word "pantheism" is derived—was purportedly first used by Irish writer John Toland in his 1705 work, Socinianism Truly Stated, by a pantheist. However, the concept has been discussed as far back as the time of the philosophers of Ancient Greece, by Thales, Parmenides and Heraclitus. The Jewish backgrounds for pantheism may reach as far back as the Torah itself in its account of creation in Genesis and its earlier prophetic material in which clearly "acts of nature" [such as floods, storms, volcanoes, etc.] are all identified as "God's hand" through personification idioms, thus explaining the open references to the concept in both New Testament and Kabbalistic literature.

In 1785 a major controversy began between Friedrich Jacobi and Moses Mendelssohn, which eventually involved many important people of the time. Jacobi claimed that Lessing's pantheism was materialistic in that it thought of all Nature and God as one extended substance. For Jacobi, this was the result of the Enlightenment's devotion to reason and it would lead to atheism. Mendelssohn disagreed by asserting that pantheism was the same as theism.

Answer 2

Those who would deny the One True God are quick to name anything - in this case EVERYTHING - in His place.

Answer 3

It doesn't really matter because its origins are not where pantheism derives its power over the way man perceives God & the universe.  Pantheism would've always been 'floating' around in an ebb & flow within the mind of man, save for one man...

Spinoza.

He cemented the value of the pantheistic outlook and consequently layed the groundwork for the scientific revolution.

Answer 4

someones  rich  imagination!!//.   an  Irish   Dude!!

Answer 5

There are many ancient pantheistic religions.  It developed as a way of explaining creation, destruction and everything in between.  Greeks and Romans, Native Americans, ancient Celtic religions, African religions...

There isn't any one "source" necessarily - there are a myriad of creation myths.

What is interesting is how monotheism developed.  There is a book by a writer named Leonard Shlain called "The Alphabet and the Goddess" that postulates we paternal monotheism is a direct result of how we use our brain.  For example, when we wrote in pictures (hieroglyphs, cave drawings, etc.) we used the right side of the brain and goddess-centered pantheistic religious developed.  When we moved towards writing in letters and words, we started using the left side of our brain to communicate, society moved more toward a one father god concept of religions.  Zoroastrianism is one of the first known monotheistic religions.  Now that we are becoming a picture-based society again (internet, tv) there is a resurgence of goddess-centered pantheistic beliefs and religions.

I also recommend starting with the PBS Documentary series with Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell called The Power of Myth.

Answer 6

I always say that the last true Pantheist was Julia Child.

And I'll keep telling that joke until someone gets it.