World Pantheist Movement
Encyclopedia
The World Pantheist Movement (WPM) is the world's largest organization of people associated with pantheism
, a philosophy
which asserts that spirituality
should be centered on nature
. The WPM promotes strict Naturalistic Pantheism
without belief in any supernatural beings, realms, or powers.
The WPM grew out of a mailing list started by Paul Harrison
in 1997, arising around his Scientific Pantheism website. An initial group of 15 volunteers worked on a joint statement of agreed beliefs (the Pantheist Credo). The WPM officially opened for membership in December 1999.
These are summarized as follows:
The WPM encourages wonder and awe at the beauty and mystery of the Universe and fosters the full range of positive emotional responses to life. The WPM promotes ethical principles such as respect for the rights of humans and other living creatures, non-discrimination, justice and peace.
It respects the scientific method as humanity's most accurate approach for deepening its understanding of nature, while accepting that science is a never-ending quest and that some technologies have created massive social and environmental problems. It accepts that there are some questions that science may never answer - such as why anything exists, rather than nothing at all. It does not give any credence to ideas such as a separate soul distinct from the body, or of the consciousness' survival after death, but believes that people achieve a form of immortality through the ongoing effects of their actions, the things they create, others' memories, the legacy of their genes, and the recycling of their elements in nature.
It does not prescribe any particular set of religious practices, instead leaving the matter up to individuals. Pantheistic activity is viewed not as a ritual that must be upheld in order to placate gods and spirits, or to follow rules prescribed in scripture, but rather as an individual expression of one's deep feelings towards Nature and the wider Universe. Among members and friends of the WPM, the most common practices are meditation and close, daily observation of nature. Both of these are sometimes accompanied by the use of natural objects such as pebbles, shells, bark etc. About a quarter of WPM members report using some form of pagan celebration, but this is done for self-expression and fun, rather than out of literal belief in pagan theologies.
Members and friends may meet in small groups, the format of which varies. Groups may discuss general ideas; watch and discuss relevant (often nature-related) books, or films; share personal experiences; go on nature outings; or participate in nature conservation projects or other forms of community service.
Viewing the recycling of human elements in soil, water, and the atmosphere as a major element of human "immortality," the WPM supports the "natural death" approach. In this context, it seeks to return the elements to the natural cycle in the fastest and most responsible way possible, such as burial in a biodegradable container in nature-reserve type grounds.
, while others hold agnostic
stances. Some members use or theistic
vocabulary, however they do not believe in a thinking creator god
, and simply use the word "God
" to describe their feelings of reverence towards Nature and the wider Universe. Some members, while accepting the basic naturalistic beliefs of the WPM, like to combine these with symbols and ceremonies from other traditions, most commonly paganism, philosophical Taoism
, and Buddhism
.
The WPM does not interfere with or promote any specific personal choices regarding sexuality or the use of recreational or psychotropic drugs. Similarly, members have a diversity of views on vegetarianism
, hunting, non-violence, and many other political, social, and technological issues. All these issues are left to members' understanding of Naturalistic Pantheistic morality and the Belief Statement.
, the World Pantheist Movement founder, was vice president of the Universal Pantheist Society
(UPS) in the mid-1990's, but resigned after becoming skeptical of the possibility of promoting "generic" pantheism given the very wide variety of beliefs held by different types of pantheist (specifically, by those with naturalistic beliefs and those with dualist or idealist beliefs). The WPM has since gained a membership considerably larger than the UPS, along with a wider circle of non-members who participate in its online forum and Facebook pages.
Pantheism
Pantheism is the view that the Universe and God are identical. Pantheists thus do not believe in a personal, anthropomorphic or creator god. The word derives from the Greek meaning "all" and the Greek meaning "God". As such, Pantheism denotes the idea that "God" is best seen as a process of...
, a philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
which asserts that spirituality
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
should be centered on nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
. The WPM promotes strict Naturalistic Pantheism
Naturalistic pantheism
Naturalistic pantheism is a naturalistic form of pantheism that encompasses feelings of reverence and belonging towards nature and the wider universe, but is realist and embraces rationalism and the scientific method...
without belief in any supernatural beings, realms, or powers.
The WPM grew out of a mailing list started by Paul Harrison
Paul Harrison (pantheist)
Paul Harrison is an award-winning environmental writer, author of several books and reports on environment and development, and the founder and president of the World Pantheist Movement....
in 1997, arising around his Scientific Pantheism website. An initial group of 15 volunteers worked on a joint statement of agreed beliefs (the Pantheist Credo). The WPM officially opened for membership in December 1999.
Beliefs and practices
The official views of the World Pantheist Movement are listed in the nine points of the Belief Statement (see external links).These are summarized as follows:
- Reverence, awe, wonder and a feeling of belonging to Nature and the wider Universe.
- Respect and active care for the rights of all humans and other living beings.
- Celebration of our lives in our bodies on this beautiful earth as a joy and a privilege.
- Realism - acceptance that the external world exists independently of human consciousness or perception.
- Strong naturalism - without belief in supernatural realms, afterlives, beings or forces.
- Respect for reason, evidence and the scientific method as our best ways of understanding nature and the Universe.
- Promotion of religious tolerance, freedom of religion and complete separation of state and religion.
The WPM encourages wonder and awe at the beauty and mystery of the Universe and fosters the full range of positive emotional responses to life. The WPM promotes ethical principles such as respect for the rights of humans and other living creatures, non-discrimination, justice and peace.
It respects the scientific method as humanity's most accurate approach for deepening its understanding of nature, while accepting that science is a never-ending quest and that some technologies have created massive social and environmental problems. It accepts that there are some questions that science may never answer - such as why anything exists, rather than nothing at all. It does not give any credence to ideas such as a separate soul distinct from the body, or of the consciousness' survival after death, but believes that people achieve a form of immortality through the ongoing effects of their actions, the things they create, others' memories, the legacy of their genes, and the recycling of their elements in nature.
It does not prescribe any particular set of religious practices, instead leaving the matter up to individuals. Pantheistic activity is viewed not as a ritual that must be upheld in order to placate gods and spirits, or to follow rules prescribed in scripture, but rather as an individual expression of one's deep feelings towards Nature and the wider Universe. Among members and friends of the WPM, the most common practices are meditation and close, daily observation of nature. Both of these are sometimes accompanied by the use of natural objects such as pebbles, shells, bark etc. About a quarter of WPM members report using some form of pagan celebration, but this is done for self-expression and fun, rather than out of literal belief in pagan theologies.
Members and friends may meet in small groups, the format of which varies. Groups may discuss general ideas; watch and discuss relevant (often nature-related) books, or films; share personal experiences; go on nature outings; or participate in nature conservation projects or other forms of community service.
Viewing the recycling of human elements in soil, water, and the atmosphere as a major element of human "immortality," the WPM supports the "natural death" approach. In this context, it seeks to return the elements to the natural cycle in the fastest and most responsible way possible, such as burial in a biodegradable container in nature-reserve type grounds.
Organization and activities
The WPM is governed by a board of 13 directors. Its main forms of activity consist of- A Facebook Page with around 8500 members (August 2011)
- A richly featured social network with over 2500 members (July 2011) with wide ranging discussions and interest groups.
- Its periodical, Pan explores the possibilities of naturalistic spirituality across a wide range of fields.
- There are a growing number of local groups, currently 34 in the social network.
- The organization has saved over 300 acres (1.2 km²) of land to be managed in the interests of native wildlife, through direct sponsorship of conservation organizations, member click groups, and its pantheist wildlife reserves scheme.
- The small Folding@homeFolding@homeFolding@home is a distributed computing project designed to use spare processing power on personal computers to perform simulations of disease-relevant protein folding and other molecular dynamics, and to improve on the methods of doing so...
group has contributed 203 work units (July 2011). - An associated SETI@homeSETI@homeSETI@home is an Internet-based public volunteer computing project employing the BOINC software platform, hosted by the Space Sciences Laboratory, at the University of California, Berkeley, in the United States. SETI is an acronym for the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence...
group has amassed 1,360,782 credits (July 2011)
Diversity
The WPM has a policy of accepting a diversity of language and methods of celebration among its members, although - following large surveys of its website visitors' preferences - it generally avoids overtly theistic or religious language in its official literature. Some members view themselves as atheistsAtheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
, while others hold agnostic
Agnosticism
Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....
stances. Some members use or theistic
Theism
Theism, in the broadest sense, is the belief that at least one deity exists.In a more specific sense, theism refers to a doctrine concerning the nature of a monotheistic God and God's relationship to the universe....
vocabulary, however they do not believe in a thinking creator god
Creator deity
A creator deity is a deity responsible for the creation of the world . In monotheism, the single God is often also the creator deity, while polytheistic traditions may or may not have creator deities...
, and simply use the word "God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
" to describe their feelings of reverence towards Nature and the wider Universe. Some members, while accepting the basic naturalistic beliefs of the WPM, like to combine these with symbols and ceremonies from other traditions, most commonly paganism, philosophical Taoism
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
, and Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
.
The WPM does not interfere with or promote any specific personal choices regarding sexuality or the use of recreational or psychotropic drugs. Similarly, members have a diversity of views on vegetarianism
Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism encompasses the practice of following plant-based diets , with or without the inclusion of dairy products or eggs, and with the exclusion of meat...
, hunting, non-violence, and many other political, social, and technological issues. All these issues are left to members' understanding of Naturalistic Pantheistic morality and the Belief Statement.
Relationship to other pantheist organizations
Paul HarrisonPaul Harrison (pantheist)
Paul Harrison is an award-winning environmental writer, author of several books and reports on environment and development, and the founder and president of the World Pantheist Movement....
, the World Pantheist Movement founder, was vice president of the Universal Pantheist Society
Universal Pantheist Society
The Universal Pantheist Society is one of the world's first official organizations dedicated to the promotion and understanding of modern pantheism. The Society does not require its members to hold to any particular creed about Pantheism and recognizes that there are a variety of beliefs that fall...
(UPS) in the mid-1990's, but resigned after becoming skeptical of the possibility of promoting "generic" pantheism given the very wide variety of beliefs held by different types of pantheist (specifically, by those with naturalistic beliefs and those with dualist or idealist beliefs). The WPM has since gained a membership considerably larger than the UPS, along with a wider circle of non-members who participate in its online forum and Facebook pages.