More Than One Way to Look at GodMore Than One Way to Look at God

Theism:Theism:“Belief in the existence of a god or gods; specifically: belief in the existence of one God viewed as the creative source of the human race and the world who transcends yet is immanent in the world.” (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)

As a generic definition, this is not too bad. But there are in fact several more specific versions of theism, and if people get involved in debates about God’s existence it’s important to have some idea of what would count as God for you or me in the first place. Here are some more specific varieties.

Modern Popular Theism:Modern Popular Theism:

• This is more or less the concept of God that has been debated since the rise of modern philosophy in England and America (not so much elsewhere).

• It makes God look like one more being among a bunch of other beings, only much bigger and stronger.

• This is also the God that “new atheists” like Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens find ridiculous and dangerous.

• But do Christians or other theists need to defend this concept of God? (We’ll return to this after looking at two other well-established concepts of God in the West.)

Popular version: God is a person like you and me, except (!) a person like you and me, except (!) for being undetectable and infinite, who made everything, for being undetectable and infinite, who made everything, controls everything, communicates mostly through books controls everything, communicates mostly through books written centuries ago, and demands total, unquestioning written centuries ago, and demands total, unquestioning obedience. obedience.

Philosophical version: God is “a person without a body … who is eternal, is perfectly free, omnipotent, omniscient, perfectly good, and the creator of all things” (Richard Swinburne, The Existence of God [Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1979], p. 8). God is known by direct intuition, logical inference, special revelation, or simply believed in without any conclusive reasons.

Deism:Deism: God is the currently uninvolved personal designer of the universe (which now runs completely on its own), known inferentially by analogy with other designers as we reflect on the order and complexity of nature.

Thomas Paine, 1737-1809, an early deist

Modern PantheismModern Pantheism:: God is nature’s necessary unfolding, and everything else is ultimately an aspect of God/Nature. God is known inferentially by reflection on self-evident axioms.

God=Nature

Baruch Spinoza, 1632-1677 Albert Einstein, 1879-1955

The God of deism may be The God of deism may be somewhat personal, but who cares?somewhat personal, but who cares?Personal or not, deism’s God does Personal or not, deism’s God does not interact with us in any way.not interact with us in any way.And it’s not clear that the God of And it’s not clear that the God of pantheism should even be called pantheism should even be called God.God.An attitude of awe and reverence An attitude of awe and reverence toward nature is commendable, but toward nature is commendable, but it seems misleading to call it any it seems misleading to call it any form of theism.form of theism.Richard Dawkins may be right to call Richard Dawkins may be right to call pantheism nothing more than “sexed pantheism nothing more than “sexed up atheism.”up atheism.”

So … are there other ways to think So … are there other ways to think about a God we would even want to about a God we would even want to know?know?

God=Nature

Pre-Modern and Post-Modern Theism:Pre-Modern and Post-Modern Theism: God is the more-than-personal, unsurpassably self-giving source, medium and goal of all things (Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians 8:6), known, but not comprehended, by reflective participation in the stories and practices of a worshiping community. This sort of theism often exists alongside popular theism. But many ancient and contemporary theists take it in the direction of panentheism (not the same as pantheism).

“Sacrament of the Last Supper,” Salvador Dali, 1955

Pre-Modern, Modern & Post-Modern PanPre-Modern, Modern & Post-Modern Panenentheism:theism: God is more than nature, but everything else is in God, and God is in everything else. God is unsurpassably interactive with everything else and, in that way, considered personal by many panentheists. God is known by reflecting holistically on the apparent relationality of all things.

“Nested Hierarchies”

Question: What Kind of Theist Is St. Augustine—Popular Theist, Pre-Question: What Kind of Theist Is St. Augustine—Popular Theist, Pre-Modern Theist or Panentheist?Modern Theist or Panentheist?

Confessions: Confessions: (1.2.2 ) My God, I would have no (1.2.2 ) My God, I would have no being, I would have no existence, unless you being, I would have no existence, unless you were in me. Or rather, I would have no being if I were in me. Or rather, I would have no being if I were not in you “of whom are all things, through were not in you “of whom are all things, through whom are all things, in whom are all things” whom are all things, in whom are all things” (Rom. 11:36). Even so, Lord, even so. How can I (Rom. 11:36). Even so, Lord, even so. How can I call on you to come if I am already in you? Or call on you to come if I am already in you? Or where can you come from so as to be in me. Can where can you come from so as to be in me. Can I move outside heaven and earth so that my God I move outside heaven and earth so that my God may come to me from there? For God has said “I may come to me from there? For God has said “I fill heaven and earth” (Jer. 23:24). (1.3.3 ) … In fill heaven and earth” (Jer. 23:24). (1.3.3 ) … In filling all things, you fill them all with the whole of filling all things, you fill them all with the whole of yourself … Or is the whole of you everywhere, yourself … Or is the whole of you everywhere, yet without anything that contains you entire? yet without anything that contains you entire? (1.4.4) … But in these words what I have said, (1.4.4) … But in these words what I have said, my God, my life, my holy sweetness? What has my God, my life, my holy sweetness? What has anyone achieved in words when he speaks about anyone achieved in words when he speaks about you? you?

Just for Fun …Just for Fun …

Pastafarian Theism:Pastafarian Theism:

God is omnipotent, omniscient, perfectly good, the creator of all things and, most importantly, “a mass of starchy substance capable of gravity resistance.” God, a.k.a. the Flying Spaghetti Monster, created the universe and designed it to look older than it really is, invisibly changing the results of scientific measurements “with His Noodly Appendage.” God is known, but not comprehended, by reflective participation in the wearing of full Pirate regalia, and this knowledge is confirmed by string theory, renamed Noodle Theory by Pastafarians. (Bobby Henderson, et. al. The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster [New York: Villard Books, 2006], pp.111-113, 158.)

More about the Flying Spaghetti MonsterMore about the Flying Spaghetti Monster

OK, the FSM is a joke.OK, the FSM is a joke.

But ask yourself: Does But ask yourself: Does it sound much more it sound much more ridiculous than “a ridiculous than “a person like you and me” person like you and me” who turns out to be who turns out to be utterly unlike any utterly unlike any person we’ve ever met?person we’ve ever met?