Here we are talking about whatever it is that is out there that gives meaning, life, stability, patterns, and some semblance of order to the Universe. It has been called many things, “Das Ding an Sich” (the Thing in Itself), the Ground of All Being, the vast otherness, the Divine, the Force, the Living Force, the Ancient of Days, Fate, Destiny, the Universe, YHVH, Allah, the God of Nature (or Nature’s God), or simply God (and for some this concept is a unitarian one, for others a trinitarian one, and still others a multiplicity. )
I believe in Panentheism. Most people understand pantheism and many confuse these two terms just as so many confuse cavalry and calvary. Like the two “c” words the two “p” words are very different.
Panentheism is the belief that the divine is in all things. Not just reflected in all things but it is what Paul TIllich said is what we live in, move in, and have our very being. That is another word for God I forgot…Being. What Moses was told when he asked what God he was talking to he was simply told “I Am” or “I Am That I Am” or more colloquially “I be what I be.” Obi-Wan, in a galaxy far far away and a long time ago described it as an energy field that surrounds all and connects all living things. It can and will guide us if we let it. Master Yoda said it surrounds us and protects us from harm.
Some people have trouble separating these two thoughts: that everything is itself divine of its own power and might, and that everything is infused BY divine power and might. Saint Paul in the Book of Romans says, “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and the God’s Spirit dwells in you.” God is not only close but part of us. If you look at The Call you will get an idea of some of what I am speaking of here.
But why bring up Yoda and Obi-Wan they are fiction. Be serious. I am. The Force was developed when George Lucas spent long hours of conversation with a great scholar of gods, heroes, and myths named Joseph Campbell. The roots of the Jedi lie in ancient Eastern Culture and it is no accident that they resemble the mystic masters of antiquity in powers and attitude.
But I’m a Christian and that was developed in the West not some Eastern religion, some would argue. My Bible instructor at Seminary would have disagreed with you. He would have said that Christianity is largely Western Greek Philosophy artificially grafted onto an Eastern Religion and to properly understand the Bible you have to understand that the Bible came out of the Middle EAST and they had a more Eastern than Western mindset in the Old Testament while the New Testament was a mix.
For me, it is a vast mystery that we can interact with and I have no interest in arguing whose God is better or how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. I am interested in exploring what people have said about this bewildering vast presence and expanding my knowledge of it. I invite you to come along. I will often refer to this power that created the Universe, Natural Laws, and the fascinating pattern that underlies all existence at the micro and macro levels as The Divine, God, the Force, the Living Force, Tao, Nature, the Universe, Nature’s God, or by the name that is used by whatever source I am quoting to give knowledge.
In general, I honor the ancient scriptures and will try to meet them where they are, mediated by my own experience of the divine, my powers of reason, and tradition.
I invite you to come along.
I am Rivan Ělän’. (Prounced Rivǝn Ělän´)
May I just say what a relief to find someone who genuinely knows what theyre discussing on the internet. You actually realize how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More people have to look at this and understand this side of the story. I was surprised youre not more popular because you most certainly have the gift.
I apparently messed up and didn’t post my reply to this. Unfortunately, I own another site besides this one. Besides being a pastor I was once a counterintelligence special agent and a trained investigator and analyst. I had reports and analyses go directly to the President. Unfortunately, in today’s environment, my investigation and analysis is not appreciated by the gate-keepers of our media. ofNaturesGod.com seems to be caught in the same strangulation against distribution that my socio-political site is being caught in. This isn’t a guess on my part. Google wrote me a letter denying me Adsense (which most people use to actually make money with their websites. It said that my analysis was “not in accordance with accepted concensus.” Of course, if I was saying what everyone else was saying why would I bother paying for my websites? They said they would revise their decision if I removed any analysis that was not “acceptable.” But whether it is OfNaturesGod.com or SabersEdge.Online I am about publishing the truth as my study, investigation, and prayer confirms it to be. Therefore, my distribution and growth is slow and discouraging. Feel free to share my site(s) with anyone that you think may be interested and together maybe we can overcome any technical resistance.