pantheism

The term “pantheist” refers to a person who adheres to pantheism, a religious or philosophical doctrine in which God is identified with the universe or seen as present in all things.

Pantheism is the belief that God is not separate from the world but is identical with the universe or immanent in all aspects of nature. A pantheist therefore sees everything that exists — matter, life, energy, natural laws — as part of one divine reality.

This concept appears in various forms across different traditions. Some branches of Hinduism express strong pantheist elements, with the divine perceived as omnipresent and indistinguishable from nature. Likewise, certain aspects of Stoicism, Taoism, or Buddhism may echo pantheist thinking, though they may not use the term explicitly.

In Western philosophy, pantheism was famously expressed by Baruch Spinoza, whose vision of God as a single infinite substance equivalent to nature left a lasting influence. Pantheism may take religious forms, but also secular or philosophical ones, often linked to ecological or scientific worldviews.

Pantheism is distinct from panentheism (where God includes but also transcends the universe) and from polytheism (belief in multiple gods). A pantheist may not worship a personal deity, but rather show reverence toward the totality of existence.