Array
(
    [fullTitle] => The Coherence of Naturalistic Personal Pantheism
    [abstract] => 
This paper examines the coherence of naturalistic personal pantheism (NPP) in an attempt to reconcile pantheism, naturalism, and a personal concept of God. NPP proposes that i) God is identical with the universe, ii) the universe is entirely natural, and iii) God is personal. Several critics of accounts of a God such as this have voiced concerns about a natural — as opposed to a supernatural — God, since a natural God cannot be worship-worthy. In response, I propose a controversial premise — physical primacy — to justify the worship-worthiness of a natural God. Physical primacy maintains that physical existence is a great-making property, therefore a God that exists naturally is greater than a God that exists supernaturally. I maintain that NPP is an attractive alternative to other theisms because it bypasses the pairing problem, presents a worship-worthy concept of God, and boasts ontological simplicity.

    [authors] => Array
        (
            [0] => Array
                (
                    [givenName] => Asha
                    [affiliation] => University of Birmingham
                )

        )

    [keywords] => Array
        (
            [0] => pantheism
            [1] => naturalism
            [2] => personhood
            [3] => God
        )

    [doi] => 10.24204/ejpr.v12i1.2886
    [datePublished] => 2020-03-25
    [pdf] => https://www.philosophy-of-religion.eu/menuscript/index.php/ejpr/article/view/2886/version/607/2540
)
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The Coherence of Naturalistic Personal Pantheism

Asha
University of Birmingham

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24204/ejpr.v12i1.2886

Abstract

This paper examines the coherence of naturalistic personal pantheism (NPP) in an attempt to reconcile pantheism, naturalism, and a personal concept of God. NPP proposes that i) God is identical with the universe, ii) the universe is entirely natural, and iii) God is personal. Several critics of accounts of a God such as this have voiced concerns about a natural — as opposed to a supernatural — God, since a natural God cannot be worship-worthy. In response, I propose a controversial premise — physical primacy — to justify the worship-worthiness of a natural God. Physical primacy maintains that physical existence is a great-making property, therefore a God that exists naturally is greater than a God that exists supernaturally. I maintain that NPP is an attractive alternative to other theisms because it bypasses the pairing problem, presents a worship-worthy concept of God, and boasts ontological simplicity.

Keywords: pantheism

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