Ecological Worldviews: Pantheism

Pantheism is the belief that the entire universe is divine—that God and the cosmos are one and the same. The term derives from the Greek roots pan (meaning “all”) and theos (“god”), reflecting the understanding that there is no separation between Nature and the Divine. In this view, the sacred does not exist apart from or beyond the natural world but is fully immanent within it. Unlike traditional theism, which typically posits a transcendent God existing outside of creation, Pantheism sees divinity in all things. Various forms of pantheism were present in ancient cultures, including Greek, Indian, and certain animistic peoples. Pantheistic expressions today are often influenced by both ancient and modern philosophy, and may be motivated by spiritual and ecological concerns.