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| How God Interacts in Different Theologies |
The Theistic God
In Theism, we typically find God watching us from some metaphysical realm outside our own universe. Despite living in an alternate sphere, the Theistic God is often though to be aware of everything, as well as very involved in our material lives. Because of this direct relationship with humans, it seems that the God of theism would have to be either cruel and unwilling to help many, or limited, and incapable of uplifting everyone. Many Theists believe that they can sway God's will through prayer to achieve different results from what God would have chosen otherwise.The Deistic God
In Modern Deism, God created the universe and its inhabitants and then walked away from it. There is no connection between creation and creator. Everything we do (good or evil) is an expression of our own free will. God doesn't see it, God doesn't act on it - we as humans are left on our own. In contrast, much like in Theism - many Classical Deists did believe God was involved and guided the world. Many Classical Deists also prayed.The Pandeistic, or Pantheistic God
In Pandeism, God created the universe and either died or was absorbed into it, and therefore, God is the universe. In Pantheism, God is and always has been the universe. Both views theorize that beings are interconnected, encapsulated experiences of God, and that individuality is ultimately an illusion. In these theories, experiential beings are more or less the result of God tricking itself into believing that it is limited with the end goal of achieving different perspectives and experiences that would not be possible as a boundless, infinite God. Since both Pandeism and Pantheism claim that God is the totality of everything, to say that it acts or doesn't act seems meaningless without a subject to be acted upon.The Atheistic Material Universe
In Atheism, God is not present, and everything that exists came into being through natural processes that did not involve a cognitive being.The Panentheistic, or Panendeistic God
In Panentheism and Panendeism, God is present in the totality of everything, but not materially or cognitively limited to or manifest as it. God itself posses an individual, greater cognizance, separate from all other beings, transcendent of the sum of all beings, and greater than the universe itself. God is infinite - our own cosmos, anything outside of it, and anything within or without it that lies beyond our current means of perception. We are free observers of, and witnesses to the vast beauty of creation, and of being itself. We possess inherent qualities that draw us freely towards resonance with God's character, and we can sense when we find unity in things like love, creativity, and . In this way, God interacts with us, and we interact with God.Written by Benjamin F. Sullivan, Published with Permission via Panendeism.org
