Lina Langby: God and the world: Pragmatic and epistemic arguments for panentheistic and pantheistic conceptions of the God–world relationship

Abstract

This study critically reconstructs, analyzes, and assesses reasons for embracing panentheism or pantheism instead of classical theism. It argues that, when analyzing the adequacy of a conception of God, pragmatic reasons related to harms or benefits are equally important as epistemic reasons that relate to truth and correspondence. To assess and weigh the reasons for and against panentheism and pantheism, worship-worthiness is used as a methodological tool. The reasons to prefer or reject panentheism or pantheism as adequate conceptions of the divine reality are thus related to worship-worthiness. Pragmatic and epistemic arguments for and against panentheism and pantheism are examined because both play a part when assessing whether a conception describes a God who is worthy of worship.

The investigation of the reasons to embrace or reject panentheism and pantheism is structured into five chapters, focusing on gender equality, environmental well-being, science and religion, the problem of evil, and worship-worthiness. A novel view of worship-worthiness is presented – a view that makes fruitful discussions of the adequacy of alternative conceptions of God possible.

There are benefits and problems with all conceptions of God. However, several reasons related to gender equality, environmental well-being, science, the problem of evil, and worship-worthiness suggest that a strict form of panentheism has explanatory and moral advantages over other conceptions of the God–world relationship. Pantheism has benefits that are equal to strict panentheism regarding environmental well-being and gender equality; but reasons pertaining to science, the problem of evil, and worship-worthiness suggest that pantheism should be rejected.

Although not without its problems, the study presents reasons to think that strict panentheism, such as process-panentheism, conceptualizes an essentially loving God that is worthy of worship.