World Pantheist Movement
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The World Pantheist Movement (WPM) is the world's largest organization of people associated with pantheism, a philosophy which asserts that spirituality should be centered on nature. It also has members who describe themselves as religious naturalists, naturalistic pagans, and various other terms for naturalistic reverence. It has membership in many countries.
The WPM grew out of a mailing list started by Dr. Paul Harrison in 1997, arising around his Scientific Pantheism website. An initial group of 15 volunteers worked on a joint statement of agreed beliefs (the Pantheist Credo). The WPM officially opened for membership in December 1999.
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[edit] Beliefs and Practices
The WPM respects science as our best method of deepening our understanding of nature, while accepting that science is a never-ending quest and that some technologies have created massive social and environmental problems. It accepts that there are some questions that science may never answer - such as why does anything exist rather than nothing at all? It does not give any credence to personal survival after death but believes that we create our own "afterlife" through our actions and the creations and memories they leave.
The WPM does not prescribe any particular set of practices but leaves the choice up to individuals. These are viewed not as rituals that have to be got right so as to placate gods and spirits or to follow authority, but as individual expressions of one's deep feelings towards Nature and the wider Universe. Among members and friends of the WPM the most common practice is daily close observation of nature, followed by meditation. Both of these are sometimes accompanied by the use of natural found objects such as pebbles, shells, tree seeds. As far as ceremonial practices go, about a quarter use some form of pagan celebration, but for self-expression and fun, not for any literal effect.
Where members and friends meet in small groups the format also varies. Groups may discuss ideas, books or films, watch nature related movies, share experiences, go on nature outings.
Believing that part of our natural "afterlife" is for our elements to be recycled in soil, water and atmosphere, the WPM fosters the "natural death" approach to funerals, with burial in biodegradable materials, in nature-reserve type burial grounds where these are available.
[edit] Organization and Activities
The WPM is governed by a board of 13 directors. Its main forms of activity consist of over 60 email lists and a periodical, "Pan," which explores the possibilities of naturalistic spirituality. There are a growing number of local groups currently in ten or so cities (mostly in the USA plus London) and new groups are in the process of formation.
The WPM places considerable emphasis on the conservation of nature and on humans reaching a sustainable way of life. The organization has saved over 300 acres through direct sponsorship of conservation organizations, member click groups, and its pantheist wildlife reserves scheme.
[edit] Diversity
The WPM has a policy of accepting a diversity of language and methods of celebration among its members, although - following large surveys of its Website visitors' preferences - it generally avoids theistic or religious language in its official literature and web pages.
It promotes very general ethical principles such as respect for the rights of humans and other living creatures, non-discrimination, justice and peace. However it does not interfere in or promote any specific personal choices in sexuality, gender, or use of recreational or psychotropic substances. Similarly, members have a diversity of views on vegetarianism, hunting, non-violence, and many other political, social and technological issues.
[edit] Criticisms and responses
Some pantheist critics claim that the WPM is "atheism for nature-lovers," while the WPM itself insists that their worldview, while being "compatible" with atheism, encompasses much more than atheism alone. The WPM has a policy of some freedom of vocabulary and ceremony, so that some members can describe themselves as atheists, whilest others as theists (however the theists do not believe in a thinking creator god but mostly use the word "God" simply to sum up their own feelings of reverence towards Nature and the wider Universe). Some of these pantheists will celebrate pagan festivals, while most others do not.
Some critics have claimed that the WPM has too positive an attitude towards scientism, however, to a large extent may be due to a misunderstanding. The WPM only respects the scientific method as being the best way of reaching an improved understanding of nature and of the wider universe. However, it believes that the scientific quest is still a never-ending one, and it accepts that there will always remain the fundamental mystery of why anything exists at all. It encourages wonder and awe at the beauty and mystery of the Universe and it fosters the full range of emotional responses to life.
[edit] Relationship to other pantheist organizations
World Pantheist Movement founder Dr. Paul Harrison was formerly vice-president of the Universal Pantheist Society (UPS) in the mid-1990s, but resigned after disagreements about financial transparency, and about criticisms of different versions of pantheism in the UPS magazine "Pantheist Vision." Harrison also was skeptical of the possibility of promoting "generic" pantheism given the very wide divergences of belief between different types of pantheist (specifically those with naturalistic approaches and those with dualist or idealist beliefs). The WPM is generally considered a successful organization and has a membership considerably larger than that of the UPS, as well as a wider circle of non-members who participate in its many online forums.
The WPM has experienced some opposition in pantheist circles, with some former members departing to form groups of their own, though all of these have remained extremely small.
Both of the major pantheist organizations are controversial among people who have strong feelings about the term 'pantheism', reflecting the fact that there are differences within pantheism itself, a term which is necessarily broad in scope.
