Lesson 4
Pantheism & Deism continued
What exactly is the difference between the two?
Most people are familiar with THEISM in one form or another, so let's use that as a reference point.
THEISM is the belief in the existence of a god or gods (specifically of a creator) who intervenes in the universe. This creator oversees his or her creation and, with human characteristic usually, is intimately involved with his or her subordinates (namely every living creature in the world or universe) and knows and judges their hopes, dreams and desires as well as their sins and transgressions.
The major Right Path religions are all examples of theistic belief systems.
A believer in DEISM differs in that, while they believe, too, that there is a divine creator responsible for setting up the laws of the universe, this creator, or supreme intelligence, never again interferes with its creation and is not in the slightest bit concerned with human affairs.
If a Cultist is inclined to believe in the mythos literally then Azathoth, The Blind Idiot God who began all of creation with His dream, is the embodiment of this kind of god and The Cultist, in this respect, can be seen as a kind of deist.
PANTHEISM has no super-natural god or gods at all, rather using the ideas of gods as a non-supernatural synonym for nature, the cosmos, the universe, and even life itself.
In this sense Cthulhu and the rest of The Old Ones can all be seen as metaphors that archetype the world around us: Azathoth represents life and The Big Bang, Yog-Sothoth represents wisdom, Nug & Yeb represent balance, etc.
The acclaimed ATHEIST (a person who lacks belief in the existence of any God or gods) Richard Dawkins puts it,
“DEISM is watered down THEISM.
PANTHEISM is sexed-up ATHEISM.”
Cultists happily agree and embrace this, knowing full well that our gods and stories serve us without perverting the laws and grandeur of nature and science.
Nug & Yeb (above) are the unendingly waltzing spawn of Shub-Niggurath and Yog-Sothoth.
They are worshiped prolifically by Cultists throughout the world due to their yin and yang symbology.
By implication Yeb is masculine and Nug (the mother of Cthulhu Himself) is feminine, though They may both be androgynous.
Nug & Yeb are a perfect example of The Old Ones archetyping an idea, in this case: balance.
The balance of masculine and feminine, the balance of humankind and nature and, indeed, the balance within The Cult of Cthulhu of DEISM and PANTHEISM.
There are many reasons for one to be a DEISTIC believer, just as there are many reasons for one to be a PANTHEISTIC believer.
The Cult of Cthulhu strives to evolve beyond the need to fight about which god is better or which path is "right".
For Cultists it is simple: We follow our chosen path because it resonates with us.
Because it feels right.
In many ways the acceptance of these two schools of thought is the rebellion against classical religion, and the embodiment of the scientific method that we revere:
The multiverse theory gives The Old Ones plausibility.
Philosophy breathes Their defense.
And Unification allows our peaceful cohabitation.