Omnism and Pantheism are two ideologies that are often confused with each other.
This is largely because both share a focus on the oneness and interconnectedness of people.
However, the belief systems have distinct differences in terms of philosophical and spiritual concepts.
Their approach to religion and core principles varies greatly.
What is Omnism?
Omnism is a spiritual or philosophical belief system that respects and recognizes all religions along with their gods (or lack thereof).
It is essentially a form of syncretism – a belief in a fusion of spiritual faiths in harmony.
Omnism is the idea that all faiths have a certain degree of vital insights that are beneficial in understanding spirituality better.
Those who practice the ideology are called omnists or omiest.
They accept the existence of other religions but they don’t fully believe in everything they teach.
They pick out common themes among other belief systems and then discard what doesn’t resonate with them.
What is Pantheism?
Pantheism is a combination of two Greek words – “pan” which means “all’ and “theism” which refers to belief in God.
Hence, the religious belief and philosophical idea claims that God is everything and everything that exists in the Universe is God.
It views the world and everything in it as either equivalent to divinity or a manifestation of the nature of God.
The ideology holds that God and the cosmos have no difference – both are the same entity.
The perspective can be interpreted positively to mean that God is identical to the cosmos.
Negatively, the ideology can be seen as a way to reject any belief that considers God as a separate entity from the universe.
Differences between Omnism and Pantheism
Some of the differences between Omnism and Pantheism include the following:
1. Belief in a personal god
The main difference between Omnism and Pantheism is belief in God (or lack thereof).
Omnists can believe that personal gods could exist. They may not follow any of them religiously, but they have faith in them.
Pantheism, on the other hand, strongly opposes the idea of a personal god.
Instead, believers of the ideology claim that divinity is immanent hence going beyond the need for a personal god. They believe that the pantheistic God has no will and power to act in or upon the world.
Essentially, Pantheism relates the universe to the cosmos. The world and everything in it makes up God.
Simply put, Omnism has no issue with the existence of a separate god from the universe while Pantheism states that the Universe and god are essentially the same.
2. Worship of God
While most Omnists don’t attend church or any other religious organization, some do. It all depends on which religion appeals to them most.
They hop from one faith to another in search of wisdom. They may participate in worship of the Supreme Being (or not).
Pantheists don’t take part in any kind of worship to god whatsoever.
3. Religious tolerance
Another difference between Omnism and Pantheism is the way each one approaches religion.
The former centers on the acceptance and inclusivity of all religions.
It emphasizes the idea that every ideology has some wisdom in it.
On the opposite side, Pantheism is the straightforward fact that divinity and the universe are identical.
As such, Omnism accepts Pantheism as one way of interpreting faith and spirituality.
Conversely, Pantheism isn’t inclusive of other religions unless they agree with its core principles.
The ideology basically characterizes other faiths based on the relationship between God and reality.
4. Love for the natural world
Last but not least, Omnism and Pantheism differ from each other in the sense that one strongly focuses on love for the natural world while the other doesn’t.
By now, you can guess that Pantheism emphasizes that the universe is the manifestation of God.
The belief system shines light on the unity of divinity and the world.
All that is contained in the universe shows the all-compassing nature of God.
5. Inclusivity
Omnism and Pantheism also contrast each other through the fact that one accepts all religions while another rejects those that don’t align with their principles.
Omnism believes that no matter the doctrine of the religion, it offers some universal truth to the question of faith and spirituality.
On the opposite side, Pantheism completely rejects the belief system that argues that God and the universe are separate from each other.
Since most religions have faith in a personal God that is separate from the universe, Pantheism locks many of them out.
Also check: Omnism Vs Universalism: What’s The Difference?
