Question

Just trying to think of God as something that explains nothing at all, as per Russell's Teapot, I think.

God must withdraw in order for creation to exist

claim's Cooper's panentheism. Does this mean that God is real but creates - is responsible for - nothing? If not, does such a panentheism exist? I don't think pantheism would work with this hypothetical role for God. If God is in everything and nothing else besides, then His creative activity explains it all, same as theism.

Answer 1

According to Cooper's panentheism, God contains the universe but is not identical with it. God's creative activity can explain the existence of the universe. Pantheism would not align with this hypothetical role for God.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to Cooper's panentheism, God contains the universe but is not identical with it. God is changeable and affected by the actions in the universe, while the abstract elements of God remain eternal. In this view, God's creative activity can explain the existence of the universe.

However, it is important to note that panentheism does not suggest that God creates nothing. Rather, it emphasizes the idea that God is both immanent and transcendent, and that there is a cooperative relationship between God and creation. While God can influence creation through values and attraction, there is no direct force or coercion.

Pantheism, on the other hand, would not align with the hypothetical role of God in Cooper's panentheism. Pantheism holds that God is everything and that the creative activity of God explains everything.