Pseudo-pantheism

A pseudo-pantheism is generally considered to be any system of spiritual or philosophical thought which claims to embody pantheistic principles or practices, but which in reality differs from pantheism in ways that are considered important. As there is currently no universally-established doctrine or creed unifying pantheism as a whole, the matter of what is to be considered pseudo-pantheism is necessarily somewhat subjective, yet there is some broad consensus within the pantheist community at large as to the existence of specific examples of pseudo-pantheism.

It is generally agreed that the most widespread form of pseudo-pantheism in existence today is the view sometimes termed "cosmotheism." Although an older edition of Webster's dictionary defines 'cosmotheism' as synonomous with pantheism, the term has taken on certain connotations in modern usage, owing chiefly to its use by Dr. William Pierce to describe his racially-hierarchical system of thought. Cosmotheism as it appears today, promoted chiefly on the internet, is widely considered to be a racist ideology which has appropriated the terminology of pantheism in order to legitimize itself.

More generally, any worldview claiming to be pantheistic whose main focus or ideological thrust is somehow opposed to the principles considered by most to be essential to panthesim may qualify as a pseudo-pantheism.