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The Druid Way

Are you an Igtheist or a Transtheist?

November 3rd, 2010

Ignosticism, or igtheism, is the theological position that every other theological position (including agnosticism) assumes too much about the concept of god and many other theological concepts.

Transtheism refers to a system of thought or religious philosophy which is neither theistic, nor atheistic. Indologist Heinrich Zimmer applies the term to the theological system of Jainism, which is theistic in the limited sense that the gods exist, but become immaterial as they are transcended by moksha (that is, it is a system which is not non-theistic, but in which the gods are not the highest spiritual instance). The term has more recently also been applied to Buddhism, Advaita Vedanta and the Bhakti movement.

I think I’m a sort of transigtheist… now I’m going to eat some cheese.


9 Responses to “Are you an Igtheist or a Transtheist?”

  1. Very intriguing indeed. I tend towards the atheistic, but frequently rub shoulders with igtheism and indeed transtheism at times. have you heard of Mark C. Taylor and the idea of ‘a/theology’? It seems to run along similar lines.

    ‘Whilst I can no longer believe in God, I cannot avoid believing in the Sacred’

    Now I’m off for a cup of tea!

  2. You might want to consider some crackers with that cheese. I recommend going with Digestives – it’s that sweet/savoury combination, bit like ‘transigtheism’ in food form.

    I can’t seem to stop myself being theistic and the Pagan in me wrestles with the concept of Moksha, although I admire the spiritual practices that are used as a means to achieve it. So, I am not sure whether I could be truly transtheistic.

    I think (if I have the definition right) that I am probably a bit Ignostic – concepts are merely concepts and the thing itself (the Divine) is to me ultimately impossible to define. Got a feeling that isn’t what it means, so I might not be that either.

    Got any cheese left?

  3. Rupert Sheldrake was running a retreat in the same centre that I was helping to run a druid retreat in a few years ago. His young son was with him one breakfast and I heard him asking: “Daddy is there any more toast?” Rupert replied in a serious voice “No, the druids have eaten all the toast.”
    I’m afraid this druid has eaten all the cheese Maria.

  4. It’s funny how the west has to keep coming up with terms for things that have existed for thousands of years, because the western systems haven’t reached far enough into the older systems to have needed their own definitions yet. laugh

    Being a student of a system based on Advaita, I’d be in the transtheism group. But isn’t that what Druidism would have at its essence, if the cosmology/metaphysics of Iolo etc. were taken seriously?

  5. very interesting indeed. Can I just say I’m a me? hehe.

    I tried to explain my beliefs as a mix of animism, pantheism and theosophy, I understand it, but its hard to explain.

    Truth is that there are as many variations in belief as there are people, we are, after all, all artists trying to paint the same rose, but veiwing it from different angles 🙂 too many labels in the world, not enough just letting be.

  6. I just don’t have any words for this.
    Would-like-to-know-but-lacks-the-skill-to-name-ehm-yes-what?

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