ABSTRACT
There are two very basic ways of looking at the meaning of God, namely, naturalistic theism and supernaturalistic theism. As with any view of God, naturalistic theism has practical consequences. Buddhism means enlightenment. Going back to about 500 BC, Buddhism is streamlined Hinduism. Stoicism was a Greek version of pantheism. Stoicism was thought to be an especially useful philosophy for soldiers. The same formula is also approximated in Epicureanism, named after Epicurus, a Greek, born on the island of Samos. In the popular press the Epicurean doctrine is often referred to as the 'eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you die' doctrine, as if the only life worth living is one long playboy feasting and sex orgy. This chapter concludes that naturalistic theism can take several different forms. Our salvation depends on fitting in to the all-encompassing reality of nature, which is usually personified in one way or another.
