ABSTRACT
God made heaven and earth': these words, or words to this effect, are often on the lips of the religious. But theologians tell that God did not make the universe out of pre-existing material. That God is simply identical with the universe, with all that exists, is what is called 'pantheism', a doctrine Jews and Christians reject: they say God is separate from the universe. The whole universe is a kind of living organism sounds like a contradiction in terms. God may not have to create, but we have to think about creation to think about God. If the creator has no organs that can be harmed and no public opinion to regard, creation is purely altruistic, and hence the creator is wholly separate from the created order. The believer has trust in natural processes and God as a lover trusts the beloved's actions and the beloved.
