In a recent
discussion, an objector asserted that "
Pandeism is a made up
word lacking any clear
definition," and that "some
philosopher made up the word and it has no precedent in
philosophy or any
religious text."
My answer was this:
"Pandeism is a made up word" is no objection at all. All words are "made up" -- that's how the continuing formation of language works. At some point somebody needs to communicate a new concept and they establish the lexical unit to do it with. "Twerking with bae" and such. You ought to see where the word "quiz" came from.
At some point, "Christian" was a word made up by the Romans to make fun of the group it was directed to (formally, they were called "Atheists" because they rejected the Roman Gods). Pandeism, as it happens, was coined not too long after some philosopher made up "Pantheism," in the grand scheme of things, and around the same time as another philosopher made up "Panentheism."
And, yes, just like the made up words "Christian" and "Atheism" and "Pantheism," the word "Pandeism" has been used in different ways over time by philosophers and historians of religions such as Moritz Lazarus and Heymann Steinthal, Max Bernard Weinstein, Ottmar Hegemann, Charles Hartshorne, F.E. Peters, and more recently Graham Ward, Al Kresta, and Walter Hehl.
But it is indeed an curious choice to object to the wording, and not the idea.
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