SCIENTIFIC PANTHEISM
is the belief that the universe and nature are divine.
It fuses religion and science, and concern for humans with concern for nature.
It provides the most realistic concept of life after death,
and the most solid basis for environmental ethics.
It is a religion that requires no faith other than common sense,
no revelation other than open eyes and a mind open to evidence,
no guru other than your own self.
( from http://members.aol.com/heraklit1 )
Pantheism is an 'atheist religion' (yes, an oxymoron, I know) based in materialist philosophy; it rebuts the dualist idea that the spiritual world is separate from the material world and also the idealist philosphy that thoughts cause matter.
Pantheism states that because we are made of the same matter as the rest of the universe, we are fundamentally connected to it; part of the great cosmic fire.
It is opposed to the Gnostic concept of the material world and the human body as somehow 'base' or 'dirty'. It does not include a concept of evil. It posits no concept of heaven - instead, this life is all we have. (Although it is not necessarily incompatible with reincarnation.)
Pantheists are encouraged to meditate in areas of natural beauty or under a starry sky. They are encouraged to participate in environmental preservation. Pantheism is often linked to the concept of Earth as Gaia.
Because it is rooted in materialism, pantheism is not hostile to science as most religions are. Because of this, it is often called 'scientific pantheism'. However, there still remain questions about the exact nature of the relationship between the mind and the universe which is so fundamental to pantheist belief.
Pantheism is also sometimes known as 'religious atheism', 'religious naturalism', 'cosmotheism' or 'rational paganism'. However, pantheism is not the same as panentheism or polytheism. | 
