[This is another essay that I wrote over 15 years ago. On the whole, these ideas still look pretty good to me, although I may change some terminology here and there.]
Many regard God as unknowable. We may call this aspect of God independent of the Universe, which we use as the frame of reference for “knowing.” From this reference “God” is unknowable because it is “unmanifested” in this universe. We may call this aspect ABSOLUTE POTENTIAL.
The aspect of “God” that instantly becomes knowable at the moment of “manifesting” is Cause. The effect is the Creation. Thus, the ABSOLUTE POTENTIAL manifests itself as TOTAL CAUSE and simultaneous to this event appears the Physical Universe of Matter, Energy, Space, and Time.
Cause and Effect are the two aspects of God’s manifestation. They are not the same things. The fundamental aspect of Cause is SELF-DETERMINISM. The fundamental aspects of any effect are SPACE, TIME, ENERGY, and MATTER.
At the moment of Creation, cause, effect and all their elements occur simultaneously because there is no Time until then. With respect to the created universe “God” then assumes the aspect of TOTAL CAUSE.
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MONOTHEISM looks at this aspect of TOTAL CAUSE and gives it an identity of a unique being.
POLYTHEISM looks at this aspect of TOTAL CAUSE and regards it as separate unique beings in charge of separate activities.
PANTHEISM looks at the interplay between the Spiritual and Physical Universes in its infinite variations and stops there.
ATHEISM looks at the confusion caused by the above viewpoints and denies all of them.
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HINDUISM is neither monotheistic nor polytheistic. Hinduism is neither pantheistic nor atheistic. Hinduism assumes a viewpoint which is beyond all such dichotomies.
HINDUISM does not use this created universe as its reference point. Hinduism is best described by the introduction above.
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