Hylotheism (from Gk. ''

hyle In philosophy, hyle (; from grc, ὕλη) refers to matter or stuff. It can also be the material cause underlying a change in Aristotelian philosophy. The Greeks originally had no word for matter in general, as opposed to raw material suitable ...

'', 'matter' and ''theos'', 'God') is the belief that matter and God are the same, so in other words, defining God as matter. The American

Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), also known as the Missouri Synod, is a traditional, confessional Lutheran denomination in the United States. With 1.8 million members, it is the second-largest Lutheran body in the United States. The LC ...

defines hylotheism is "Theory equating matter with God or merging one into the other" which it states as "Synonym for

pantheism Pantheism is the belief that reality, the universe and the cosmos are identical with divinity and a supreme supernatural being or entity, pointing to the universe as being an immanent creator deity still expanding and creating, which has ex ...

* and

materialism Materialism is a form of philosophical monism which holds matter to be the fundamental substance in nature, and all things, including mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. According to philosophical materiali ...

.*".
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050824113018/http://www.lcms.org/ca/www/cyclopedia/02/display.asp?t1=h&word=HYLOTHEISM , date=2005-08-24 Lutheran Church (www.lcms.org) (definition)

References

Lutheran theology Conceptions of God Matter Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod

See also

References