Before, I'm sure that I've said that I am a deist and it turns out that I got the definition of a "deist" wrong. By definition, I am pantheistic, not deistic. Pantheism is the belief that the universe itself is what most people call "God." It can also mean that the natural force that exists in the universe is "God." Now, "God" is in quotation marks because it is doubtful that there is one true celestial being that rules over the universe in it's entirety.
The word "pantheism" comes from the Greek roots "pan_" (all) and "hyle" (matter). To break down the word, the Greek root "pan-" means "all" and the word theism means "belief in the existence of one god that controls and created the universe" (to paraphrase how Google responded when I typed in "meaning of theism").
One famous example of a pantheist in Albert Einstein (read "Important Figures in Astrophysics"). However, he never stated his true religion. He grew up in a Jewish household and left Germany long before the Holocaust to go New Jersey (his first action in New Jersey was to purchase a comb).
Baruch Spinoza (or Benedict de Spinoza, as he is more commonly known) had a philosophy that was often labeled as pantheism. However, he never used the term to describe his beliefs. While he never used the term, he is often regarded as the father of pantheism.
However, pantheism is not the same thing as atheism. Atheism is the belief that there is no deity, no matter what shape or form it may have taken. Pantheism states that the natural force in the universe, or the universe itself, is "God." Famous atheists included Richard Dawkins, Bob Geldof, David Gilmour, and Billy Joel.
(By no means do I disrespect people based on their religious/spiritual beliefs just because my belief system is bizarre. This is a simple explanation of one belief system that many scientists have adopted. If you're offended by this, that's your problem.)
