Theism
Theism is the belief in one or more personal
deities. More specifically it may also mean the belief that God/god(s) is
immanent in the world, yet transcends it.
The term is attested in English from 1678, and was probably coined to contrast with
atheism, a term that is attested from ca. 1587 (see the etymology section of
atheism for details).
Views about the existence of deities are commonly divided into these categories:
#
Nontheism: The absence of clearly identified belief in any deity#*
Atheism: It has two distinct, commonly used meanings:#**
Strong atheism: The belief that no deity exists.#**
Weak atheism: An absence of belief in the existence of deities.#*
Agnosticism: The belief that the existence of God or gods is unknown and/or inherently unknowable.#**
Strong agnosticism: The view that the question of the existence of deities is inherently unknowable or meaningless.
"It is impossible to say whether or not there is a God"#**
Weak agnosticism: The view that the question of the existence of deities is currently unknown, but not inherently unknowable.
"For now, we cannot know. Maybe if we find evidence of God…"#*Nontheistic
religions:#**
Taoism#**
Confucianism#**
Zen Buddhism#
Deism: The doctrine that a deity created nature but does not interact with it. This view emphasizes the deity's
transcendence.#Theism (second definition): The doctrine God(s) is
immanent in the world, yet transcends it:#*
Polytheism: The belief that there is more than one deity.#**
Polytheism proper: The belief there is a distinct
pantheon of distinct deities which all are to be worshipped#**
Animism: The belief there are immense amount of deities and spirits, which are to be placated and worshipped. #**
Monolatry: The belief that there may be more than one deity, but only one should be worshipped. #**
Henotheism: The belief that there may be more than one deity, but one is supreme.#**
Kathenotheism: The belief that there is more than one deity, but only one deity at a time should be worshipped. Each is supreme in turn.#*
Monotheism: The belief that there is only one deity.#**Inclusive monotheism: The belief that there is only one deity, and that all other claimed deities are just different names for it. #**Exclusive monotheism: The belief that there is only one deity, and that all other claimed deities are false and distinct from it, either invented, demonic, or simply incorrect.#
Panentheism: The belief that the universe is entirely contained within a deity that is greater than just the universe.#
Pantheism: The belief that the universe is identical to a deity.
Within polytheism there are
hard and
soft varieties.
Hard polytheism views the gods as being distinct and separate beings, while
soft polytheism views the gods as being subsumed into a greater whole. Most forms of
Hinduism serve as examples of soft polytheism.
The Hindu denomination of
Smartism serves as an example of inclusive monotheism. Most
Abrahamic religions, and the Hindu denomination of
Vaishnavism, which regards the worship of anyone other than
Vishnu incorrect, serve as examples of exclusive monotheism.
These belief labels are often not as rigid in the literature and in practice as this classification scheme may suggest. For instance, classical Christianity asserts the existence of "lesser" deities such as angels and demons, causing some to argue that the belief system is properly a form of henotheistic polytheism. Most Christians, however, would resist being labeled as polytheists.
Finally, the distinction can be made between belief in the
existence of deities, and beliefs about their
characteristics, or the belief in a deity as the
summum bonum: see
eutheism and dystheism.
Typical theistic religions are
Christianity,
Judaism,
Islam,
Zoroastrianism,
Saivism,
Vaishnavism,
Bahá'í, and
Sikhism.
*
Agnosticism*
Antitheism*
Atheism*
Existence of God*
Freethought*
Nontheism*
Omnitheism*
Open theism*
Panentheism*
Pantheism*
Pandeism*
Philosophical theism*
Transcendentalism*
Transtheism
