God is the principal or sole deity in religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. Deism is the belief that a supreme God exists and created the physical universe and that religious truths can be arrived at by the application of reason alone without dependence on revelation Henotheism ( Greek heis theos "one god" is a term coined by Max Müller, to mean devotion to a Single god while accepting For the Celtic Frost album see Monotheist (album In Theology, monotheism (from Greek grc [[wiktμόνος μόνος]] Panentheism (from Greek (pân "all" (en "in" and (Theós "God" "all-in-God" is a belief system Pantheism ( Greek: πάν ( 'pan') = all and θεός ( 'theos') = God it literally means " God is All Monolatrism or monolatry ( Greek: μόνος ( monos) = single and λατρεία ( latreia) = Worship) is the recognition of the existence See also God Conceptions of God can vary widely despite the use of the same term for them all The English word god continues the Old English ang god ( got-Latn guþ gudis in Gothic, gem gud in modern Arguments for and against the existence of God have been proposed by philosophers theologians and others The gender of God can be viewed as either a literal or an allegorical aspect of a deity A creator deity is a Deity in a Creation myth responsible for the creation of the World (or Universe) The Great Architect of the Universe (also Grand Architect of the Universe or Supreme Architect of the Universe) is a conception of God discussed by many Demiurge (the Latinized form of Greek demiourgos, δημιουργός, literally "public or skilled worker" from demos God the Sustainer is a theological term referring to the concept of a God who sustains and upholds everything in existence God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. In many religions the supreme Deity ( God) is given the title and attributions of Father. Monad (from Greek μονάς monas, "unit" monos, "alone" which according to the Pythagoreans, was a term for God Oneness is a spiritual term referring to the 'experience' of the absence of egoic identity boundaries and according to some traditions the perception of an absolute The term Supreme Being is often defined simply as " God " and it is used with this meaning by theologians of many religious faiths including but not limited to The All (also called The One The Absolute, The Great One The Creator The Supreme Mind The Supreme Good The The expression Personal God, refers to the belief that God is - and can be related to as - a Person. Unitarianism as a theology is the belief in the single personality of God in contrast to the doctrine of the Trinity (three persons in one God Dualism denotes a state of two parts The word's origin is the Latin duo, "two". SSC RF "Troitsk Institute of Innovative and Termonuclear Research" or TRINITY for shprt Троицкий Институт инновационных и термоядерных Omniscience (ɒm'nɪsɪəns (or Omniscient Point-of-View in writing is the capacity to know everything infinitely or at least everything that can be known about a character Omnipotence ( Omni Potens: "all Power " is unlimited power Omnipresence is the ability to be present in every place at any and/or every time unbounded or universal presence Omnibenevolence is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "unlimited or infinite Benevolence " Bahá'ís believe in a single, imperishable God, the creator of all things including all the creatures and forces in the universe Since the time of the Buddha the refutation of the existence of a creator has been seen as a key point in distinguishing Buddhist from non-Buddhist views The term "Godhead" The term Godhead is a term denoting deity or divinity In Hinduism the concept of God is complex and depends on a particular tradition In Islam, God is believed to be the only real supreme being all-powerful and all knowing Creator Sustainer Ordainer and Judge of the universe Islam puts a heavy emphasis The conception of God in Judaism is Monotheistic. The God of Israel was known by two principal names in the Bible The fundamental belief of Sikhism is that God exists not merely as an idea or concept but as a Real Entity indescribable yet knowable and perceivable to anyone who is prepared to dedicate Faith is a Belief in the trustworthiness of an Idea. Formal usage of the word "faith" is usually reserved for concepts of Religion, as in Prayer is the act of attempting to communicate with a Deity or spirit Belief is the psychological state in which an individual holds a Proposition or Premise to be true Revelation is the act of revealing or disclosing (see etymology or in the theological perception making something obvious and clearly understood through active or passive communication Fideism is the view that Religious belief relies primarily on Faith or Special revelation, rather than rational inference or observation Gnosis (from one of the Greek words for Knowledge, γνώσις is the spiritual knowledge of a Saint or mystically enlightened human being Metaphysics is the branch of Philosophy investigating principles of reality transcending those of any particular science Mysticism (from the Greek grc μυστικός mystikos, an initiate of a Mystery religion) is the pursuit of communion with identity Hermeticism is a set of philosophical and religious beliefs based primarily upon the writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, who is put forth as a Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos In Philosophy, ontology (from the Greek, genitive: of being (part A God complex is a psychological state of mind in which a person believes that they have supernatural powers or god-like abilities Neurotheology The Euthyphro dilemma is found in Plato's dialogue Euthyphro, in which Socrates asks Euthyphro "Is the pious ( τὸ ὅσιον In the Philosophy of religion and Theology, the problem of evil is the problem of reconciling the existence of Evil or Suffering in the world Theodicy (θiːˈɒdɪsi (adjectival form theodicean) is a specific branch of Theology and Philosophy that attempts to reconcile the existence of See also List of deities A deity is a Postulated Preternatural or Supernatural Being, who is always A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos Monolatrism or monolatry ( Greek: μόνος ( monos) = single and λατρεία ( latreia) = Worship) is the recognition of the existence ^[1]

God is most often conceived of as the creator and overseer of the universe. A creator deity is a Deity in a Creation myth responsible for the creation of the World (or Universe) Theologians have ascribed a variety of attributes to the many different conceptions of God. Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective See also God Conceptions of God can vary widely despite the use of the same term for them all The most common among these include omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, omnibenevolence (perfect goodness), divine simplicity, jealousy, and eternal and necessary existence. Omniscience (ɒm'nɪsɪəns (or Omniscient Point-of-View in writing is the capacity to know everything infinitely or at least everything that can be known about a character Omnipotence ( Omni Potens: "all Power " is unlimited power Omnipresence is the ability to be present in every place at any and/or every time unbounded or universal presence Omnibenevolence is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "unlimited or infinite Benevolence " In Religion, Ethics, and Philosophy, the phrase good and evil refers to the location of objects desires and Behaviors on a two-way In Theology, the doctrine of divine simplicity says that God is without parts God has also been conceived as being incorporeal, a personal being, the source of all moral obligation, and the "greatest conceivable existent". The expression Personal God, refers to the belief that God is - and can be related to as - a Person. The term moral obligation has a number of meanings in Moral philosophy, in Religion, and in layman's terms ^[1] These attributes were all supported to varying degrees by the early Jewish, Christian and Muslim theologian philosophers, including Augustine of Hippo,^[2] Al-Ghazali,^[3] and Maimonides. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al-Ghazālī (1058-1111 ( ابو حامد محمد ابن محمد الغزالی or امام محمد غزالی was born and died Moses Maimonides ( March 30 1135 – December 13 1204) also known as the Rambam, was a Rabbi, Physician, and ^[2] Many notable medieval philosophers developed arguments for the existence of God,^[4] attempting to wrestle with the apparent contradictions implied by many of these attributes. Medieval philosophy is the Philosophy of Europe and the Middle East in the era now known as Medieval or the Middle Ages, the period roughly extending from In Logic, an argument is a Set of one or more Declarative sentences (or "propositions") known as the Premises along Arguments for and against the existence of God have been proposed by philosophers theologians and others In Classical logic, a contradiction consists of a logical incompatibility between two or more Propositions It occurs when the propositions taken together yield

Etymology and usage

Main article: God (word)

The earliest written form of the Germanic word god comes from the 6th century Christian Codex Argenteus. The English word god continues the Old English ang god ( got-Latn guþ gudis in Gothic, gem gud in modern Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings The Codex Argenteus (or "Silver Bible" is a 6th century manuscript originally containing bishop Ulfilas 's 4th century translation of the Bible The English word itself is derived from the Proto-Germanic * ǥuđan. Proto-Germanic, or Common Germanic, is the hypothetical common ancestor ( Proto-language) of all the Germanic languages such as modern English Most linguists agree that the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European form * ǵhu-tó-m was based on the root * ǵhau(ə)-, which meant either "to call" or "to invoke". ^[5]

The capitalized form God was first used in Wulfila's Gothic translation of the New Testament, to represent the Greek Theos. Wulfila is also a spider genus ( Anyphaenidae) Wulfila (meaning "little wolf" (ca Theos may refer to Theos ( is the Greek word for " Deity, God " see God (word, Names of God In the English language, the capitalization continues to represent a distinction between monotheistic "God" and "gods" in polytheism. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Polytheism is belief in or worship of multiple Gods (usually assembled in a pantheon) together with associated Mythology and Rituals ^[6][7] In spite of significant differences between religions such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, the Bahá'í Faith, and Judaism, the term "God" remains an English translation common to all. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The Bahá'í Faith is a Religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in nineteenth-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut The name may signify any related or similar monotheistic deities, such as the early monotheism of Akhenaten and Zoroastrianism. Akhenaten (often alt: Akhnaten, or rarely Ikhnaton) (In English ˌɑkəˡnɑtən or approximately "AHK-en-AHT-en" his royal name Amenhotep Zoroastrianism (ˌzɔroʊˈæstriəˌnɪzəm is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings

Names of God

Main article: Names of God

Conceptions of God can vary widely, but the word God in English—and its counterparts in other languages, such as Latinate Deus, Greek Θεός, Slavic Bog, Sanskrit Ishvara, or Arabic Allah—are normally used for any and all conceptions. See also God Conceptions of God can vary widely despite the use of the same term for them all The English word god continues the Old English ang god ( got-Latn guþ gudis in Gothic, gem gud in modern DeuS (Brut Des Flandres is a premium Belgian beer manufactured in Buggenhout, Belgium. Theos may refer to Theos ( is the Greek word for " Deity, God " see God (word, Names of God Ishvara ( Sanskrit: Īśvara sa ईश्वर Malay: Iswara, Thai: Phra Isuan) is a philosophical concept in Hinduism Allah ( Arabic: الله, ʔalˤːɑːh) is the standard Arabic word for ' The same holds for Hebrew El, but in Judaism, God is also given a proper name, Yahweh, harking back to the religion's henotheistic origins. Eli (Hebrew אל is the Northwest Semitic word and name either translated into English as "god" or "God" or left untranslated as Eli, depending In Judaism, the name of God is more than a distinguishing title For information about Yahweh see God in Abrahamic religions, which provides useful links Henotheism ( Greek heis theos "one god" is a term coined by Max Müller, to mean devotion to a Single god while accepting ^[8] God may also be given a proper name in monotheistic currents of Hinduism which emphasize the personal nature of God, with early references to his name as Krishna-Vasudeva in Bhagavata or later Vishnu and Hari,^[9] or recently Shakti. The expression Personal God, refers to the belief that God is - and can be related to as - a Person. Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari kṛṣṇa in IAST, ˈkr̩ʂɳə in classical Sanskrit is a deity worshiped across many traditions of Hinduism For the Kushan king see Vasudeva I. For the book by Narendra Kohli see Vasudeva (book. Bhagavata, with the literal meaning of that which comes from Bhagavan or the Lord signifies in the context of Hinduism. For other meanings see Vishnu (disambiguation. Vishnu ( IAST viṣṇu Devanagari विष्णु (honorific Shakti, meaning sacred force, power, or energy, is the Hindu concept or personification of the divine feminine aspect sometimes referred In the Bible, when the word "Lord" is in all capitals, it signifies that the word represents the personal Hebrew name of god, Yahweh. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin

It is difficult to draw a line between proper names and epitheta of God, such as the names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, the names of God in the Qur'an, and the various lists of thousand names of God and List of titles and names of Krishna in Vaishnavism. An epithet (from Greek ἐπίθετον - epitheton, neut of ἐπίθετος - epithetos, "attributed added" is a A large variety of names and titles are used in the New Testament to describe Jesus. The 99 Names of Allah, also known as The 99 Most Beautiful Names of God () are the Names of God (specifically attributes by which Muslims regard God A sahasranama ( Sanskrit:sa सहस्रनाम sahasranāma is a type of Hindu scripture in which a deity is referred to by 1000 or more different names Popular Names of Lord Krishna with their Meanings kanhaiya modified kanha Krishna has been given many names and titles by his devotees

Conceptions of God

Main article: Conceptions of God

Detail of Sistine Chapel fresco Creation of the Sun and Moon by Michelangelo (completed in 1512). See also God Conceptions of God can vary widely despite the use of the same term for them all Sistine Chapel (Cappella Sistina is the best-known Chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope in Vatican City. Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni Two biographies were published of him during his lifetime One of them by Giorgio Vasari, proposed that he was the pinnacle of all

Conceptions of God vary widely. Theologians and philosophers have studied countless conceptions of God since the dawn of civilization. The Abrahamic conceptions of God include the trinitarian view of Christians, the Kabbalistic definition of Jewish mysticism, and the Islamic concept of God. Judaism, Christianity, Islam and the Bahá'í Faith see God as a being who created the world and who rules over the universe SSC RF "Troitsk Institute of Innovative and Termonuclear Research" or TRINITY for shprt Троицкий Институт инновационных и термоядерных A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Mainstream Orthodox Judaism teaches that God is neither matter nor spirit PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ In Islam, God is believed to be the only real supreme being all-powerful and all knowing Creator Sustainer Ordainer and Judge of the universe Islam puts a heavy emphasis The dharmic religions differ in their view of the divine: views of God in Hinduism vary by region, sect, and caste, ranging from monotheistic to polytheistic; the view of God in Buddhism is almost non-theist. Indian religions, also called Dharmic religions, are the related religious traditions that originated in the Indian subcontinent, namely Hinduism, In Hinduism the concept of God is complex and depends on a particular tradition Since the time of the Buddha the refutation of the existence of a creator has been seen as a key point in distinguishing Buddhist from non-Buddhist views In modern times, some more abstract concepts have been developed, such as process theology and open theism. Process theology is a school of thought influenced by the metaphysical Process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead (1861–1947 Open theism is a theological movement that has developed within Evangelical and Post-evangelical Protestant Christianity as a response to certain Conceptions of God held by individual believers vary so widely that there is no clear consensus on the nature of God. ^[10] The contemporaneous French philosopher Michel Henry has however proposed a phenomenological approach and definition of God as phenomenological essence of Life. Michel Henry ( 10 January 1922 &ndash 3 July 2002) was a French philosopher and novelist The philosopher Michel Henry defines God in a phenomenological point of view Phenomenological life is the life considered from a philosophical and rigorously phenomenological point of view

Existence of God

Main article: Existence of God

Many arguments for and against the existence of God have been proposed and rejected by philosophers, theologians, and other thinkers. Arguments for and against the existence of God have been proposed by philosophers theologians and others In philosophical terminology, such arguments concern schools of thought on the epistemology of the ontology of God. Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language Epistemology (from Greek επιστήμη - episteme, "knowledge" + λόγος, " Logos " or theory of knowledge In Philosophy, ontology (from the Greek, genitive: of being (part

There are many philosophical issues concerning the existence of God. Some definitions of God are sometimes nonspecific, while other definitions can be self-contradictory. Arguments for the existence of God typically include metaphysical, empirical, inductive, and subjective types, while others revolve around holes in evolutionary theory and order and complexety in the world. Arguments against the existence of God typically include empirical, deductive, and inductive types. Conclusions reached include: "God exists and this can be proven"; "God exists, but this cannot be proven or disproven" (theism in both cases); "God does not exist" (strong atheism); "God almost certainly does not exist"^[11] (de facto atheism); and "no one knows whether God exists" (agnosticism). Theism, in its most inclusive usage is the belief in at least one Deity. Strong atheism is a term generally used to describe atheists who accept as true the proposition " gods do not exist" Atheism Agnosticism ( Greek: α- a-, without + γνώσις gnōsis, knowledge after Gnosticism) is the philosophical view that the There are numerous variations on these positions.

A recent argument for the existence of God is intelligent design, which asserts that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection. Intelligent Natural selection is the process by which favorable Heritable traits become more common in successive Generations of a Population of "^[12][13][14] It is a modern form of the traditional argument from design, modified to avoid specifying the nature or identity of the designer. A teleological argument, or argument from design, is an Argument for the Existence of God or a creator based on perceived evidence of order purpose design Its primary proponents, all of whom are associated with the Discovery Institute,^{[15][16][17][18][19][20][21]} believe the designer to be the Abrahamic God. The Discovery Institute is a conservative public policy US Think tank based in Seattle Washington, best known for its advocacy of Intelligent ^[22]

Theological approaches

Main article: Theology

Theologians and philosophers have ascribed a number of attributes to God, including omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, perfect goodness, divine simplicity, and eternal and necessary existence. Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective Omniscience (ɒm'nɪsɪəns (or Omniscient Point-of-View in writing is the capacity to know everything infinitely or at least everything that can be known about a character Omnipotence ( Omni Potens: "all Power " is unlimited power Omnipresence is the ability to be present in every place at any and/or every time unbounded or universal presence In Religion, Ethics, and Philosophy, the phrase good and evil refers to the location of objects desires and Behaviors on a two-way Simplicity is the property condition or quality of being simple or un-combined While in the popular mind eternity often simply means existing for a limitless amount of Time, many have used it to refer to a timeless existence altogether outside of God has been described as incorporeal, a personal being, the source of all moral obligation, and the greatest conceivable being existent. The term moral obligation has a number of meanings in Moral philosophy, in Religion, and in layman's terms ^[1] These attributes were all claimed to varying degrees by the early Jewish, Christian and Muslim scholars, including St Augustine,^[2] Al-Ghazali,^[4] and Maimonides. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al-Ghazālī (1058-1111 ( ابو حامد محمد ابن محمد الغزالی or امام محمد غزالی was born and died Moses Maimonides ( March 30 1135 – December 13 1204) also known as the Rambam, was a Rabbi, Physician, and ^[2]

Many medieval philosophers developed arguments for the existence of God,^[4] while attempting to comprehend the precise implications of God's attributes. Medieval philosophy is the Philosophy of Europe and the Middle East in the era now known as Medieval or the Middle Ages, the period roughly extending from Reconciling some of those attributes generated important philosophical problems and debates. For example, God's omniscience implies that God knows how free agents will choose to act. If God does know this, their apparent free will might be illusory, or foreknowledge does not imply predestination; and if God does not know it, God is not omniscient. The question of free will ^[23]

The last centuries of philosophy have seen vigorous questions regarding the arguments for God's existence raised by such philosophers as Immanuel Kant, David Hume and Antony Flew, although Kant held that the argument from morality was valid. Arguments for and against the existence of God have been proposed by philosophers theologians and others Immanuel Kant (ɪmanuəl kant 22 April 1724 12 February 1804 was an 18th-century German Philosopher from the Prussian city of Königsberg David Hume (26 April 1711 25 August 1776 Scottish Philosopher, Economist, and Historian is an important figure in Western philosophy Professor Antony Garrard Newton Flew (born 11 February 1923 is a British Philosopher. The argument from morality is one of several Arguments for the existence of God. The theist response has been either to contend, like Alvin Plantinga, that faith is "properly basic"; or to take, like Richard Swinburne, the evidentialist position. Theism, in its most inclusive usage is the belief in at least one Deity. Alvin Carl Plantinga (born 1932 is a contemporary American Philosopher known for his work in Epistemology, Metaphysics, and the Philosophy Reformed epistemology is the title given to a broad body of epistemological viewpoints relating to God 's existence that have been offered by a group of Protestant Richard G Swinburne (born December 26, 1934) is an eminent British Professor and Philosopher primarily interested in the Evidentialism is a Theory of justification according to which whether a Belief is justified depends solely on what a person's evidence is ^[24] Some theists agree that none of the arguments for God's existence are compelling, but argue that faith is not a product of reason, but requires risk. Theism, in its most inclusive usage is the belief in at least one Deity. Faith is a Belief in the trustworthiness of an Idea. Formal usage of the word "faith" is usually reserved for concepts of Religion, as in Reason involves the ability to think understand and draw Conclusions in an Abstract way as in Human thinking There would be no risk, they say, if the arguments for God's existence were as solid as the laws of logic, a position summed up by Pascal as: "The heart has reasons which reason knows not of. Blaise Pascal (blɛz paskal (June 19 1623 &ndash August 19 1662 was a French Mathematician, Physicist, and religious Philosopher "^[25]

Most major religions hold God not as a metaphor, but a being that influences our day-to-day existences. Many believers allow for the existence of other, less powerful spiritual beings, and give them names such as angels, saints, djinni, demons, and devas. An angel is a Spiritual Supernatural being found in many Religions Although the nature of angels and the tasks given to them vary from tradition to tradition A saint (from the Latin sanctus) is a human being to whom has been attributed (and who has generally demonstrated a high level of Holiness and Sanctity GEnie (General Electric Network for Information Exchange was an online service A Deva in the New Age movement refers to any of supposed the spiritual forces or beings behind Nature.

Theism and Deism

Theism holds that God exists realistically, objectively, and independently of human thought; that God created and sustains everything; that God is omnipotent and eternal, and is personal, interested, and answers prayer. Theism, in its most inclusive usage is the belief in at least one Deity. It holds that God is both transcendent and immanent; thus, God is simultaneously infinite and in some way present in the affairs of the world. Catholic theology holds that God is infinitely simple and is not involuntarily subject to time. In Theology, the doctrine of divine simplicity says that God is without parts Most theists hold that God is omnipotent, omniscient, and benevolent, although this belief raises questions about God's responsibility for evil and suffering in the world. Some theists ascribe to God a self-conscious or purposeful limiting of omnipotence, omniscience, or benevolence. Open Theism, by contrast, asserts that, due to the nature of time, God's omniscience does not mean the deity can predict the future. Open theism is a theological movement that has developed within Evangelical and Post-evangelical Protestant Christianity as a response to certain "Theism" is sometimes used to refer in general to any belief in a god or gods, i. e. , monotheism or polytheism.

Deism holds that God is wholly transcendent: God exists, but does not intervene in the world beyond what was necessary to create it. Deism is the belief that a supreme God exists and created the physical universe and that religious truths can be arrived at by the application of reason alone without dependence on revelation In Religion, transcendence is a condition or state of being that surpasses physical existence and in one form is also independent of it In this view, God is not anthropomorphic, and does not literally answer prayers or cause miracles to occur. Anthropomorphism is the attribution of uniquely Human characteristics to non-human creatures and beings natural and supernatural phenomena material states and objects Common in Deism is a belief that God has no interest in humanity and may not even be aware of humanity. Pandeism and Panendeism, respectively, combine Deism with the Pantheistic or Panentheistic beliefs discussed below. Pandeism or Pan-Deism ( Greek πάν, 'pan' = ' all ' and Latin Deus = God, in the sense of Deism Deism is the belief that a supreme God exists and created the physical universe and that religious truths can be arrived at by the application of reason alone without dependence on revelation

History of monotheism

Main article: Monotheism

16th century depiction of Genesis (Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel): God creates Adam. For the Celtic Frost album see Monotheist (album In Theology, monotheism (from Greek grc [[wiktμόνος μόνος]] Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni Two biographies were published of him during his lifetime One of them by Giorgio Vasari, proposed that he was the pinnacle of all Adam (אָדָם ʼĀḏām, "dust man mankind" آدم; Ge'ez: አዳ and Eve (חַוָּה Ḥawwā, "living The concept of God as a singular patriarchal "Father [of all creation]" is common in Western culture (Abrahamic) monotheism. The father is defined as the Male Parent of an offspring The Adjective "paternal" refers to father parallel to "maternal" for Western culture (sometimes equated with Western Civilization) are terms which are used to refer to Cultures of European origin

The concept of monotheism sees a gradual development out of notions of henotheism and monolatrism. Henotheism ( Greek heis theos "one god" is a term coined by Max Müller, to mean devotion to a Single god while accepting Monolatrism or monolatry ( Greek: μόνος ( monos) = single and λατρεία ( latreia) = Worship) is the recognition of the existence In the Ancient Near East, each city had a local patron deity, such as Shamash at Larsa or Sin at Ur. The Ancient Near East refers to early Civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East: Mesopotamia (modern Iraq For the Canaanite sun godess see Shemesh Shamash was the common Akkadian name of the Sun-god and god of justice in Babylonia Larsa (also Larag or Larak, modern Tell as-Senkereh, Iraq, possibly the Biblical Ellasar) was an important city of Sin (Akkadian Sîn, Suen; Sumerian Nanna) is a Sumerian God in Mesopotamian mythology. Ur ( Sumerian:urim; Akkadian: ?) is modern Tell el-Mukayyar, Iraq, and was a city in ancient Sumer. The first claims of global supremacy of a specific god date to the Late Bronze Age, with Akhenaten's Great Hymn to the Aten (connected to Judaism by Sigmund Freud in his Moses and Monotheism), and, depending on dating issues, Zoroaster's Gathas to Ahura Mazda. The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for Akhenaten (often alt: Akhnaten, or rarely Ikhnaton) (In English ˌɑkəˡnɑtən or approximately "AHK-en-AHT-en" his royal name Amenhotep The Great Hymn to the Aten was found in the tomb of Ay, in the rock tombs at Amarna. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut Sigmund Freud (ˈziːkmʊnt ˈfʁɔʏt born Sigismund Shlomo Freud (May 6 1856 &ndash September 23 1939 was an Austrian Psychiatrist who founded Moses and Monotheism is a book by Sigmund Freud. It was first published in 1939. Zoroaster ( Latinized from Greek variants) or Zarathushtra (from Avestan Zaraθuštra) also referred to as Zartosht (زرتشت The word "Gātha" means a "hymn of praise" in the earliest Indo-Iranian poetry Ahura Mazda ( ae Ahura Mazdā) is the Avestan language name for a divinity exalted by Zoroaster as the one uncreated Creator Currents of monism or monotheism emerge in Vedic India in the same period, with e. Monism is the metaphysical and Theological view that all is one that all reality is subsumed under the most fundamental category of being or existence The Vedic Period (or Vedic Age) is the period in the History of India during which the Vedas, the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism, were being g. the Nasadiya Sukta. The Nasadiya Sukta (after the incipit ná ásat "not the non-existent" is the 129th hymn of the 10th Mandala of the Rigveda. Philosophical monotheism and the associated concept of absolute good and evil emerges in Classical Antiquity, notably with Plato (c. In Religion, Ethics, and Philosophy, the phrase good and evil refers to the location of objects desires and Behaviors on a two-way Classical antiquity (also the classical era or classical period) is a broad term for a long period of cultural History centered on the Mediterranean Biography Early life Birth and family Plato was born in Athens Greece f. Euthyphro dilemma), elaborated into the idea of The One in Neoplatonism. The Euthyphro dilemma is found in Plato's dialogue Euthyphro, in which Socrates asks Euthyphro "Is the pious ( τὸ ὅσιον The Absolute is the concept of an absolute unconditional reality which transcends limited conditional everyday existence Neoplatonism (also Neo-Platonism) is the modern term for a school of religious and mystical Philosophy that took shape in the 3rd century AD founded by

According to The Oxford Companion To World Mythology (David Leeming, Oxford University Press, 2005, page 153), "The lack of cohesion among early Hebrews made monotheism - even monolatry, the exclusive worship of one god among many - an impossibility. . . And even then it can be argued that the firm establishment of monotheism in Judaism required the rabbinical or Talmudic process of the first century B. C. E. to the sixth century C. E. ". In Islamic theology, a person who spontaneously "discovers" monotheism is called a ḥanīf, the original ḥanīf being Abraham. Kalām (علم الكلام is the Islamic philosophy of seeking Islamic theological principles through Dialectic. (Arabic ar حنيف plural حنفاء is an Arabic term that refers to pre- Islamic non- Jewish or non-Christian Arabian Monotheists Abraham ( Ashkenazi   Avrohom or Avruhom; ابراهيم, {{Unicode|Ibrāhīm}}; Ge'ez:

Austrian anthropologist Wilhelm Schmidt in the 1910s postulated an Urmonotheismus, "original" or "primitive monotheism", a thesis now widely rejected in comparative religion but still occasionally defended in creationist circles. "Wilhelm Schmidt" may also refer to a German politician Urmonotheismus, the German for " primeval monotheism" is the hypothesis of a Monotheistic Urreligion first defended by Austrian Comparative religion is a field of Religious study that analyzes the similarities and differences of themes myths rituals and concepts among the world's religions "Creationism" can also refer to Creation myths in general or to a concept about the origin of the soul.

Monotheism and pantheism

Monotheists hold that there is only one god, and may claim that the one true god is worshiped in different religions under different names. For the Celtic Frost album see Monotheist (album In Theology, monotheism (from Greek grc [[wiktμόνος μόνος]] The view that all theists actually worship the same god, whether they know it or not, is especially emphasized in Hinduism^[26] and Sikhism^[27] with more orthodox Vaishnava view being that Krishna as svayam bhagavan is a true form. Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Sikhism ( IPA: or; ਸਿੱਖੀ sikkhī, IPA:) founded on the teachings of Nanak and nine successive gurus in fifteenth century Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu or its associated avatars principally as Rama and Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari kṛṣṇa in IAST, ˈkr̩ʂɳə in classical Sanskrit is a deity worshiped across many traditions of Hinduism This article is about a Hindu philosophical concept the original or absolute manifestation of God ^[28] Adherents of different religions, however, generally disagree as to how to best worship God and what is God's plan for mankind, if there is one. This article refers to the religious act For the album by Michael W In Theology, Divine Providence, or simply Providence, is the sovereignty superintendence or agency of God over events in people's lives and throughout There are different approaches to reconciling the contradictory claims of monotheistic religions. One view is taken by exclusivists, who believe they are the chosen people or have exclusive access to absolute truth, generally through revelation or encounter with the Divine, which adherents of other religions do not. Various groups and individuals(see List of Messiah claimants) have considered themselves chosen by God for some purpose such as to act as God's agent on earth In philosophy universalism is a doctrine or school claiming universal facts can be discovered and is therefore understood as being in opposition to Relativism. Revelation is the act of revealing or disclosing (see etymology or in the theological perception making something obvious and clearly understood through active or passive communication Another view is religious pluralism. Religious pluralism (rel Comparative religion) is a loosely defined expression concerning acceptance of different Religions and is used in a number of related A pluralist typically believes that his religion is the right one, but does not deny the partial truth of other religions. An example of a pluralist view in Christianity is supersessionism, i. Supersessionism ( British English: supercessionism) and replacement theology are particular interpretations of New Testament claims viewing e. , the belief that one's religion is the fulfillment of previous religions. A third approach is relativistic inclusivism, where everybody is seen as equally right; an example in Christianity is universalism: the doctrine that salvation is eventually available for everyone. Inclusivism, one of several approaches to understanding the relationship between Religions asserts that while one set of Beliefs is absolutely True, other Universalism can be classified as a Religion, Theology and Philosophy that generally holds all persons and creatures are related to God or the Divine and In Theology, salvation can mean three related things being saved from or Liberation from something such as Suffering or the punishment of A fourth approach is syncretism, mixing different elements from different religion. Syncretism consists of the attempt to reconcile disparate or contradictory beliefs often while melding practices of various schools of thought An example of syncretism is the New Age movement. New Age ( New Age Movement and New Age Spirituality) is a Social Collective Phenomenon and a Spiritual Nature

Pantheism holds that God is the universe and the universe is God. Pantheism ( Greek: πάν ( 'pan') = all and θεός ( 'theos') = God it literally means " God is All Panentheism holds that God contains, but is not identical to, the Universe. Panentheism (from Greek (pân "all" (en "in" and (Theós "God" "all-in-God" is a belief system The distinctions between the two are subtle, and some consider them unhelpful. It is also the view of the Liberal Catholic Church, Theosophy, Hinduism, Sikhism, some divisions of Buddhism, some divisions of Neopaganism and Taoism, along with many varying denominations and individuals within denominations. The Liberal Catholic Church (LCC is a form of Christianity open to Theosophical ideas and even Reincarnation. This article is about the philosophy introduced by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices Neopaganism or Neo-Paganism is an Umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements particularly those influenced by historical Taoism (pronounced /ˈdaʊɪzəm/ or /ˈtaʊɪzəm/ also spelled '''Daoism''') refers to a variety of related Philosophical and Religious traditions Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism, paints a pantheistic/panentheistic view of God — which has wide acceptance in Hasidic Judaism, particularly from their founder The Baal Shem Tov — but only as an addition to the Jewish view of a personal god, not in the original pantheistic sense that denies or limits persona to God. Kabbalah (קַבָּלָה lit "receiving" is a discipline and school of thought discussing the mystical aspect of Judaism. Hasidic Judaism (also Chasidic, etc from the Hebrew: he '''''חסידות''''', Chassidus, meaning "piety" from the Hebrew Rabbi Yisroel (Israel ben Eliezer (רבי ישראל בן אליעזר August 27, 1698 (18 Elul &ndash May 22, 1760) often called

Dystheism and nontheism

Dystheism, related to theodicy is a form of theism which holds that God is either not wholly-good or is fully malevolent as a consequence of the problem of evil. Misotheism is the "hatred of God " or "hatred of the Gods " (from the Greek adjective μισόθεος "hating the gods" a compound of Theodicy (θiːˈɒdɪsi (adjectival form theodicean) is a specific branch of Theology and Philosophy that attempts to reconcile the existence of In the Philosophy of religion and Theology, the problem of evil is the problem of reconciling the existence of Evil or Suffering in the world One such example would be Satanism or the Devil. For other uses of the word see Satanism (disambiguation. Satanism can refer to a number of belief systems depending on the user and context The Devil is the There is no known community of practicing dystheists.

Nontheism holds that the universe can be explained without any reference to the supernatural, or to a supernatural being. Nontheism is a term that covers a range of both religious and nonreligious attitudes characterized by the absence of&mdashor the rejection of&mdash Theism or any belief in a Some non-theists avoid the concept of God, whilst accepting that it is significant to many; other non-theists understand God as a symbol of human values and aspirations. Many schools of Buddhism may be considered non-theistic. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices

Scientific positions regarding God

Stephen Jay Gould proposed an approach dividing the world of philosophy into what he called "non-overlapping magisteria" (NOMA). Stephen Jay Gould (September 10 1941 &ndash May 20 2002 was a prominent American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science Stephen Jay Gould (September 10 1941 &ndash May 20 2002 was a prominent American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science In this view, questions of the supernatural, such as those relating to the existence and nature of God, are non-empirical and are the proper domain of theology. The term supernatural or supranatural ( Latin: super, supra "above" + natura "nature" pertains to entities events In common usage existence is the world of which we are aware through our senses but in Philosophy the word has a more specialized meaning and is often contrasted with Nature, in the broadest sense is equivalent to the natural world, physical universe, material world or material universe. A central concept in Science and the Scientific method is that all Evidence must be empirical, or empirically based that is dependent on evidence Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective The methods of science should then be used to answer any empirical question about the natural world, and theology should be used to answer questions about ultimate meaning and moral value. In this view, the perceived lack of any empirical footprint from the magisterium of the supernatural onto natural events makes science the sole player in the natural world. ^[29] Another view, advanced by Richard Dawkins, is that the existence of God is an empirical question, on the grounds that "a universe with a god would be a completely different kind of universe from one without, and it would be a scientific difference. Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL (born 26 March 1941 is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist, and Popular science "^[30] A third view is that of scientism or logical positivism: any question which cannot be defined cannot be answered by science and is therefore either nonsensical or is not worth asking, on the grounds that only empirically answerable questions make sense and are worth attention. The term scientism can be used as a neutral term to describe the view that Natural science has authority over all other interpretations of life such as philosophical Logical positivism (later and more accurately called logical empiricism) is a school of philosophy that combines Empiricism, the idea that observational evidence is

Distribution of belief in God

Main article: List of religious populations

The percentage of people in European countries who said in 2005 that they "believe there is a God". Religious demographics and Religions by country. Four largest religions Countries with Eastern Orthodox (ie:Greece, Romania, etc. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania ) or Muslim (Turkey) majorities tend to poll highest. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion

As of 2000, approximately 53% of the world's population identifies with one of the three Abrahamic religions (33% Christian, 20% Islam, <1% Judaism), 6% with Buddhism, 13% with Hinduism, 6% with traditional Chinese religion, 7% with various other religions, and less than 15% as non-religious. Chinese folk religion is a collective label given to various folkloric beliefs that draws heavily from Chinese mythology. Most of these religious beliefs involve a god or gods. ^[31]

References

Notes

External links

• God Christian perspective
• Concept of God in Christianity
• God in Judaism
• Mystical view of God
• Concept of God in Islam
• Jewish Literacy
• Relation of God to the Universe
• Hindu Concept of God