Theism

Types of theism

Classical theism

Classical theism is the form of theism that describes God as the Absolute Being. Central insights of classical theistic theology includes emanationism and divine simplicity.

Monotheism

Monotheism (from Greek μόνος) is the belief in theology that only one deity exists. Major monotheistic religions include Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

Polytheism

Polytheism is the belief in multiple deities, which are usually assembled into a pantheon, along with their own religious sects and rituals. It is well-documented throughout history: from prehistory and the earliest records of ancient Egyptian religion and ancient Mesopotamian religion to the religions prevalent during Classical antiquity, such as ancient Greek religion and ancient Roman religion, and in ethnic religions such as Germanic, Slavic, Baltic paganism and Native American religions.

Notable polytheistic religions practiced today include Taoism, Chinese folk religion, Japanese Shinto, Santería, most traditional African religions, and various neopagan faiths such as Wicca, Druidry, Romuva, and Hellenism.

A major division in modern polytheistic practices is between so-called soft polytheism and hard polytheism. "Soft" polytheism is the belief that different gods may be psychological archetypes, personifications of natural forces, or fundamentally one deity in different cultural contexts (e.g., Odin, Zeus, and Indra all being the same god as interpreted by Germanic, Greek, and Indic peoples, respectively)—known as omnitheism. In this way, gods may be interchangeable for one another across cultures. "Hard" polytheism is the belief that gods are distinct, separate, real divine beings rather than psychological archetypes or personifications of natural forces. Hard polytheists reject the idea that "all gods are one essential god" and may also reject the existence of gods outside their own pantheon altogether.

Polytheism is further divided according to how the individual deities are regarded:

Henotheism

Henotheism is the belief that there may be more than one deity but only one of them is to be worshiped. Zoroastrianism is sometimes considered an example.

Kathenotheism

Kathenotheism is the belief that there is more than one deity, but only one deity is worshiped at a time (or ever) and another may be worthy of worship in another time or place. If they are worshiped one at a time, then each is supreme in turn.

Monolatrism

Monolatrism is the belief that there may be more than one deity but only one is worthy of being worshiped. Most of the modern monotheistic religions may have begun as monolatrous ones, but this is disputed.

Pantheism

Pantheism is the belief that reality, the universe and the cosmos are identical to divinity and a creator deity or entity. Pointing to the universe as being an immanent creator deity in and of itself, the deity is understood as still expanding, creating, and eternal, or that all things compose an all-encompassing, immanent god or goddess that is manifested as the universe. As such, even astronomical objects are viewed as part of the sole deity. The worship of all gods of every religion has been conceived as a form of pantheism, but such a system is more akin to Omnism. Pantheist belief does not recognize a distinct personal god, anthropomorphic or otherwise, but instead characterizes a broad range of doctrines differing in forms of relationships between reality and divinity. Pantheistic concepts date back thousands of years, and pantheistic elements have been identified in various religious traditions. The term pantheism was coined by mathematician Joseph Raphson in 1697, and since then has been used to describe the beliefs of a variety of individuals and organizations. Pantheism was popularized in Western culture as a theology and philosophy based on the work of the 17th-century philosopher Baruch Spinoza—in particular, his book Ethics. A pantheistic stance was also expressed by the 16th-century by philosopher and cosmologist Giordano Bruno.

Deism

Classical Deism

Classical deism is the belief that one God exists and created the world, but that the Creator does not alter the original plan for the universe. Instead, the deity presides over it in the form of Providence; some classical deists, however, did believe in divine intervention.

Deism typically rejects supernatural events (such as prophecies, miracles, and divine revelations) prominent in organized religion. Instead, deism holds that religious beliefs must be founded on human reason and observed features of the natural world, and that these sources reveal the existence of a supreme being as creator.

Pandeism

Pandeism is the belief that God preceded the universe and created it but is now equivalent with it.

Egotheism

Egotheism is the belief that divinity exists within oneself and that individuals can achieve a godlike state. It is found in various philosophical and religious traditions emphasizing personal divinity or spiritual progression.

In Advaita Vedanta, a Hindu philosophical school, the phrase aham Brahmāsmi ("I am Brahman") expresses the unity of the individual self (atman) with the ultimate reality (Brahman).

In Mormonism, the doctrine of exaltation suggests that faithful individuals can attain godhood in the afterlife.

Egotheistic ideas also appear in Gnosticism, which emphasizes self-knowledge (gnosis) as the path to recognizing one’s divine nature, and in Friedrich Nietzsche’s concept of the Übermensch, which advocates transcending human limitations to create one’s own values.

Value-judgment Theisms

Eutheism

Eutheism is the belief that a deity is wholly benevolent.

Dystheism

Dystheism is the belief that a deity is not wholly good, and is possibly evil.

Maltheism

Maltheism is the belief that a deity exists but is wholly malicious.

Misotheism

Misotheism is active hatred toward and for God, gods, and/or other divine beings.

Alterity theism

Alterity theism is a belief that the supreme being is radically transcendent to the point that it cannot be recognized as having any genuine being at all.