theism
Dictionary:
the·ism (thē'ĭz'əm) 
|
n.
Belief in the existence of a god or gods, especially belief in a personal God as creator and ruler of the world.
theist the'ist n.
theistic the·is'tic or the·is'ti·cal adj.
theistically the·is'ti·cal·ly adv.
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia:
theism |
theism
For more information on theism, visit Britannica.com.
Philosophy Dictionary:
theism |
Belief in the existence of God. Theism is also a morbid condition brought on by excessive tea-drinking, but this is a different sense of the word, or an instance of homonymy. See also atheism, deism, monotheism, polytheism, and different topics within the philosophy of religion.
Columbia Encyclopedia:
theism |
theism (thē'ĭzəm), in theology and philosophy, the belief in a personal God. It is opposed to atheism and agnosticism and is to be distinguished from pantheism and deism (see deists). Unlike pantheists, theists do not hold God to be identical to the universe. Like deists, they believe that God created the universe and transcends it; unlike the deists, they hold that God involves himself in human affairs. For a summary of the arguments that support theism, see God.
Wikipedia:
Theism |
Theism in the broadest sense is the belief in at least one deity.[1][2] In a more specific sense, theism refers to a particular doctrine concerning the nature of God and his relationship to the universe.[3] Theism, in this specific sense, conceives of a God as personal, present and active in the governance and organization of the world and the universe. The use of the word theism as indicating a particular doctrine of monotheism arose in the wake of the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century to contrast with the then emerging deism which contended that a God — though transcendent and supreme — did not intervene in the natural world and could be known rationally but not via revelation.[4]
The term "theism" derives from the Greek theos meaning God. The term theism was first used by Ralph Cudworth (1617–1688).[5]
The negation, rejection, or absence of theism is known as atheism or agnosticism.
|
Contents
|
Types
Polytheism
Main article: Polytheism
While a specific definition of theism may exclude polytheism, it is included by the most general definition. Polytheism is the belief that there is more than one deity.[6] In practice, polytheism is not just the belief that there are multiple gods; it usually includes belief in the existence of a specific pantheon of distinct deities.
Within polytheism there are hard and soft varieties:
- Hard polytheism views the gods as being distinct and separate beings; an example of this would be ancient Greek Mythology.
- Soft polytheism views the gods as being subsumed into a greater whole. Most forms of Hinduism such as Smartism/Advaita Vedanta serve as examples of soft polytheism.
Polytheism is also divided according to how the individual deities are regarded:
- Henotheism: The viewpoint/belief that there may be more than one deity, but one is supreme.
- Kathenotheism: The viewpoint/belief that there is more than one deity, but only one deity is worshipped at a time or ever, and another may be worthy of worship at another time or place. If they are worshipped one at a time, then each is supreme in turn.
- Monolatrism: The belief that there may be more than one deity, but that only one is worthy of being worshipped.
Pantheism and Panentheism
Main articles: Pantheism and Panentheism
While a specific definition of theism may exclude pantheism, it is included by the most general definition.
- Pantheism: The belief that the physical universe is equivalent to a God or Gods, and that there is no division between a Creator and the substance of its creation.[7] Examples include many forms of Saivism.
- Panentheism: Like Pantheism, the belief that the physical universe is joined to a God or Gods. However, it also believes that a God or Gods are greater than the material universe. Examples include most forms of Vaishnavism.
Some people find the distinction between these two beliefs as ambiguous and unhelpful, while others see it as a significant point of division.[8]
Deism
Main article: Deism
While the specific definition of theism given above may exclude deism, deism is included as a form of theism by the most general definition given above.
- Deism is the belief that at least one deity exists and created the world, but that the creator(s) does/do not alter the original plan for the universe.[9] 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.[10]
Autotheism
Main article: Apotheosis
While a specific definition of theism may exclude autotheism, it is included by the most general definition. Autotheism is the viewpoint that, whether divinity is also external or not, it is inherently within 'oneself' and that one's duty is to become perfect; divine. This can either be in a selfish, wilful, egotistical way or a selfless way following the implications of statements attributed to ethical, philosophical, and religious leaders such as Jesus,[11][12] Buddha, Mahavira, and Socrates.
Value-judgment theisms
- Eutheism is the viewpoint/belief that a deity(ies) is wholly benevolent; dystheism allows for there being evil in the divine realm.
See also
References
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition
- ^ "Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary". http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/theism. Retrieved 2009-01-13.
- ^ See, for example,The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, Second Edition; The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions, 1997, or the current Encyclopedia Britannica.
- ^ John Orr (English Deism: Its Roots and Its Fruits, 1934) explains that before the seventeenth century theism and deism were interchangeable terms but during the course of the seventeenth century they gained separate and mutually exclusive meanings (see article Deism)
- ^ Halsey, William; Robert H. Blackburn, Sir Frank Francis (1969). Louis Shores. ed. Collier's Encyclopedia. 22 (20 ed.). Crowell-Collier Educational Corporation. pp. 266–267.
- ^ AskOxford: polytheism
- ^ Philosophical Dictionary: Pacifism-Particular
- ^ What is Panentheism?. About Agnosticism/Atheism. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
- ^ AskOxford: deism
- ^ Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language (G. & C. Merriam, 1924) defines deism as "belief in the existence of a personal God, with disbelief in Christian teaching, or with a purely rationalistic interpretation of Scripture".
- ^ Matthew 5:38 "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect",
- ^ Luke 17:21 "The Kingdom of God is within you",
External links
 |
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Theism |
 |
Look up theism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Translations:
theism |
Theism
Nederlands (Dutch)
geloof aan een god
Français (French)
n. - théisme
Deutsch (German)
n. - Theismus, Glaube an einen persönl. außerweltl. Gott
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (θρησκ.) θεϊσμός
Português (Portuguese)
n. - teísmo (m)
Русский (Russian)
теизм совокупность религиозных представлений о Боге
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
有神论, 茶中毒, 一神论
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 有神論, 茶中毒, 一神論
한국어 (Korean)
n. - 유신론, 일신교, 차 중독
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) بخاصه التوحيد, الايمان بوجود اله او الهه
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - אמונה בקיום אלים או אל ובקיום יחס אישי בינו לבין היצורים שברא, אמונה באל, תאיזם
If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.
To select your translation preferences click here.
Learn More
 | theophilosophic |
| bitheism |
| theistic |
 | Am right that Non Theism is oldest Religion Next To Theism? Read answer... |
| What is the meaning of no-theism? Read answer... |
| What does the root theism mean? Read answer... |
Help us answer these
 | Who was the first philosopher to discuss christian theism? |
| Sacred transcendent theism monotheism polytheism monism and incarnation relates to the unseen reality? |
| What can one add to the challenge of Ockham's Razor to theism that God is uselessly redundant contrary to Alister McGrath as an explanation or otherwise? |
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
 |
 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 1994-2009 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Philosophy Dictionary. The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy. Copyright © 1994, 1996, 2005 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more |
 |
| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Theism". Read more |
 |
| Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more |
Related answers
- What is theism?
- When was theism founded?
- What is dualistic theism?
- What is an example of theism?
- Theism in christianity?
ADVERTISEMENT
