Content-Type: text/html

# God

HomePage | RecentChanges | Preferences
You can edit this page right now! It's a free, community project

God, in its central sense in English, is (or what is held by many to be) the supreme being and creator of the universe. In fact, however, there are a large number of different concepts of the divine, and this fact is reflected in the many names given to the divine.

There are a number of different theories about God. Theism? holds that God exists, and is actively involved in the affairs of the world; for a discussion of the meaning of "God" in this sense, see: What is God?. Deism? holds that while God exists, he does not intervene in the world beyond what was necessary for him to create it (no answering prayers or causing miracles). Monotheism holds that there is only one God, while Polytheism? holds that there are many gods. Henotheism? and Monolatrism? are somewhat in-between: Henotheism says that there are many gods, but one of them is supreme and the other ones are only ancillary and don't have the same level of "God-ness". Monolatrism, on the other hand, supports a somewhat geographical view of gods: For the people believing in a monolatrist religion, there is only one God. Other gods exist, but they can only exert their power on other peoples and have no meaning for the followers of the One God.

Pantheism holds that the Universe is God, while Panentheism holds that the God contains but is not identical to the Universe. Animism is the belief that spirits exist in animals, plants, land features, etc.

Atheism holds that no gods exist at all, while Agnosticism holds that God or gods may or may not exist, but we cannot know. [Logical positivism]? holds that the word 'God' is (cognitively) meaningless.

There is an ancient monotheistic tradition that began with the first Prophet? of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Abraham (or instead, for believers, that began with Adam?), according to which there is one God, a Spirit? that (or who) is the CreatorOfTheWorld? and possesses the superhuman qualities of Omnipotence? (being all-powerful), Omniscience? (being all-knowing), and (according to the majority of Monotheists?) a concept which might be called Omnibenevolence? (being all-loving). This basic concept is shared by Judaism, Christianity and Islam, though, of course, it is much embellished by each religion and sects within each religion.

A number of Arguments for the existence of God have been offered; in argument for the thesis that God does not exist, The problem of evil has been posed with the project of Theodicy a response.

Arguably, Eastern conceptions of The Ultimate (this, too, has many different names) are not conceptions of the divine, though certain Western conceptions of what is at least called "God" (e.g., Spinoza's? pantheistic conception and various kinds of mysticism?) resemble Eastern conceptions of The Ultimate.

See a list of Gods from various religions.

HomePage | RecentChanges | Preferences
You can edit this page right now! It's a free, community project
Edit text of this page | View other revisions
Last edited July 27, 2001 7:10 am (diff)
Search: