Theism Theism is broadly defined as the belief in the existence of the Supreme Being or deities. In common parlance, or when contrasted with deism, the term often describes the classical conception of God that is found in monotheism (also referred to as classical theism) – or gods found in polytheistic...
Monotheism Monotheism is defined as the belief in the existence of only one god that created the world, is all-powerful and intervenes in the world. A broader definition of monotheism is the belief in one god. A distinction may be made between exclusive monotheism, and both inclusive monotheism and pluriform (panentheistic) monotheism which, while...
God As A Word The English word god continues the Old English god (guþ, gudis in Gothic, guð in Old Norse, god in Frisian and Dutch, and Gott in modern German), which is derived from Proto-Germanic *ǥuđán. See also: Names of God Etymology The Proto-Germanic meaning of ǥuđán and its etymology is uncertain. It is generally agreed that it derives from a Proto-Indo-European neuter passive perfect participle ǵʰu-tó-m. This is similar to Persian word for God, Khudan. This...
What Is Atheism? Atheism is, in the broadest sense, an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities. Atheism is contrasted with theism, which, in its most general form, is...
Spirit Possession Spirit possession is an unusual or altered state of consciousness and associated behaviors purportedly caused by the control of a human body by spirits, ghosts, demons, or gods. The concept of spirit possession exists in many cultures and religions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Haitian Vodou, Hinduism, Islam, Wicca, and Southeast Asian, African, and Native...
What Is Kami? This article covers the answer to the question: “What Is Kami?“ Kami (神) are the spirits or phenomena that are worshipped in the religion of Shinto. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, as well as beings and the qualities that these beings express;...
Hindu Gods And Goddesses This article gives information about Hindu Gods and Goddesses. Hinduism For Dummies Hindus acknowledge that, at the most fundamental level, God is the One without a second — the absolute, formless, and only Reality known as Brahman, the Supreme, Universal Soul. Brahman is the universe and everything...
Mythology The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece. In the field of folkloristics,...
What Is Polytheism? Polytheism is the belief of multiple deities also usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own Myth and rituals. In most religions which accept polytheism, the different gods and goddesses are representations of forces of nature or ancestral principles, and can be viewed either...
Majority of The Mankind Believes in The Existence of God The overwhelming majority of mankind has believed in the existence of God from the very beginning of human life Before doing so, it is worth reflecting upon the simple historical fact that, since the very beginning of human life, the...
What Is Heaven? Heaven, or the heavens, is a common religious, cosmological, or transcendent place where beings such as gods, angels, spirits, Saint, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or live. According to the beliefs of some religions, heavenly beings can descend to earth or incarnate, and earthly beings can...
Implicit And Explicit Atheism Implicit atheism and explicit atheism are types of atheism. In George H. Smith’s Atheism: The Case Against God, “implicit atheism” is defined as “the absence of theistic belief without a conscious rejection of it”, while “explicit atheism” is “the absence of theistic belief due to a conscious rejection of it”. Explicit atheists have...
History Of Atheism The history of atheism can be dated to as early as the 5th century B.C. Diagoras of Melos was a 5th century BC. Greek atheist, poet and sophist. The word atheism itself was not coined until the 16th century. One of the early examples of atheism– agnosticism–nontheism involve Eastern religions such as Jainism, Buddhism...
Apotheosis Apotheosis (“to deify”; deificatio “making divine”; also called divinization and deification) is the glorification of a subject to divine level and, most commonly, the treatment of a human like a god. The term has meanings in theology, where it refers to a belief, and in art, where it refers to a genre. In theology, apotheosis refers to the...
Names Of God In Judaism There are numerous names of God in Judaism that have been a source of debate among biblical scholars. YHWH is the only proper name of God in the Tanakh in the sense of a personal name. Words such as Elohim (god, or authority), El (mighty...