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| ⚫ | {{wiktionarypar|theism}} | ||
| '''Theism''' is the belief in the existence of one or more divinities or ]. There is also a narrower sense in which theism refers to the belief that one or more divinities are ] in the world, yet ] it, along with the idea that divinity(s) is/are omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent.<ref>http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04679b.htm "Deism", in ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'')</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | {{wikiquote}} | ||
| '''Theism''' is the belief that god(s) exist,<ref></ref> and that there is sufficient reason to believe that god(s) exist. | |||
| 'Theism' is not an umbrella term for the various words that end with ''-theism''. The concept does not prescribe to any particular understanding of what a "god" is supposed to be, nor does it define any specific relationship or hierarchy vis-á-vis other preternatural concepts (saints, angels, spirits etc). | |||
| The term is attested in English from 1678, and was probably coined to contrast with ''atheism'', a term that is attested from ca. 1587 (see ] for details). | |||
| The antonym of 'theism' is ']', of which the most extreme form is ']', which is the lack of belief in god(s),<ref name=KNeilsen>{{cite encyclopedia |first=Kai |last=Nielsen |authorlink=Kai Nielsen |encyclopedia=] |title=Atheism |url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9109479/atheism |accessdate=2008-01-16 |quote=…a more adequate characterization of atheism consists in the more complex claim that to be an atheist is to be someone who rejects belief in God for on how God is being conceived. }}</ref> to include the disbelief that god(s) exist<ref>] in the ] defines atheism as "ither the lack of belief in a god, or the belief that there is none."</ref> (or the affirmation of their nonexistence<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |first=William L. |last=Rowe |authorlink=William L. Rowe |encyclopedia=] |title=Atheism |year=1998 |editor=Edward Craig |quote=Atheism is the position that affirms the nonexistence of God. It proposes positive disbelief rather than mere suspension of belief.}}</ref>). The word 'atheism' is also older than 'theism', and is attested from ca. 1587. In contrast, the word 'theism' is first attested in the English language from about 1678, and was probably coined to contrast with 'atheism'. (see ] for details). Today, 'atheism' is but one of several ]. | |||
| ==A taxonomy of beliefs about deities== | |||
| It is possible to categorize views about deities in a variety of ways. One common procedure is to classify views about the ''existence'' of deities. This classification system categorizes view about deities as: | |||
| There are several different—but not necessarily mutually exclusive—approaches to theism, all within the framework of ]: | |||
| ===Theism=== | |||
| Theism: The belief that gods or deities exist and interact with the universe.<ref></ref> | |||
| * ], that god(s) are the cause of existence (because everything that exists has a cause, and existence couldn't have caused itself). Consequently, god(s) exist outside the temporality of existence, and are thus ]. | |||
| Some theistic religions are: ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. | |||
| * ], which can be considered a reaction to classical theism in that it accommodates a degree of uncertainty in the omniscience of the god(s); they know all possible outcomes, but can't predict which will occur. | |||
| ====Monotheism==== | |||
| *]: The belief in and worship of a single god.<ref></ref> | |||
| **]: the belief that God exists, but is actually evil | |||
| * ], which is either a) the belief in god(s) despite the question of their existence; or b) the belief in god(s) despite not understanding how they work. | |||
| ====Polytheism==== | |||
| *]: The belief in and worship of multiple gods or deities.<ref></ref> | |||
| **]: The belief that there may be more than one deity, but one is supreme. | |||
| **]: The belief that there may be more than one deity, but only one should be worshiped. | |||
| **]: The belief that there is more than one deity, but only one deity at a time should be worshiped. Each is supreme in turn. | |||
| * ], or the concept of personal god(s) and the simultaneous rejection of god(s) of organized religion.<ref>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...''</ref> Deism is based on the ] of a particular ] of the same name that—among very many other issues—questioned the dependency on the inexplicable as "evidence" of the divine. | |||
| ===Deism=== | |||
| *]: The belief that a god or gods exists, but does not intervene within the universe.<ref></ref> | |||
| **]: The belief that God preceded the universe and created it, but is now equivalent with it. | |||
| **]: The belief that multiple gods existed, but do not intervene with the universe. | |||
| * ] is the attitude that god(s) exist but are not bound by the dogmatic positions of any particular theology. | |||
| ===Deities present in everything=== | |||
| *]: The belief that the physical universe is equivalent to God, and that there is no 'division'.<ref></ref> | |||
| *]: Like Pantheism, the belief that the physical universe is joined to God. However, it also believes that God is greater than the universe. | |||
| *]: The belief that man is The Creator. Man and the cosmos are one, thus the will of man is the will of the cosmos and the will of the cosmos is the will of man. | |||
| *]: The belief that everything has a soul.<ref></ref> | |||
| An example of a semi-theistic religion is ]. | |||
| ===]=== | |||
| *]: An absence of belief that gods exist;<ref></ref> a rejection of theism<ref name=KNeilsen/> | |||
| *]: The belief the nature and existence of gods is unknown and cannot be known or proven.<ref></ref> | |||
| **Agnostic theists make the claim that knowledge of God or gods is not possible, but have a personal faith in God or gods, thus making it a theistic system of belief. | |||
| ==Theism== | |||
| ===Polytheism=== | |||
| ] is the belief that there is more than one deity. In practice, polytheism is not just the belief that there are multiple gods; it usually includes belief in the existence of a specific ] of distinct deities. | |||
| Within polytheism there are ''hard'' and ''soft'' varieties. | |||
| * ] views the gods as being distinct and separate beings; an example of this would be ancient ]. | |||
| * ] views the gods as being subsumed into a greater whole. Most forms of ] serve as examples of soft polytheism. | |||
| ===Monotheism=== | |||
| ] is the belief that there is only one deity. There are many forms of monotheism. | |||
| * Inclusive monotheism: The belief that there is only one deity, and that all other claimed deities are just different names for it. The Hindu denomination of ] is an example of inclusive monotheism. | |||
| * Exclusive monotheism: The belief that there is only one deity, and that all other claimed deities are distinct from it and false — either invented, demonic, or simply incorrect. Most ]s, and the Hindu denomination of ] (which regards the worship of anyone other than ] as incorrect) are examples of exclusive monotheism. | |||
| ==Deism== | |||
| ] is the belief in god or deity based on reason. It typically rejects supernatural events (prophecy, miracles) and divine revelation prominent in organized religion, along with holy books and revealed religions that assert the existence of such things. 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.<ref>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...''</ref> | |||
| ==Atheism== | |||
| ], as a ] view, is the position that either affirms the ] of ]<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |first=William L. |last=Rowe |authorlink=William L. Rowe |encyclopedia=] |title=Atheism |year=1998 |editor=Edward Craig |quote=Atheism is the position that affirms the nonexistence of God. It proposes positive disbelief rather than mere suspension of belief.}}</ref> or rejects ].<ref name=KNeilsen>{{cite encyclopedia |first=Kai |last=Nielsen |authorlink=Kai Nielsen |encyclopedia=] |title=Atheism |url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9109479/atheism |accessdate=2008-01-16 |quote=…a more adequate characterization of atheism consists in the more complex claim that to be an atheist is to be someone who rejects belief in God for on how God is being conceived. }} </ref> When defined more broadly, atheism is the absence of belief in ], alternatively called ].<ref>]'s short article on suggests that there is no consensus on the definition of the term. ] summarizes the situation in ]: "Atheism. Either the lack of belief in a god, or the belief that there is none." Most dictionaries (see the ] query for ) first list one of the more narrow definitions.</ref> | |||
| ==Agnosticism== | |||
| The word "]" was ] by ], "Darwin's Bulldog," around 1869. Since then, the word has been used in a variety of ways, as follows. | |||
| In one sense of the word, ] is the position that it is not possible to know whether gods exist. Agnosticism in this sense is an ] position about the limits of possible knowledge. It holds that it is not possible to determine whether gods exist. Specifically, it holds that the question of the existence of gods is beyond the scope of ] — that it is a question that cannot be answered by science. This position is ''epistemological agnosticism'' or ].<ref name="AgnosticismBlackwell">{{cite encyclopedia | |||
| | title = Agnosticism | |||
| | encyclopedia = A Companion to Epistemology|pages = p. 10|publisher = Blackwell Publishing|date=1992}}</ref> | |||
| In another, more popular sense, of the word, agnosticism is a personal position. When a person describes himself as an ''agnostic'' he usually means one of the following: | |||
| * he takes no position, pro or con, on the existence of gods. | |||
| * he has considered the question of the existence of gods, and has not yet been able to decide whether he believes in the existence of gods or not. | |||
| * he suspends judgment due to lack of evidence one way or another. | |||
| This position is ''personal agnosticism'' or ].<ref name="AgnosticismBlackwell" /> | |||
| The final definition of an agnostic brings together both the epistemological and personal views, namely that an agnostic is one who believes in nothing. This is not an atheist, as an atheist lacks all belief; an agnostic in this sense is someone who believes but does not direct their belief toward any specific thing, being or deity. | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| {{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
| ==See also== | |||
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Revision as of 06:23, 24 April 2008
Theism is the belief that god(s) exist, and that there is sufficient reason to believe that god(s) exist.
'Theism' is not an umbrella term for the various words that end with -theism. The concept does not prescribe to any particular understanding of what a "god" is supposed to be, nor does it define any specific relationship or hierarchy vis-á-vis other preternatural concepts (saints, angels, spirits etc).
The antonym of 'theism' is 'nontheism', of which the most extreme form is 'atheism', which is the lack of belief in god(s), to include the disbelief that god(s) exist (or the affirmation of their nonexistence). The word 'atheism' is also older than 'theism', and is attested from ca. 1587. In contrast, the word 'theism' is first attested in the English language from about 1678, and was probably coined to contrast with 'atheism'. (see etymology of 'atheism' for details). Today, 'atheism' is but one of several nontheistic attitudes.
There are several different—but not necessarily mutually exclusive—approaches to theism, all within the framework of the assumption that god(s) exist:
- Classical theism, that god(s) are the cause of existence (because everything that exists has a cause, and existence couldn't have caused itself). Consequently, god(s) exist outside the temporality of existence, and are thus immutable.
- Open theism, which can be considered a reaction to classical theism in that it accommodates a degree of uncertainty in the omniscience of the god(s); they know all possible outcomes, but can't predict which will occur.
- Agnostic theism, which is either a) the belief in god(s) despite the question of their existence; or b) the belief in god(s) despite not understanding how they work.
- Deism, or the concept of personal god(s) and the simultaneous rejection of god(s) of organized religion. Deism is based on the rationalism of a particular 17th/18th century European philosophical movement of the same name that—among very many other issues—questioned the dependency on the inexplicable as "evidence" of the divine.
- Liberal theism is the attitude that god(s) exist but are not bound by the dogmatic positions of any particular theology.
References
- Theism in the "Concise OED"
- Nielsen, Kai. "Atheism". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2008-01-16.
…a more adequate characterization of atheism consists in the more complex claim that to be an atheist is to be someone who rejects belief in God for on how God is being conceived.
- Simon Blackburn in the The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy defines atheism as "ither the lack of belief in a god, or the belief that there is none."
- Rowe, William L. (1998). "Atheism". In Edward Craig (ed.). Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Atheism is the position that affirms the nonexistence of God. It proposes positive disbelief rather than mere suspension of belief.
- 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...
