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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-à-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 could not 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...
