The transcendent being postulated as the creator and ruler of the Universe. Various forms of worship, from sacrifice to public acts of honour, to private prayer, are typically linked with concepts of God. Emotions such as awe, fear, and gratitude are often experienced in such religious activities with God as their object. In the various world religions gods vary in the degree to which they are personal or impersonal, mythical or abstract.
Religions also vary in the number of gods acknowledged.
Some are polytheistic, with complex pantheons as, for example, in ancient Greece and some forms of Hinduism . Others, like Judaism and Islam , insist on a strict monotheism. In Christianity God is perceived as a trinity. It is also possible to combine polytheistic and monotheistic conceptions of god in a metaphysical or epistemological hierarchy. In many African religions, a supreme being is worshipped over and above lesser deities.