A recent email challenged placing Hinduism in the Multiple Deities category. Here is the rationale for the decision to go with Multiple Deities. Nearly all religions have the idea of a great single force or reality that stands behind everything. In order to get at how religions organize themselves for daily life one has to observe the generally accepted practices. It is in this realm that we move beyond the background mysterious reality.
Some religions have deities.
The deity may be remote or near by. The deity may be one or many. Names are given to whatever form of deity is commonly accepted in the religion. In Hinduism there are a vast number of gods or deities that express the various insights of the religion. The purpose in this Families of Religions writing is to use broad stroke definition of religions in order to assist curious people to enter the complicated subject of world religions.