Theism

Theism is the religious belief that at least one god exists while rejecting the existence or importance of polytheistic gods or goddesses. In a broader definition it can also be the belief in God or gods in general, including all types of god-belief. Polytheism is the belief in several gods, while monotheism is the belief in just one god. For example, a theistic religion is Christianity. The opposite to a theist is an atheist. An atheist is a person who denies or disbelieves the existence of a supreme being or beings.

 Different theisms 

 Definitions 
To define the theisms, we can split them all into different groups based on their views on God:
 Atheism is the opposite of theism: atheists do not believe in any gods or deities.
 Agnosticism is believing we cannot know whether god(s) exist.
 Ignosticism says it does not matter whether God exists or not, and there is no point in considering it until we understand how to understand God.
 Gnosticism is believing that we can know for certain whether a god(s) exist.

 Combined theisms 
Gnosticism and agnosticism can be combined with other forms of theism. For example, it is possible to be an agnostic atheist, or a gnostic theist. In common usage, some people group atheism and agnosticism together under the group of nontheism — absence of clear belief in any deity.

 Types 
The main types of theism are:
 Polytheism — believing that many gods or goddesses exist (sometimes known as paganism)
 Monotheism — belief that only one god exists (Christians, Muslims and Jews believe in monotheism.) 
 Ditheism — belief that two gods exist and they are both equal.

 Other types 
Other types of theism include:
 Animism: believing that everything is alive and spirits are in all things, and that all things have souls.
 Monolatry: there is (or may be) more than one god, but they are all expressions of the supreme god.
 Henotheism: there is (or may be) more than one god, but only one is the supreme.
 Kathenotheism: there is more than one god, but only one at a time should be worshipped. Each is supreme in turn.

 classical theism - God/gods are separate from the world and created it and influence it. This always occurs in traditional Abrahamic monotheistic and also polytheistic religions
 pantheism — god and the universe are the same
 panentheism — the universe is part of god
 dystheism or maltheism — that god or the gods are evil.
 Irreligious theism— is the belief that there is a higher being, pray and believe in one God (or sometimes many gods), but doesn't follow organized religion. It is theism as the belief in God who created the world and influences it without religion, its principles, dogmas and doctrines and following it.
 deism — believing that god(s) exist, but that they do not take part in our lives.

 Related pages 
Theodicy
Atheism

 References 

Category:Theology