Shuck and Jive


Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Name Your Theism!


"God" for the twenty-first century will require of us some philosophy. How do we conceive of whatever it is we call "God?" Is there one god? Are there many gods? Are there many gods with one being more powerful than the others? Is everything god? Is there no god?

Various religious and spiritual traditions have embraced each of these views and more.
I have two questions:
  • Which view (or views) is/are compatible with our modern view of the universe and with our Christian heritage?
  • Which view or views will move us toward blessedness, truth, and love?
First, the options. Here are some definitions from Wikipedia. You can read more about each one by clicking the link. More than one may apply to your philosophy. Again, which one or ones might be most helpful as we forge a theology for the twenty-first century?

Theism is the belief in the existence of one or more Gods or deities.

Atheism is the an absence of belief in any gods or deities.

Agnosticism is the the opinion that it is not possible to know whether gods or deities exist, or the opinion that one does not know.

Ignosticism is the view that the question of the existence of god is meaningless because it has no verifiable (or testable) consequences and should therefore be ignored.

Antitheism is a direct opposition to theism.

Dystheism is the belief that there is a god that does exist and that this God is evil, or at best not wholly good.

Animism is the belief that everything is alive; that spirits are in all things, or that all things have souls.

Monotheism is the belief that only one god exists.

Monolatry is the belief that there may be more than one deity, but only one should be worshipped.

Tritheism is the belief that there are three distinct, each powerful gods, who form a triad.

Binitarianism is a theology of two in one God, as opposed to one (unitarianism) or three (trinitarianism).

Trinitarianism is the belief of three in one god.

Unitarianism
is the belief in the oneness of god as opposed to the Christian trinity.

Monism is the metaphysical and theological view that all is of one essence, principle, substance or energy.

Deism is the belief in the existence of a god which, having set up the universe initially, plays no further part in the running of the universe.

Duotheism is the belief in two deities, most commonly in a single god and a single goddess.

Henotheism
is the belief that there may be more than one deity, but one is supreme

Polytheism is the belief in many gods or deities.

Pantheism
is the belief that god and the universe are equivalent.

Panentheism
is the belief that the universe is entirely contained within a deity that is greater than just the universe.

Omnitheism is the belief that every religion contains at its core an appreciation of the nature of the universe.

Kathenotheism is the belief that there is more than one deity, but only one deity at a time should be worshipped. Each is supreme in turn.

Transtheism
is the belief in one or more deities that transcend the universe and are yet immanent.

Acosmism in contrast to pantheism, denies thereality of the universe, seeing it as ultimately illusory and only the infinite unmanifest Absolute as real.

Humanism upholds human reason, ethics, and justice, and rejects supernaturalism.

Mysticism is the pursuit of achieving communion or identity with god through direct experience, intuition, or insight.

What views have I missed or misrepresented?

I will try to narrow down the field next time!

8 comments:

  1. It seems like henotheism is missing, but what you've termed monolatrism (and maybe kathenotheism) would fall under that general rubric.

    (Okay - because I can't resist: looks like the only one you've misrepresented so far is Christian Trinitarianism! : )

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  2. I would like to propose the following new theisms, off the top of my head:

    Masturbatheism--I myself am God.

    Mustbecratheism--God drops coke bottles out of the sky.

    Mycountrytisoftheism--The USA is God's chosen country.

    Catheism--God worries about whether she looks fat in a bathing suit.

    Astispumantheism--God is a wine snob.

    Doessheordoesnttheism--Only God's hairdresser knows for sure.

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  3. Thanks Seeker! I love it. If I had prizes to give away, I would offer them to the best theism. Catheism so far is in the lead...

    And Chris, yeah, trinitarianism will deserve a post of its own. I wouldn't want to upset Mother, Womb, and Child.

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  4. I'd worry more about Judge, Jury, and Executioner.

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  5. I'm glad you liked my theisms. :) I came up with some more (I obviously need to have a life!):

    LSDtheism - God is a purple dragon.

    McCartheism - God accuses you of things you haven't actually done.

    Psychopatheism - God doesn't like the way you are looking at him.

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  6. Pollyannatheism--the belief that, so long as people hold sincerely to their belief, "all rivers lead to the sea" or all beliefs lead to God.

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  7. This is fun!

    Tohellwithya'llism--the belief that the vast majority of Earth's human population will spend eternity in hell because they don't believe as I do.

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  8. Pandeism, of course.... a deistic God becomes the pantheistic (hence pandeistic) Universe!!

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