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Theism is the belief in the existence of one or more divinities or Deities .

There is also a narrower sense in which theism refers to the belief that one or more divinities are Immanent in the world, yet Transcend it, along with the idea that divinity(s) is/are omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent.http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04679b.htm "Deism", in ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'')

The term is attested in English from 1678, and was probably coined to contrast with ''atheism'', a term that is attested from ca. 1587 (see The Etymology Section Of Atheism for details).


A TAXONOMY OF BELIEFS ABOUT DEITIES

It is possible to categorize views about deities in a variety of ways. One common procedure is to classify views about the ''existence'' of deities. This classification system categorizes view about deities as:
  • Theism — The belief that gods or deities exist and interact with the universe. http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/theism

  • Atheism — An absence of belief in a single god, all gods, or a belief that gods do not exist at all. http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/atheism

  • Deism — The belief that a god or gods exists, but does not interact with the universe. http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/deism

  • Agnosticism — The belief that there is no way to know about gods or deities. http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/agnostic


  • Some classifications group atheism and agnosticism together under the classification of Nontheism — absence of clearly identified belief in any deity.


The main subcategories of theism are:
  • Polytheism — The belief in and, Iff , worship of multiple gods or deities. http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/polytheism

  • Monotheism — The belief in and, Iff , worship of a single god. http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/monotheism


This taxonomy is based on beliefs about the existence of god or gods. Other taxonomies are possible. For example, a different taxonomy is based on beliefs about ''the nature or characteristics'' (rather than the existence) of God or the gods. Examples include:
  • Pantheism — The belief that God and the universe are equivalenthttp://www.philosophypages.com/dy/p.htm#pant, or belief that acknowledges other gods. http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/pantheism

  • Panentheism — The belief that the universe is part of God

  • Dystheism or Maltheism — the belief that God is not, as is often assumed, good, but is actually evil


Other categories of belief include:
  • Animism : The belief that everything has a soul. http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/animism

  • Monolatry : The belief that there may be more than one deity, but only one should be worshipped.

  • Henotheism : The belief that there may be more than one deity, but one is supreme.

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



Relationship to religion




THEISM


Polytheism

Polytheism is the belief that there is more than one deity. In practice, polytheism is not just the belief that there are multiple gods; it usually includes belief in the existence of a specific Pantheon of distinct deities.

Within polytheism there are ''hard'' and ''soft'' varieties.


Monotheism

Monotheism is the belief that there is only one deity. There are many forms of monotheism.

  • Inclusive monotheism: The belief that there is only one deity, and that all other claimed deities are just different names for it. The Hindu denomination of Smartism is an example of inclusive monotheism.

  • Exclusive monotheism: The belief that there is only one deity, and that all other claimed deities are distinct from it and false — either invented, demonic, or simply incorrect. Most Abrahamic Religion s, and the Hindu denomination of Vaishnavism (which regards the worship of anyone other than Vishnu as incorrect) are examples of exclusive monotheism.

  • Pantheism : The view that the universe is identical to a deity.

  • Panentheism : The belief that the universe is entirely contained within a deity that is greater than just the universe and beyond.



DEISM


Deism is the belief in god or deity based on reason. It typically rejects supernatural events (prophecy, miracles) and divine revelation prominent in organized religion, along with holy books and revealed religions that assert the existence of such things. Instead, Deism holds that religious beliefs must be founded on human reason and observed features of the natural world, and that these sources reveal the existence of a supreme being as creator. 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...''


ATHEISM


Atheism, as a query for "atheism" ) first list one of the more narrow definitions.


AGNOSTICISM

The word " Agnostic " was Coined by T. H. Huxley , "Darwin's Bulldog," around 1869. Since then, the word has been used in a variety of ways, as follows.