Theism

Theism ( gr θεός theos "god" ) is the belief in gods, the faith in monotheism ( exactly ) denotes a God and polytheism belief in multiple gods.

The theism sees God as Creator of the world, which it receives and directing engages in it as well. Thus, theism from deism, which denies any intervention of a god in the world is different. The God of theistic religions is mainly transcendental, partly he also has inherent elements / forms. Although he acts in the world (such as by miracles and revelations ), but in the substance of her completely different ( duality of creator and creation). It theism differs from pantheism and panentheism.

The term was coined as a term categorizing the philosophy of religion in the Enlightenment ( 17th century ) against atheism, but also as an exclusion of deism.

Differentiating terms

Within the theism can be made between

• Monotheism (there is only one God)
• Henotheism (there are several gods and among them a highest )
• Monolatry (there are several gods, but I worship only one)
• Polytheism (there are several gods / goddesses ); but polytheism usually does not correspond to the above definition, since polytheists often no explicit creation ( in the sense of "the world actively build " ) know and understand their gods as inner-worldly powers.

Theistic religions

Theistic religions are among other

• Christianity
• Islam
• Hinduism
• Judaism
• Bahai
• Tengriasm (now distributed only small, but historically mainly in Turkish, Mongolian or other Central Asian peoples )

As well as some historical, mostly attributable to the Henotheism religions; among other

• Greek Religion
• Roman religion
• Germanic and Celtic Paganism

Criticism of the theistic conception of God

An important objection to the theistic concept of God arises from the problem of theodicy. If a god can directing and conducting intervene in the way of the world, it means the question of why he does then that innocent people experienced great suffering. The properties of omnipotence and infinite goodness are provided in this God.

A possible intervention of God in the world will therefore be rejected because this would be tantamount to " from God to make a being alongside other ".

Delimiting terms

Theism is distinguished from other positions on the existence of God or the nature of the divine, for example,

• Of world views that do not require gods, especially from agnosticism, which holds the question of the existence or non - existence of gods for not answerable.
• From Ignostizismus, which requires that a uniform definition of "God" is given before one can answer the otherwise meaningless question of its existence.
• From atheism, which denies the existence of a god or gods.
• From cosmotheism who understands the world as a unit that arranges itself, without requiring the deliberate act of a Creator God.
• From the nihilism that denies any possibility of knowledge of something.

• From deism which, although a God accepts as the creator of the world, but does not believe in its further action on it.
• From Pandeismus which, although a God accepts as the creator of the world, but does not believe in his further exposure to them, because God was risen in the creation / world.
• From pantheism, which looks identical nature and God as completely ( and has always been ).
• From panentheism, which sees the world as part of an evolving (or themselves experienced ) deity.

A sharp distinction is not possible, since there are multiple intersections.