GOD “ISMS”

THEISM is the belief that at least one deity exists.  In a more specific sense, it refers to a doctrine concerning the nature of a monotheistic God and God's relationship to the universe.  Here it conceives of God as personal, present and active in the governance and organization of the world and the universe.

The claim of no knowledge, no faith, and a complete rejection of theism is known as agnosticism, atheism, and antitheism, respectively.

MONOTHEISM (from Greek μόνος) is the belief that only one deity exists.  Some modern day monotheistic religions include Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and some forms of Buddhism and Hinduism.

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:

Hard polytheism views the gods as being distinct and separate beings.  An example of this would be the Egyptian and Greek Religions, along with certain schools of Hinduism.

Soft polytheism views the gods as being subsumed into a greater whole.  Some forms of Hinduism such as Smartism and Advaita Vedanta are examples of soft polytheism.  They accept all the major Hindu deities as forms of the one Brahman.

Polytheism is also divided according to how the individual deities are regarded. Accordingly:

Henotheism:  The viewpoint/belief that there may be more than one deity but only one of them is worshipped.

Kathenotheism:  The viewpoint/belief that there is more than one deity but only one of them is worshipped at a time, or ever, and another may be worshipped at another time or place.  If they are worshipped one at a time, then each is supreme in turn.

Monolatrism:  The belief that there may be more than one deity but that only one is worthy of being worshipped.  Most of the modern monotheistic religions may have begun as monolatric ones.

PANTHEISM is the belief that the physical universe is equivalent to a god or gods, and that there is no division between a Creator and the substance of its creation. Examples include many forms of Saivism. 

PANENTHEISM:  Like Pantheism, panentheism is the belief that the physical universe is joined to a god or gods.  However, it also believes that a god or gods are greater than the material universe.  Examples include most forms of Vaishnavism.

DEISM is the belief that at least one deity exists who created the world, but that the creator(s) does/do not alter the original plan for the universe.  Deism typically rejects supernatural events, such as prophecies, miracles, and divine revelations, prominent in organized religion.  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. Other forms of deism are:

Pandeism is the belief that a god preceded the universe and created it and is now equivalent with it.

Panendeism holds that the universe is a part but not the whole of the deity.

Polydeism is the belief that multiple gods exist but they do not intervene with the universe.

AUTOTHEISM is the viewpoint that divinity is inherently within oneself and that one's duty is to become perfect, divine oneself.

Autotheism can also refer to the belief that one's self is a deity, the only one very often, within the context of subjectivism.  This is a fairly extreme version of subjectivism, however.

EUTHEISM is the viewpoint/belief that a deity, or deities, is wholly benevolent.

DYSTHEISM allows for there being evil in the divine realm.

MALTHEISM is the belief that a deity exists but that this god is wholly malicious and abusive.