A deity is a postulated In traditional logic, an axiom or postulate is a proposition that is not proved or demonstrated but considered to be either self-evident, or subject to necessary decision. Therefore, its truth is taken for granted, and serves as a starting point for deducing and inferring other truths preternatural The preternatural or praeternatural is that which appears outside or beyond the natural. While this may include what is more commonly called the supernatural, it may also simply indicate extremity — an ordinary phenomenon taken 'beyond' the natural. One may have, for example, a preternatural desire, a preternatural curiosity, a preternaturally or supernatural The term supernatural or supranatural pertains of being above or beyond what is natural; unexplainable by natural law or phenomena. Religious miracles are typically supernatural claims, as are spells and curses, divination, the belief that there is an afterlife for the dead, and innumerable others. Supernatural beliefs have existed in many immortal being Immortality is the concept of living in a physical or spiritual form for an infinite or inconceivably vast length of time, who may be thought of as holy Holiness, or sanctity, is in general the state of being holy or sacred (considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspiring awe or reverence among believers in a given set of spiritual ideas). In other contexts, objects are often considered 'holy' or 'sacred' if used for spiritual purposes, such as the worship or service of gods, divine Divinity and divine are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power, or its attributes or manifestations in the world. The root of the words is literally 'Godlike' (from the, or sacred Holiness, or sanctity, is in general the state of being holy or sacred (considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspiring awe or reverence among believers in a given set of spiritual ideas). In other contexts, objects are often considered 'holy' or 'sacred' if used for spiritual purposes, such as the worship or service of gods, held in high regard, and respected by believers.

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God God is a deity in theistic and deistic religions and other belief systems, representing either the sole deity in monotheism, or a principal deity in polytheism

General conceptions Atheism Atheism can be either the rejection of theism, or the position that deities do not exist. In the broadest sense, it is the absence of belief in the existence of deities · Deism Deism (\ˈdi:izm\) or (\ˈdē-ˌi-zəm\) is a religious and philosophical belief that a supreme being created the universe, and that this (and religious truth in general) can be determined using reason and observation of the natural world alone, without a need for either faith or organized religion.Deists tend to, but do not necessarily, reject · Henotheism Henotheism is a term coined by Max Müller, to mean worshipping a single god while accepting the existence or possible existence of other deities. Müller made the term central to his criticism of Western theological and religious exceptionalism (relative to Eastern religions), focusing on a cultural dogma which held "monotheism" to be · Monolatrism Monolatrism or monolatry (Greek: μόνος = single, and λατρεία (latreia) = worship) is the recognition of the existence of many gods, but with the consistent worship of only one deity. Monolatry is not the same thing as henotheism, which is the belief in and worship of one god without at the same time denying that others (of different Monotheism In theology, monotheism is the belief that only one god exists. The concept of "monotheism" tends to be dominated by the concept of God in the Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and the Platonic concept of God as put forward by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite. Some forms of Hinduism also use this form of · Panentheism Panentheism (from Greek πᾶν "all"; ἐν (en) "in"; and θεός (theós) "God"; "all-in-God") is a belief system which posits that God exists and interpenetrates every part of nature, and timelessly extends beyond as well. Panentheism is distinguished from pantheism, which holds that God is synonymous · Pantheism Pantheism (Greek: πάν = all and θεός (theos) = God, literally "God is all" -ism) is the view that everything is part of an all-encompassing immanent God and that the Universe (Nature) and God are equivalent. Pantheism promotes the idea that God is better understood as an abstract principle representing natural law, existence, and

Specific conceptions The God of monotheism, pantheism or panentheism, or the supreme deity of henotheistic religions, may be conceived of in various degrees of abstraction: Creator A creator deity is a deity in a creation myth responsible for the creation of the world · Architect The Great Architect of the Universe is a conception of God discussed by many Christian theologians and apologists. As a designation it is used within Freemasonry to neutrally represent whatever Supreme Being to which each member individually holds in adherence. It is also a Rosicrucian conception of God, as expressed by Max Heindel. The concept of · Demiurge Demiurge in philosophical and religious language is a term for a creator deity, responsible for the creation of the Universe · Sustainer God the Sustainer is a theological term referring to the concept of a God who sustains and upholds everything in existence. It is used mostly in Christian and Islamic theology Lord Lord is a title with various meanings. It can denote a prince or a feudal superior . The title today is mostly used in connection with the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it 'by courtesy'. The title may also be used in conjunction with others to · Father In many monotheist religions, God is given the title and attributions of Father. In the Israelite religion and its closest modern relative, Talmudic Judaism, God is called Father because he is the creator, law-giver, and protector. In Christianity, God is called Father not only for the same reasons, but because of the mystery of the Father-Son · Monad Monad , according to the Pythagoreans, was a term for God or the first being, or the totality of all beings, Monad being the source or the One meaning without division · Oneness Monism is any philosophical view which holds that there is unity in a given field of inquiry, where this is not to be expected. Thus, some philosophers may hold that the Universe is really just one thing, despite its many appearances and diversities; or theology may support the view that there is one God, with many manifestations in different Supreme Being The term Supreme Being is often defined simply as "God", and it is used with this meaning by theologians of many religious faiths, including, but not limited to, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Deism. However, the term can also refer to more complex or philosophical interpretations of the divine. Many fraternal organisations, · The All The All is the Hermetic or panentheistic view of God, which is that everything that is, or at least that can be experienced, collectively makes up The All. One Hermetic maxim states, "While All is in The All, it is equally true that The All is in All." The All can also seen to be androgynous, possessing both masculine and feminine · Personal A Personal god is a deity that is, and can be related to as, a person. The personhood of God is one of the characteristic features of monotheism. In the sacred scriptures of Judaism, Islam and Christianity, God is conceived and described as being a personal creator, with a purpose for the creation. In the Pentateuch, for example, God talks and Unitarianism The unitarians believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ as found in the New Testament and other Early Christian writings. Adhering to strict monotheism, they maintain that Jesus was a great man and a prophet of God, perhaps even a supernatural being, but not God himself. They believe Jesus did not claim to be God, nor did his teachings hint at the · Ditheism Dualism denotes a state of two parts. The word's origin is the Latin duo, "two" . The term 'dualism' was originally coined to denote co-eternal binary opposition, a meaning that is preserved in metaphysical and philosophical duality discourse but has been diluted in general or common usages · Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity teaches the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons in one Godhead. It should be noted that the concept of personhood in the Trinity does not match the common Western understanding of "person" as used in the English language—it does not imply an "individual, self-actualized in Abrahamic religions Judaism, Christianity, Islam and the Bahá'í Faith see God as the eternal being who created the universe and all there is. God is usually held to have the properties of holiness , justice (fair, right, and true in all his judgments), sovereignty (unthwartable in his will), omnipotence (all-powerful), omniscience (all-knowing), omni-benevolence ( (Bahá'í Faith, Christianity God is believed to be both immanent , and transcendent (meaning that he is outside space and time, and therefore eternal and unable to be changed by forces within the universe). Although the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox churches, and the various Protestant denominations believe that they worship the same God, some have differing beliefs about, Islam In Islam, Allah is the only real supreme being, all-powerful and all knowing Creator, Sustainer, Ordainer, and Judge of the universe. Islam puts a heavy emphasis on the conceptualization of God as strictly singular . God is unique (wahid) and inherently one (ahad), all-merciful and omnipotent. According to tradition there are 99 Names of God (al-, Judaism The conception of God in modern Judaism is monotheistic. The God of Israel was known by two principal names in the Bible. One is YHWH, which stands for the Hebrew letters yud-hay-vav-hay. This pronunciation with vowels is impossible to say aloud since it lacks consonants. This name is sometimes vocalized theoretically by scholars as Yahweh, and) in Ayyavazhi Ayyavazhi theology is the theology of a South Indian religious faith and officially a sect of Hinduism known as Ayyavazhi. Several fundamental theological beliefs distinguish the Ayyavazhi tradition from Hinduism · in Buddhism Since the time of the Buddha, the refutation of the existence of a creator has been seen as a key point in distinguishing Buddhist from non-Buddhist views. Buddhism is usually considered a religion, but is also commonly described as a "spiritual philosophy", because it generally lacks an Absolute creator god. The Buddhist approach is · in Hinduism In Hinduism the concept of God is complex and depends on a particular tradition. In majority of traditions of Vaishnavism he is Vishnu, God, and the text identifies this being as Krishna, sometimes referred as svayam bhagavan. The term isvara - from the root is, to have extraordinary power. Some forms of traditional sankhya systems contrast in Jainism In Jainism, a soul that has achieved its ultimate objective, Nirvana or liberation, is called Siddha. Such a pure soul has achieved Mokṣa and is worthy of praise. Thus each person is capable of Mokṣa · in Sikhism The fundamental belief of Sikhism is that God exists, not merely as an idea but as a Real Entity, indescribable yet knowable and perceivable to anyone who is prepared to dedicate the time and energy to become perceptive to His/Her persona. The [Gurus]never spoke about proofs of the existence of God: For them He/She is too real and obvious to need · in Zoroastrianism Ahura Mazda is the Avestan language name for a divinity exalted by Zoroaster as the one uncreated Creator

Attributes Eternalness While in the popular mind, eternity often simply means existing for a limitless amount of time, many have used it to refer to a timeless existence altogether outside of time. There are a number of arguments for eternity, by which proponents of the concept, principally Aristotle, purported to prove that matter, motion, and time must have existed · Existence Arguments for and against the existence of God have been proposed by scientists, philosophers, theologians, and others. In philosophical terminology, "existence-of-God" arguments concern schools of thought on the epistemology of the ontology of God · Gender The gender of God can be viewed as a literal or as an allegorical aspect of a deity. In polytheistic religions, the gods are more likely to have literal sexual genders which would enable them to interact with each other, and even with humans, in a sexual way. In most monotheistic religions, there is no comparable being for God to relate to in a Names Within Hinduism, there are number of names of God which are generally in Sanskrit, each supported by a different tradition within the religion. Brahman, Bhagavan, Ishvara, and Paramatma are among the most commonly used terms for God in the scriptures of Hinduism ("God" If Wiktionary has a definition already: Change this flag to {{}} or else consider a soft direct to Wiktionary by changing the text on this page to {{}}. If Wiktionary doesn't have the definition yet: consider moving the whole article to Wiktionary by replacing this flag with the template {{}}) · Omnibenevolence Omnibenevolence is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "unlimited or infinite benevolence". It is sometimes held to be impossible for a deity to exhibit this property along with both omniscience and omnipotence, because of the problem of evil. It is a technical term used in the academic literature on the philosophy of religion, Omnipotence Monotheistic religions generally attribute omnipotence to only the deity of whichever faith is being addressed. In the philosophies of most Western monotheistic religions, omnipotence is often listed as one of a deity's characteristics among many, including omniscience, omnipresence, and omnibenevolence. Within the trinity concept of Hinduism, · Omnipresence Omnipresence is the property of being present everywhere. According to eastern theism, God is present everywhere. Divine omnipresence is thus one of the divine attributes, although in western theism it has attracted less philosophical attention than such attributes as omnipotence, omniscience, or being eternal · Omniscience Omniscience (or omniscient point-of-view in writing) is the capacity to know everything infinitely, or at least everything that can be known about a character including thoughts, feelings, life and the universe, etc. In monotheism, this ability is typically attributed to God. The God of the Bible is often referred to as "The Great I Am,"

Experience and practices Faith Faith is the confident belief or trust in the truth or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing. The word "faith" can refer to a religion itself or to religion in general. As with "trust", faith involves a concept of future events or outcomes, and is used conversely for a belief "not resting on logical proof or material · Prayer · Belief · Revelation Fideism · Gnosis · Metaphysics Mysticism · Hermeticism · Esotericism

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Deities are depicted in a variety of forms, but are frequently expressed as having human or animal form. Some faiths and traditions consider it blasphemous to imagine or depict the deity as having any concrete form. They are usually immortal, and are commonly assumed to have personalities and to possess consciousness, intellects, desires, and emotions similar to those of humans. Such natural phenomena as lightning, floods, storms, other 'acts of God', and miracles are attributed to them, and they may be thought to be the authorities or controllers of various aspects of human life (such as birth or the afterlife). Some deities are asserted to be the directors of time and fate itself, to be the givers of human law and morality, to be the ultimate judges of human worth and behavior, and to be the designers and creators of the Earth or the universe. Noted deities include Zeus, Odin, Ra, and the Judeo-Christian God.

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In fact, many of these countries have a significant portion of their population that does not believe in any deity . European countries have large portions ...
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Empty . Deity. . I was going to write something on the Dawkins/Armstro​ng throwdown in the WSJ this morning, but PZ beat me to it and was a lot more eloquent about it to boot. I'm a little disappointed by Armstrong's article. ...

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Do Pagans say Grace or offer their food to a Deity?
Q. Many religions feel that food offered first to a Deity is more holy and therefore better food. That's how we got the tradition of saying grace before a meal; we are in effect offering it to God first. Do Pagans keep up this tradition?
Asked by Sara - Wed Jul 22 17:35:14 2009 - - 22 Answers - 0 Comments

A. I don't say grace as such. However when I'm preparing food and eating it I am mindful to be thankful to the plant and animals that gave their life so I could eat. One of the differences between much of Christianity and Paganism is that Christians tend compartmentalize their spirituality into grace before meals, prayers a bed time, church on Sundays, etc. Many Pagans weave their spirituality into every active they engage in through out the day. They are mindful of their various Gods and Goddess manifesting themselves in all their activities. Edit: Even when we're showering. ;-)
Answered by Pablito - Wed Jul 22 17:54:03 2009

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