183. God and Gods

See also 59. BUDDHISM ; 69. CATHOLICISM ; 79. CHRIST ; 80. CHRISTIANITY ; 135. EASTERN ORTHODOXY ; 151. FAITH ; 206. HINDUISM ; 227. ISLAM ; 231. JUDAISM ; 286. MYTHOLOGY ; 332. PROTESTANTISM ; 349. RELIGION ; 358. SACREDNESS ; 392. THEOLOGY .

acosmism, akosmism

a denial of, or disbelief in, the existence of an external world or of a world distinct from God. —acosmist, n. —acosmic, adj.

adevism

the denial of legendary gods. —adevist, n.

agnosticism

the tenet that neither the existence nor the nature of God is known or knowable. —agnostic, n., adj.

allotheism

the worship of strange or foreign gods.

aniconism

1 . the worship of an object symbolizing, but not representing God.

2 . an opposition to icons or idols. —aniconic, adj.

animism

1. the belief that natural objects and phenomena and the universe itself possess souls and consciousness.

2 . the belief in spiritual beings or agencies. —animist, n. —animistic, adj.

anthropolatry

the deification and worship of a human being.

anthropomorphism

the assignment of human shape and attributes to gods, animals, etc. —anthropomorphist, n. —anthropomorphic, anthropomorphical, anthropomorphistic, adj.

anthropopathism, anthropopathy

the assignment of human feelings to a god or inanimate object. —anthropopathite, n. —anthropopathic, adj.

anthropophuism

the assignment of human nature and emotions to God. —anthropophuistic, adj.

anthropotheism

the belief that the gods have human nature, or are only deified men.

apotheosis

deification; the elevation of a person to godhood. See also 210. HONORS and REGALIA .

Atenism

the monotheistic religious system of the Egyptian pharaoh Ikhnaton, emphasizing the worship of the sun god Aten (Aton).

atheism

the absolute denial of the existence of God or any other gods. —atheist, n. —atheistic, adj.

Baalism

the worship, in ancient Canaan or Phoenicia, of any of a variety of chief deities referred to as Baal, ’lord.’ —Baalite, n. —Baalistic, adj.

bitheism

a belief in two gods. —bitheist, n. —bitheistic, adj.

chrematheism

Obsolete, the worship of inanimate objects as usefully divine.

deicide

1 . the killing of a god.

2 . the killer of a god. —deicidal , adj.

deism

the acknowledgment of the existence of a god upon the testimony of reason and of nature and its laws, and the rejection of the possibility of supernatural intervention in human affairs and of special revelation. —deist, n. —deistic, adj.

demiurgism

the belief, in Platonism and some Gnostic sects, that the material and sensible world was created by a subordinate god under the direction of the Supreme Being. —demiurge, n. —demiurgic, adj.

ditheism

1 . the belief or doctrine that there are two gods of equal power.

2 . Zoroastrianism. the belief in two antagonistic deities, one a force for good, one for evil. —ditheist, n. —ditheistic, ditheistical adj.

euhemerism

the belief that the mythological gods were merely early kings and heroes deified. —euhemerist, n. —euhemeristic, adj.

henotheism

a belief in one suprème or specially venerated god who is not the only god. —henotheist, n.

heroogony

the birth of heroes as a result of a union between gods and mortal women.

herotheism

the worship of mortals who have been deified.

hylotheism

the identification of God with matter or the universe. —hylotheist, n.

Isiac

relating to the religious practices and objects involving the goddess Isis.

Mammonism

the pursuit of material wealth and possessions, especially a dedication to riches that is tantamount to devotion. —Mammonist, Mammonite, n.

Mazdaism

the worship of Ahura Mazda in Zoroastrianism as the source of all light and good. —Mazdaist, n.

mechanomorphism

the concept that God is a mechanical force and that the universe is governed by natural laws. Cf. deism. —mechanomorphic, adj.

misotheism

Rare. a hatred of gods or God.

Mithraism

an oriental mystery cult, admitting only men, whose deity was Mithras, the savior hero of Persian myth. —Mithraist, n. —Mithraic, adj.

monolatry

the worship of one god without excluding belief in others.

monotheism

the doctrine of or belief in only one God. —monotheist, n.

myriotheism

the worship of an unlimited number of gods.

Neptunianism

the state of relating to the god or planet Neptune or to the ocean. —Neptunian, adj.

noumenalism

the doctrine of the existence of noumena, whose existence is understood only by intellectual intuition, without the aid of the senses. —noumenalist, n.

panentheism

the belief that the world is part, though not all of God. —panentheist, n.

pantheism

the identification of God with the universe as His manifestation. —pantheist, n.

Parsiism, Parseeism

the Zoroastrianism of southwest India, with religious literature in the Parsi dialect. —Parsi, n.

phallicism

the worship of the phallus as symbolic of the generative power of nature. —phallicist, phallist, n.

philotheism

a love for God. —philotheist, n. —philotheistic, adj.

physitheism

1 . the assignment to God of a physical shape.

2 . deification of the powers or phenomena of nature.

polytheism

a belief in, or worship of, many gods. —polytheist, n.

pseudolatry

devotion to false gods.

psychotheism

the doctrine that God is pure spirit.

Sethite, Sethian

a member of a Gnostic sect that regarded Seth, son of Adam, as the father of a pure race and considered the serpent as its deity.

supernaturalism

1 . the condition or quality of existing outside the known experience of man or caused by forces beyond those of nature.

2 . belief in supernatural events or forces. Also supranaturalism . —supernaturalist, n., adj. —supernatural, supernaturalistic, adj.

supranaturalism

supernaturalism. —supranaturalist, n., adj. —supranatural, supranaturalistic, adj.

theanthropism

1 . the attributing of human characteristics to God; anthropomorphism.

2 . a belief in the divinity of a human being.

3 . a belief in God’s becoming man. Also called theanthroposophy. —theanthropist , n.

theism

1 . a belief in the existence of God or gods.

2 . a belief in one god as creator and ruler of the universe, without rejection of special revelation. Cf. deism. —theism, n.

theocentrism, theocentricity

the belief that God is the center of all truth in the universe. —theocentric, adj.

theocrasy, theocrasia

1 . a mingling of the attributes of several deities into one.

2 . a union of an individual soul with God, especially through contemplation.

theodicy

the vindication of the goodness of God in the face of the existence of evil. —theodicean , adj.

theogony

1 . the origin of the gods.

2 . a genealogical account of the origin of the gods. —theogonist, n.

theolepsy

Archaic. a seizure or possession by a deity. —theoleptic, n.

theology

the study of God and His relationship to the universe. —theologist, n. —theological, adj.

theomachist

a person or a god who resists the divine will of God or the gods. —theomachy, n.

theomancy

a form of divination involving divinely inspired oracles or others inspired by God.

theomania

a religious madness in which a person believes he is God or is inspired by God.

theopathy

religious emotion or excitement caused by contemplation of God. —theopathetic , — theopathic, adj.

theophagy

the act of eating one’s god, either literally or symbolically. —theophagite, n. —theophagous, adj.

theophobia

an abnormal fear of God.

theurgy

1 . the working of some divine or supernatural agency in human affairs.

2 . the art of invoking deities or spirits for aid or information or knowledge unachievable through human reason.

3 . a divine act; miracle.

4 . a system of supernatural knowledge or powers believed bequeathed to the Egyptian Platonists by beneficent deities. —theurgist, n. —theurgic, theurgical, adj.

titanism

the condition of having qualities distinctive of the Titans, a family of giants in Greek mythology. —titanic, adj.

trieteric

1 . a festival that occurs every third year, especially one honoring Bacchus.

2 . occurring every third year, particularly in reference to festivals for divinities. —trieterical, adj.

tripersonality

the quality of existing in three persons, as God in the Trinity. —tripersonal, adj.

tritheism

1 . a belief in three gods.

2 . a Christian heresy holding that the Trinity consists of three distinct gods. —tritheist, n.

ubiquitary

a person or entity existing everywhere. —ubiquitary, adj.

Zemiism

the religion of the Taino tribes of the West Indies, involving the invocation of Zemis, spirits or supernatural beings often dwelling in objects.

zoomorphism

the attribution of animal form or nature to a deity.