God

Brahma is the creator god in Hinduism. Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu are the most important Hindu gods. This image shows him on a temple wall.

Some religions say that there is a supernatural being called God. Other religions say there is more than one god. A supernatural being is also sometimes called a deity. Many religions believe that a deity created everything that exists. In most religions, a god is believed to be immortal (cannot die), and to have powers to control nature far beyond the powers of humans.

The belief that there is at least one god is usually called theism. People who reject belief that any deities exist are called atheists. Agnostics think we cannot know for sure whether any deities exist, but still might (or might not) believe at least one deity exists.

In some religions there are many gods, which is called polytheism. In other religions, there is only one, which is called monotheism. In polytheism the word "gods" is usually written in lowercase letters. God is usually written with an uppercase letter when only one god is believed to exist. Some polytheists also use uppercase when talking about their most important god.

Does God exist?

Many people have asked themselves if God exists. Philosophers, theologians and others have tried to prove that it exists, others have tried to show that it does not exist. In philosophical terminology, such arguments are about the epistemology of the ontology of God. Science has found no evidence that indicates the existence of God or of anything supernatural. The debate exists mainly in philosophy since scientists cannot really prove whether or not supernatural things like gods exist.

There are many philosophical issues with the existence of God. Some definitions of God are not specific, others sometimes contradict themselves. Arguments for the existence of God typically include metaphysical, empirical, inductive, and subjective types. Some theories are built around holes in evolutionary theory, as well as order and complexity in the world. Arguments against the existence of God typically include empirical, deductive, and inductive arguments. Conclusions sometimes include: "God does not exist" (strong atheism); "God almost certainly does not exist" (de facto atheism); "no one knows whether God exists" (agnosticism); "God exists, but this cannot be proven or disproven" (deism or theism); and "God exists and this can be proven" (theism). There are many variations on these positions, and sometimes different names for some of them. For example, the position "God exists and this can be proven" is sometimes called "gnostic theism" or "strong theism".

Believing in God

The percentage of people in European countries who said in 2005 that they "believe there is a God". Countries with Eastern Orthodox (i.e.: Greece, Romania, etc.) or Muslim (Turkey) majorities tend to poll highest.

In the year 2000, approximately 53% of the world's population felt part of one of the three main Abrahamic religions (33% Christian, 20% Islam, less than 1% Judaism), 6% with Buddhism, 13% with Hinduism, 6% with traditional Chinese religion, 7% with various other religions, and less than 15% as non-religious. Most of these religious beliefs involve a god or gods.

God in the Abrahamic religions

Abrahamic religions are very popular monotheistic ones. Well-known Abrahamic religions include Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Monotheistic means the people in these religions believe there is only one god. The name of God is usually not allowed to be said in Judaism, but some Jews today call him YHWH (Yahweh) or Jehovah. Muslims say the word Allah, which is the Arabic word for "The God."

Believers in the Abrahamic religions believe that God has created human beings in his image, but this idea is rarely taken literally. The idea of an old man with a beard has been used in art since the Renaissance, but is not what most monotheists actually believe he looks like.

God in Christianity

Main page: God in Christianity

The Christian Bible talks about God in different ways. Christians say that the Old Testament talks about "God the Father". The New Testament is about Jesus, or "God the Son". Many Christians also believe that Jesus was God's incarnation on earth. Christians consider the Holy Spirit to be God as well.

In early times, Christians tried to solve this problem. In the New Testament, there are three beings who are said to be God in different forms: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (also known as the Holy Ghost). This is called the Holy Trinity by most people who believe in it, although the word "Trinity" is not in the Bible. Another word that most Christians believe means the same thing as "Trinity" is "Godhead".

Some Christians do not believe in the Trinity. Some believe that Jesus was just a man that talked about God and taught people about God. Members of the Unitarian Church have these beliefs.

Christians believe that God turned into a man named Jesus, and came to Earth to save everyone from sin. When Jesus prayed and talked to God, he called him "Father," and taught others to do the same.

God in Hinduism

In Hinduism, there is only one God, named Brahman, but Brahman is said to have taken on many different incarnations. Some of these are Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Shiva, Kali, Parvati, and Durga. To many outsiders, the worship of God's different incarnations is considered to be the worship of many gods. However, it is really only the worship of one God in different ways.

Some Hindus also believe that the spirit of God lives in everyone. This idea is called Advaita Vedanta, which is the Hindu term for Monism.

God in Other Eastern Religions

Religions like Buddhism and Confucianism involve the worship of many gods, or sometimes no gods at all.

God in Western philosophy

Philosophers can talk about God or god; sometimes they talk about a specific god, but other times they are just talking about the idea of god.

One of the earliest Western philosophers to write about God in a monotheistic way was the Greek Aristotle, who describes god as the Supreme Cause. Aristotle saw God as a being that makes everything happen, but is not influenced by anything else.

There are also some philosophical problems with God. One of them is called God paradox. It is a question about whether (an omnipotent) God can make a mountain that is so heavy he cannot lift it.

References

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