'The Sacred' Lecture
Allen Brimer・6 minutes read
Monotheism believes in one god, while atheism denies the existence of a personal deity. Deism sees a creator as a clockmaker who sets the universe in motion and steps back, while animism attributes individual spirits to elements of nature.
Insights
- Monotheism centers around the belief in a single, personal god, contrasting with polytheism and pantheism.
- Theistic systems differentiate between transcendence (divine separate from physical world) and imminence (divine present and interacting), while non-theistic systems like Taoism see the sacred as an energy rather than personal entities.
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Recent questions
What is monotheism?
Belief in one god as a personal spiritual being.
What is deism?
Acknowledges a creator but minimizes involvement.
What is animism?
Attributing individual spirits to nature elements.
What is transcendence in theistic systems?
Divine being separate from the physical world.
What is non-theistic belief in Taoism?
Sacred as an energy or force, not personal entities.
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Summary
00:00
Belief Systems: Monotheism, Atheism, Deism, Animism
- Monotheism is the belief in one god, with "mono" meaning one and "theism" referring to god as a personal spiritual being. This concept is prevalent in our culture and contrasts with polytheism, which involves many gods, and pantheism, where all of nature is divine.
- Atheism, on the other hand, denies the existence of a personal spiritual being in the universe. Deism, emerging during the Enlightenment, acknowledges a creator but downplays the deity's involvement in everyday life, likening it to a clockmaker who sets the universe in motion and then steps back.
- Animism differs from pantheism by attributing individual spirits to every part of nature, such as rocks, trees, and bodies of water. This belief system contrasts with monotheism and polytheism in how spiritual beings are perceived.
- Theistic systems distinguish between transcendence, where the divine is separate from the physical world, and imminence, where the divine is present and interacts with the physical world. Non-theistic systems like Taoism and certain aspects of Hinduism view the sacred as an energy or force rather than personal spiritual entities.
