Theism recognizes the existence of a god who created the universe and is responsible for its maintenance.
In order to fully enter into the establishment of the meaning of the term theism, it is necessary, first of all, to know what its etymological origin is. In that case, we can say that it is a word that derives from Greek, since it is the result of the sum of two components of said language:
-The noun “theos”, which can be translated as “God”.
-The suffix “-ism”, which is equivalent to “doctrine” or “thought”.
Hence it can be defined as the “doctrine that believes in God.”
What is theism
Theism is called the recognition of the existence of a god who created the universe and who is still involved in its conservation. The concept can also be linked to believing in divine beings .
The idea of theism arose in Ancient Greece with reference to the belief in the divinities that were part of Olympus . Over time, different theisms began to be recognized according to the qualities attributed to the gods.
Throughout history much has been said about theism by important and recognized figures. This would be the case, for example, of the famous Frenchman Voltaire who did not hesitate to explain that theists think and believe in the existence of a God who is not only the creator of everything and everyone but also has a power that is infinite. Likewise, he determined that those people who believe in theism establish that it was God who shaped them, made them free and gave them instinct.
There have been many important theists throughout history, such as the inventor Benjamin Franklin, Montesquieu, Rousseau or even the president of the United States George Washington.
Depending on the current, theism can believe in the existence of one or more gods.
Classification according to type
Monotheism , for example, maintains the existence of a single god. Catholicism , Judaism and Islam are monotheistic religions. Polytheism , on the other hand, is based on the belief in several gods, as occurs in Hinduism . In all of these theisms, it is accepted that the god or gods have created the universe and continue to be involved in it, although transcending it.
In the same way, we cannot forget the existence of what is called henotheism. This term refers to the belief that there are several different gods but then there is one who is supreme over all.
Deism , on the other hand, recognizes divine participation in the creation of the universe , although it rules out subsequent supernatural intervention. For pandeism , in fact, god and the universe are one thing (that's why there is no “intervention” ).
non-theism
The concept of theism also gives rise to the opposite notion: non-theism . These positions do not believe in the existence of a creative and absolute god. Buddhism is a non-theistic religion: it is based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha , a human being who lived about five hundred years before Christ .
In the field of non-theism we can mention atheism (they do not believe in any type of god) and agnosticism (which affirms that the existence of gods cannot be sustained, although it does not deny or rule it out).