Deity

A deity (Listeni/ˈdiː.ɨti/ or Listeni/ˈdeɪ.ɨti/) is a being, natural, supernatural or preternatural, with superhuman powers or qualities, and who may be Thought of as Template:Wiki, divine, or sacred. Believers may consider or believe that they can Template:Wiki with the deity, who can respond supernaturally to their entreaties, and that the deity's myths are true. Some religions have one supreme deity, others have multiple deities of various ranks.

C. Scott Littleton's Gods, Goddesses, and Mythology defined a deity as "a being with powers greater than those of ordinary humans, but who interacts with humans, positively or negatively, in ways that carry humans to new levels of Consciousness beyond the grounded preoccupations of ordinary Life."

Deities are depicted in a variety of forms, but are also frequently expressed as having human Form. Some faiths and traditions consider it blasphemous to imagine or depict the deity as having any concrete Form. Deities are often Thought to be immortal, and are commonly assumed to have personalities and to possess Consciousness, intellects, Desires, and emotions comparable but usually Template:Wiki to those of humans. A Template:Wiki deity is a God, while a Template:Wiki deity is a goddess.

Natural Phenomena whose causes are not understood, such as Template:Wiki and catastrophes such as earthquakes and floods, are sometimes attributed to them. They may be Thought to be able to work supernatural miracles and to be the authorities and controllers of various aspects of human Life (such as birth or an 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 Template:Wiki, and to be the designers and creators of everything (the Earth or Universe and all contents).

Template:Wiki

The word "deity" derives from the Template:Wiki deus ("God"), which is related through a common Template:Wiki origin to Sanskrit Deva ("God"), Devi ("goddess"), divya ("transcendental", "Spiritual"). The root is related to words for "sky", such as Template:Wiki dies ("day"), and the Sanskrit div, diu ("sky", "day", "shine").

Other words for the Template:Wiki

The English word "God" comes from Template:Wiki; similar words are found in many Template:Wiki (e.g. the Template:Wiki "Gott" — "God").

ʾIlāh (Template:Wiki: إله‎; plural: آلهة ʾālihah) is an Template:Wiki term meaning "deity". The Template:Wiki is ʾilāhah (إلاهة, meaning "goddess"); with the article, it appears as al-ʾilāhah الإلاهة. It appears in the name of the monotheistic God of Template:Wiki as al-lāh, that is, translated, "the God". All of them come from the most basic original Form known to pre-Semite peoples and others in the Levante as Elah, and from the God El. In some cases, it is used by Arabic-speaking Template:Wiki and Jews, although not as frequently as other titles, such as Rabb, or "Lord" — a title also used by Template:Wiki for Template:Wiki — similar to the Hebrew use of Adonai, which is the most frequently used by Jews of all languages, along with HaShem or "the Name". Amongst Template:Wiki, Yasu—an Template:Wiki transliteration of the name of the Template:Wiki Jesus—Yahweh, or Shaddai, that is, translated, "Almighty", are common, with some other names and titles generally borrowed as transliterations from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Template:Wiki. In Template:Wiki, many States have laws prohibiting non-Muslims from using the word "Template:Wiki", but these have been ruled unconstitutional insofar as they do not involve the Propagation of non-Muslim religions to Template:Wiki. ʾIlāh is cognate to Template:Wiki Semitic ʾēl and Akkadian ilum. The word is from a Proto-Semitic Template:Wiki biliteral ʔ-l meaning "God" (possibly with a wider meaning of "strong"), which was extended to a regular triliteral by the addition of a h (as in Hebrew ʾelōAh, ʾelōhim). The word is spelled either إله with an optional Template:Wiki alif to mark the ā only in Quranic texts or (more rarely) with a full alif, إلاه. The term is used throughout the Quran in passages detailing the existence of God and of the beliefs of non-Muslims in other divinities. Notably, the first statement of the šAhādah (the Template:Wiki Template:Wiki of Faith) is, "there is no ʾilāh but al-lāh", that is, translated, "there is no deity except for Template:Wiki" or "there is no God except for the [one] God".

The Template:Wiki word Khuda (Template:Wiki: خدا ) can be translated as God, Lord or king, and is also used today to refer to God in Template:Wiki by Template:Wiki and Template:Wiki speakers. (But "Template:Wiki" is more common.)

Turkic word for God is Template:Wiki, it exists as Tanrı in Template:Wiki. It is in some cases used interchangibly with "Template:Wiki".

Relation with humanity

Theories and myths about, and modes of Template:Wiki of, deities are largely a matter of Religion. At Template:Wiki, the majority of humans are Template:Wiki of some Religion, and this has been true throughout recorded human Template:Wiki. Human burials from between 50,000 and 30,000 B.C. provide Template:Wiki of human belief in an afterlife and possibly in deities, although it is not clear when human belief in deities became the dominant view.

Some deities are Thought to be Template:Wiki or inaccessible to humans, dwelling mainly in otherworldly, remote or secluded and Template:Wiki places, such as the concepts of Heaven, and Hell, the sky, the under-World, under the sea, in the high mountains or deep forests, or in a supernatural plane or celestial sphere. Typically, they rarely reveal or manifest themselves to humans, and make themselves known mainly through their effects. Monotheistic deities are often Thought of as being Template:Wiki, though Template:Wiki.

Often people feel an Template:Wiki or submission to their deity, although some view their deity as something that serves them. Ivory figure of Wen Chang, a Template:Wiki God of Template:Wiki and Template:Wiki (Template:Wiki, ca. 1550-1644)

Template:Wiki religions usually contain active and worldly deities.

In polytheism, deities are conceived of as a counterpart to humans: humans are defined by their station subject to the deities, nourishing them with prayers or sacrifices, and deities are defined by their Template:Wiki over humans, punishing and rewarding them, but also dependent on their Template:Wiki. This same Template:Wiki is also Template:Wiki in monotheistic and henotheistic religions.

The boundary between human and divine in most cultures is by no means absolute. Demigods are the offspring from a union of a human with a deity, and most Template:Wiki houses in Antiquity claimed divine Template:Wiki.

beginning with Djedefra (26th century BC), the Egyptian pharaohs called themselves "Son of Ra" as well as "Bull (son) of his Mother" among their many titles. One, Hatshepsut, who ruled from 1479 BC to 1458 BC, traced her heritage not only to her father, Thutmose I, who would have become deified upon his Death—but also to the deity, Mut, as a direct Template:Wiki.

Some human rulers, such as the Kings of Template:Wiki, the Japanese Tennos, and some Template:Wiki Emperors have been worshipped by their subjects as deities while still alive. The earliest ruler known to have claimed divinity is Naram-Sin of Akkad (22nd century BC). In many cultures, rulers and other prominent or Template:Wiki persons may be Thought to become deities upon Death (see Template:Wiki, Template:Wiki Template:Wiki, canonization).

Forms of theism

Some religions are monotheistic and assert the existence of a unique deity. In the English Language, the common Template:Wiki God is Template:Wiki to deity, while the proper Template:Wiki God (capitalized) references the unique deity of monotheism. Template:Wiki considers The Universe itself to be a deity. Dualism is the view that there are two deities: a deity of good who is opposed and thwarted by a deity of Evil, of Template:Wiki Power. Template:Wiki, Template:Wiki, and Gnostic sects of Template:Wiki are, or were, dualist. Polytheism asserts the existence of several deities, who together Form a Template:Wiki. Monolatry is a type of polytheism in which the existence of multiple deities is recognized, but Template:Wiki is given only to one. Henotheism is a Form of polytheism in which only one deity is worshipped. Template:Wiki is the belief that Spirits inhabit every existing thing, including plants, Template:Wiki, Animals, and, including all the elements, air, water, Earth, and Fire. The anthropologist E. B. Tylor argued that Religion originally took an animist Form. Theism is the view that at least one deity exists.

Template:Wiki of Template:Wiki religions, such as certain schools of Hinduism, may regard all deities in the Template:Wiki as manifestations, aspects, or multiple personalities of the single supreme deity, and the religions may be more akin to Template:Wiki, monotheism, or henotheism than is initially apparent to an observer.

The many religions do not generally agree on which deities exist, although sometimes the pantheons may overlap, or be similar except for the names of the deities. It is frequently argued that Template:Wiki, Template:Wiki, and Template:Wiki all Template:Wiki the same monotheistic deity, although they differ in many important details. Comparative Religion studies the similarities and contrasts in the views and practices of various religions. Philosophy of Religion discusses philosophical issues related to theories about deities. Template:Wiki of Religion studies religious Template:Wiki in relation to other Template:Wiki Template:Wiki, the comparison of religious beliefs and practices across cultures, and describes each Religion as a Template:Wiki product, created by the human Template:Wiki that worships it. Narratives about deities and their deeds are referred to as myths, the study of which is mythology. The word "myth" has an overtone of Template:Wiki, so religious people commonly (although not invariably) refrain from using this term in relation to the stories about deities which they themselves believe in.

Template:Wiki

Template:Wiki believe that God is one and incomparable and the purpose of existence is to know, serve, and Love God. It is the Template:Wiki belief that Template:Wiki is the complete and universal version of a primordial Faith that was revealed at many times and places before, including through Abraham, Moses and Template:Wiki, who are considered Template:Wiki. Template:Wiki maintain that previous messages and revelations have been partially changed or corrupted over time, but consider the Quran to be both the unaltered and the final revelation of God. The Template:Wiki word for deity in Template:Wiki, is ilāh (إله).

Hinduism

The Template:Wiki of Shiva is a pan-Hindu tradition, practiced widely across all of India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Template:Wiki has many different schools showing both regional variations and differences in philosophy. Template:Wiki has a vast Template:Wiki that includes texts representing multiple philosophical schools, including non-dualist (abheda), dualist (bheda), and non-dual-with-dualism (bhedābheda) perspectives. Some people believe that Template:Wiki from Template:Wiki, Template:Wiki and other Template:Wiki sites of northwestern India and Template:Wiki indicate that some early Form of Shiva Template:Wiki was practiced in the Template:Wiki Valley. These Template:Wiki include lingams and the "Pashupati Template:Wiki" that has been the subject of much study. The Template:Wiki Valley Template:Wiki reached its peak around 2500-2000 BC, when trade links with Template:Wiki are known to have existed, was in Template:Wiki by 1800 BC, and faded away by 1500 BC.

Buddhism

Buddhist temple Template:Wiki of Vaisravana, one of the Four Heavenly Kings (Ssangbongsa, Template:Wiki Korea)

In Buddhism\Buddhist mythology, Devas are beings inhabiting certain happily placed worlds of Buddhist cosmology. These beings are Template:Wiki (being part of Saṃsāra), numerous, and are respected but not worshipped; it is also common for Yidams to be called deities, although the nature of Yidams are Template:Wiki from what is normally meant by the term.

The Buddhist Madhyamaka argue strongly against the existence of a reificating creator or essential being (such as Brahman). Some Prasangikas hold that even the Template:Wiki existence of an essential being is a Template:Wiki, whereas others consider that the Template:Wiki existence of such a being is an existent.

Some Template:Wiki Buddhists, especially in the Template:Wiki, believe that deities exist in the same manner that elves or unicorns do - as an Template:Wiki consensual Template:Wiki that serves a symbolic purpose in the popular imagination.

Though this may seem a rather weak basis of existence for some, as many Buddhists (such as the Yogacara) deny any objective existence (of e.g. a chair), and many more deny any sort of essential existence of Phenomena at all, the Template:Wiki between the existence and non-existence of consensual entities is important to Buddhist Philosophy.

Polytheism

A Template:Wiki (from Template:Wiki Πάνθειον, from πᾶν, all + θεός, God) is a set of all the deities of a particular Template:Wiki Religion or mythology, such as the Egyptian Template:Wiki, or the Template:Wiki Template:Wiki. A Template:Wiki may include deities of vastly differing importance and scope.

Max Weber's 1922 opus, Economy and Template:Wiki discusses the link between a Template:Wiki of deities and the development of monotheism.

Monotheism

In some cases, especially the monotheistic Template:Wiki God or the supreme deity of henotheistic religions, the divine is not Thought of by many believers in the same terms as deities - as a powerful, Template:Wiki supernatural being - but rather becomes Esoteric, and Template:Wiki - the Ultimate, the Absolute Infinite, the Transcendent, the One, the All, Existence, becoming or Being itself, the ground of being, the nondualistic, etc.

In this view, God (Template:Wiki, Brahman, Elohim, Template:Wiki Template:Wiki, Waheguru, etc.) is not a deity, and the Template:Wiki myths and Template:Wiki associated with him are regarded as symbolism, allowing worshippers to speak and think about something which otherwise would be beyond human comprehension.

Scientific positions on deities

Pascal Boyer argues that while there is a wide array of supernatural concepts found around the World, in general, supernatural beings tend to behave much like people. The construction of Gods and Spirits like persons (anthropomorphism) is one of the oldest characteristics of Religion. He cites examples from Template:Wiki Mythology which is, in his opinion, more like a Template:Wiki soap Template:Wiki than other religious systems. Anthropologist Stewart Elliott Guthrie, contends that people project human Template:Wiki onto Template:Wiki aspects of the World because it makes those aspects more familiar. Template:Wiki also suggested that God concepts are Template:Wiki of one's father. Likewise, Émile Durkheim was one of the earliest to suggest that Gods represent an extension of human Template:Wiki Life to include supernatural beings. In line with this Template:Wiki, Template:Wiki Matt Rossano contends that when humans began living in larger groups, they may have created Gods as a means of enforcing Morality. In small groups, Morality can be enforced by Template:Wiki forces such as Template:Wiki or reputation. However it is much harder to enforce Morality using Template:Wiki forces in much larger groups. He indicates that by including ever watchful Gods and Spirits, humans discovered an effective strategy for restraining selfishness and building more cooperative groups.

More recently, neurotheology, a term which was originally introduced by Template:Wiki, studies religious experience of God and Spirituality in terms of cognitive Template:Wiki. Closely related, Template:Wiki hypothesizes on the reason for the existence of these cognitive Template:Wiki by examining the survival and Template:Wiki functions they might serve.Memes for instance, might help to explain how Template:Wiki ideas such as the Template:Wiki of deities circulated and have garnered special Template:Wiki acceptance by the Template:Wiki. It is hypothesized that deities are generally accepted by people because it is an extension to the human need to socialize with Template:Wiki of the same Template:Wiki. Template:W Template:NewSourceBreak Deity (Wyl. lha) — Sogyal Rinpoche writes:

In Tantra the principle of deities is a way of communicating. It is difficult to relate to the presence of enlightened energies if they have no form or ground for personal Template:Wiki. The deities are understood as Template:Wiki, which personalize and capture the infinite energies and qualities of the wisdom mind of the buddhas. Personifying them in the form of deities enables the practitioner to recognize them and relate to them. Through Template:Wiki in creating and reabsorbing the deities in the practice of visualization, he or she realizes that the mind that perceives the deity and the deity itself are not separate.