Which God exists?

Introduction

Now that we have established that it is logically reasonable to believe God exists, we must evaluate what our options are

There are 4 types of belief systems when it comes to believing in God or gods.

Monotheism

Definition

Monotheism - belief in the existence of one God

mono - Greek word for “one”

theos - Greek word for “god”

ism - suffix indicating belief, doctrine or system

Religions (most common)

Christianity

Belief that there is one God who created the universe and everything in it and that this God has revealed Himself through His Son Jesus Christ, to live a perfect life as a human, die a criminals death in our place, and resurrect on the third day proving to be who He said He is. Christians believe the Bible (New and Old Testament) to be the Sacred Word of God.

Judaism

Belief that there is one God who created the universe and everything in it who do not regard Jesus as divine or the accomplishment of Old Testament prophecy. Jews believe in the Torah (first 5 books of the Bible) and all of it’s commands as their sacred text, and that God intends to have a special relationship with the Jews.

Islam

Belief that there is one God who created the universe and everything in it who only regard Jesus as one of many prophets. They believe Muhammad to be the last and final prophet and they believe in the Qur’an as their sacred text.

Polytheism

Definition

Polytheism - belief in the existence of multiple gods

poly - Greek word for “many”

theos - Greek word for “god”

ism - suffix indicating belief, doctrine or system

Religions (most common)

Hinduism

Believe in gods such as Vishnu, Shiva, Lakshmi, Ganesha, etc. (approx. over 330 million deities)

Ancient Greek Mythology (Hellenic Neopaganism)

Believe in gods such as Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Athena, Aphrodite, etc. (approx. 12 deities + many others)

Ancient Norse Mythology

Believe in gods such as Odin, Thor, Freyja, Tyr, Loki (approx. 66 deities + many others)

Ancient Roman Mythology

Jupiter, Juno, Mars, Minerva, Neptune, Venus, Apollo, etc. (approx. 20 deities + many others)

Ancient Egyptian Religion

Ra (sun), Isis (fertility), Osiris (afterlife), etc. (approx. 2,000 deities)

Mormonism

Believes everyone will one day become gods themselves.

Pantheism

Definition

Pantheism - belief that god is the universe; tolerates all gods; god is force or substance rather than a person

pan - Greek word for “all”

theos - Greek word for “god”

ism - suffix indicating belief, doctrine or system

Religions (most common)

Taoism - Chinese philosophy based on the writings of Lao-tzu. Taoism teaches that all living creatures ought to live in a state of harmony with the universe and the energy found in it. Ch’i, or qi, is the energy present in and guiding everything in the universe (National Geographic)

Shinto - a Japanese religion dating from the early 8th century and incorporating the worship of ancestors and nature spirits and a belief in sacred power ( kami ) in both animate and inanimate things.

New Age - not an organized religion, but rather borrows from all religions where the main goal is to heal, succeed, and become one with the universe. Believes in reincarnation, karma, and self-deification. There has even been a rise to “New Age Christianity” which is a cult.

Atheism

Definition

Soft Atheism - lacks belief in a god

“I don’t know if there is a god, and I don’t see evidence of one so I lack a belief in God.”

Strong Atheism - belief that there is no god

“I believe there is no god”

a - Greek prefix for “without” or “not”

theos - Greek word for “god”

ism - suffix indicating belief, doctrine or system

Movements (most common)

Secular Humanism – Focuses on human reason and ethics without belief in the divine.

Marxism – The belief that religion is simply a way to distract the oppressed people of society, and that religion would go away once society becomes communist.

Modern Scientific Naturalism – Believes only in what can be tested or observed scientifically, and that nothing exists beyond the material.

Which one is correct?

The elephant analogy

Coexist

Tolerance vs acceptance

Law of Non-contradiction

If Christianity is true, the other can’t be.