Overview

Theism is the belief that at the bottom of everything, there is a Person, not just a Force. It posits a conscious, intentional Creator who is distinct from the universe but interacts with it.

Core Idea

The core idea is Personal Agency. The universe isn’t an accident; it’s an artifact. It was made by a Mind.

Formal Definition

Belief in the existence of a god or gods, specifically of a creator who intervenes in the universe.

  • Monotheism: One God (Judaism, Christianity, Islam).
  • Polytheism: Many Gods (Hinduism, Greek Mythology).

Intuition

  • The Watchmaker: If you find a watch on the beach, you assume a watchmaker. The universe is more complex than a watch; therefore, it has a Maker. (Teleological Argument).
  • The Parent: God is often conceptualized as a Father or Mother—an authority figure who loves, guides, and disciplines.

Examples

  • Abrahamic Faiths: Yahweh, God, Allah.
  • Classical Theism: God is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnibenevolent (all-good).

Common Misconceptions

  • Misconception: It’s just “wishful thinking.”
    • Correction: Many theists base their belief on philosophical arguments (Cosmological, Moral) or personal experience, not just comfort.
  • Misconception: God is just a “big man in the sky.”
    • Correction: Sophisticated theism views God as the Ground of Being itself, not just a being within the universe.
  • Deism: God created the universe but doesn’t intervene (The Clockmaker).
  • Atheism: The denial of theism.
  • Pantheism: God is the universe.

Applications

  • Ethics: Divine Command Theory (Good is what God commands).
  • Meaning: Purpose is defined by the Creator.

Criticism and Limitations

  • Problem of Evil: If God is all-good and all-powerful, why does evil exist?
  • Divine Hiddenness: Why doesn’t God reveal himself more clearly?

Further Reading

  • Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
  • The Experience of God by David Bentley Hart