Defining Ultimate Reality/God

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1. Contrast nine views of God or ultimate reality (i.e, monotheism, deism, atheism, etc.). What do each believe?

Most people's view of ultimate reality (except those who have strong conviction about absolute truths e.g., Holy Bible or Koran) is an amalgam of many of these views. What follows is a brief overview of several views of God:

1. Monotheism (also called "theism"):
There is one infinite-personal-righteous God. This view of God is found only among religions which are based on the Bible. Judaism and Islam are both monotheistic, but differ from Christianity in many important areas. In this system, man's dilemma is true moral guilt before a righteous God. Our guilt requires cleansing or forgiveness.

2. Deism:
Deists recognize that a Supreme Being exists who created the universe, but view him as uninvolved with human affairs. Deism was an 18th century way-station between theism and atheism. Many Americans are still practical deists.

3. Atheism:
No God exists. Reality is confined to that which can be empirically verified. This view is also called "naturalism," ...