Materialism is the philosophical position that matter is the only thing that exists and that all things can be reduced to matter (and energy since matter is a form of energy). Therefore, materialism would state that all things in the universe, including mankind, are...
Acosmism (Greek a without, and kosmos world) is the belief that the universe and materiality are all illusion. It maintains that God is the ultimate reality and all things that exist do so as an illusion. The one reality that exists is God, but God is not defined as...
Animism (Latin anima meaning ‘soul’) is the belief that within all creatures and objects (natural and manufactured) there exists a soul. This would mean that there are non-human souls and that these souls are different in nature than the things in which they...
Ditheism is the teaching that there are two equal and distinct gods. It is a form of dualism that holds that the universe is comprised of dualities: good and bad, light and darkness, body and mind, etc. Of course, this violates the biblical teaching that only one God...
Pluralism is the belief that reality consists of many parts. There are different types of pluralism in different areas of study. Religious pluralism would teach that different religions contain truth, even though they might contradict each other. Ethical pluralism...
Dualism designates “two parts” and is the position that the universe consists of two opposing principles - though not limited to only two. There are variations within dualism. Moral dualism would see the opposites of good and evil. Personal dualism would deal with the...
Monism is the view that reality consists of one fundamental, ultimate essence. It comes from the Greek mono, which means one. All is one thing, one essential substance; hence, the term substance monism. Therefore, in monism, God, if he exists, and the universe are...
Pantheism is the position that God and nature are the same thing. Pantheism comes from two Greek words, pan meaning ‘all’ and theos meaning 'god.' So, it would teach that all the stars, galaxies, planets, mountains, wind, and rain, are all one and the same... part...
Deism is the teaching that God exists, that he created the universe and everything in it, but that he stopped being involved in the universe. He is not involved in the lives of people and he does not work in the world in any way. The world is like a watch that has...
Free will is the ability to make choices without external coercion. There are debates as to what extent this free will is to be understood as it relates to people. There are two main views: compatibilism and libertarianism. The compatibilist view is the position...