the·ism

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• the|ism — «THEE ihz uhm», noun. 1. monotheism: a) belief in one God (the Deity), the creator and ruler of the universe. b) belief in (any) one god rather than many. 2. belief in a deity or deities; religious faith or conviction. ╂[< Greek theós god +… …   Useful english dictionary

• tri|the|ism — «TRY thee ihz uhm», noun. the belief in three Gods, especially the doctrine that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost of the Christian Trinity are three distinct Gods. ╂[< tri + Greek theós god + English ism] …   Useful english dictionary

• hen|o|the|ism — «HEHN uh THEE ihz uhm», noun. the belief in one god as the deity of a race, tribe, or other group, without claiming he is the only god. ╂[< Greek heîs, henós one + theós god + English ism] …   Useful english dictionary

• mon|o|the|ism — «MON uh thee IHZ uhm», noun. the doctrine or belief that there is only one God; worship of one God: »While monotheism…was achieved by a few primitive peoples, a number of advanced groups like the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans had polytheism, a… …   Useful english dictionary

• pol|y|the|ism — «POL ee THEE ihz uhm», noun. the belief in or worship of more than one god: »A number of advanced groups like the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans had polytheism, a hierarchy of gods (Ogburn and Nimkoff). ╂[< French polythéisme < Greek… …   Useful english dictionary

• pan|the|ism — «PAN thee ihz uhm», noun. 1. the belief that God and the universe are the same; doctrine that God is an expression of the physical forces of nature: »The author, whose philosophy seems to be a crude but genuinely mystical pantheism, succeeds in… …   Useful english dictionary

• a|the|ism — «AY thee ihz uhm», noun. 1. the belief that there is no God. 2. neglect of the service of God; godlessness: »Hypocrisy in one age is generally succeeded by atheism in another (Joseph Addison). ╂[< French athéisme < Greek átheos denying the… …   Useful english dictionary

• hy|lo|the|ism — «HY luh THEE ihz uhm», noun. the doctrine that matter or the material universe is God. ╂[< Greek h ē matter, substance + English theism] …   Useful english dictionary

• zo|o|the|ism — «ZOH uh thee IHZ uhm», noun. the attribution of deity to an animal; the worship of animals or animal forms …   Useful english dictionary

• al|lo|the|ism — «AL uh THEE ihz uhm», noun. the worship of other gods. ╂[< Greek állos other + English theism] …   Useful english dictionary