Deity Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Asian=== ====Anitism==== {{multiple image | align = right | image1 = Visayan tenegre horn hilt closeup.JPG | width1 = 105 | alt1 = | caption1 = | image2 = Anitos of Northern tribes (c. 1900, Philippines).jpg | width2 = 101 | alt2 = | caption2 = | footer = Left: [[Bakunawa]] depicted in a Bisaya sword hilt; Right: Ifugao rice deity statues }} {{Further|Indigenous Philippine folk religions|Philippine mythology|List of Philippine mythological figures}} [[Indigenous Philippine folk religions|Anitism]], composed of a diverse array of indigenous religions from the Philippines, has multiple pantheon of deities, with each ethnic group having their own. The most notable deities are almost always the deity or deities considered by specific ethnic groups as their supreme deity or deities.<ref name="ReferenceA">''Anitism: a survey of religious beliefs native to the Philippines'', SK Hislop – Asian Studies, 1971 {{ISBN?}}</ref> [[Bathala]] is the Tagalog supreme deity,<ref>F. Landa Jocano: Outline of Philippine Mythology (1969)</ref> while Mangechay is the Kapampangan supreme deity.<ref>"Pampangan Folklore",Alfredo Nicdao, (1917)</ref> The Sambal supreme deity is [[Mayari|Malayari]],<ref>Jean Karl Gaverza ''The Myths of the Philippines'' (2014) {{ISBN?}}</ref> the Blaan supreme deity is Melu,<ref>Mabel Cook Cole, ''Philippine Folk Tales'' (Chicago: A. C. McClurg and Company, 1916), pp. 141–142.</ref> the Bisaya supreme deity is Kaptan,<ref>John Maurice Miller in his 1904 collection ''Philippine Folklore Stories''</ref> and so on. There are more than a hundred different [[ethnic groups in the Philippines]], each having their own supreme deity or deities. Each supreme deity or deities normally rules over a pantheon of deities, contributing to the sheer diversity of deities in Anitism.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> ====Buddhism==== {{multiple image | align = right | image1 = Ssangbongsa 11-05266.JPG | width1 = 105 | alt1 = | caption1 = | image2 = A Chinese deity with sword accompanied by a tiger. Gouache Wellcome V0047141.jpg | width2 = 101 | alt2 = | caption2 = | footer = Left: Buddhist deity in [[Ssangbongsa]] in South Korea; Right: Chinese deity adopted into Buddhism }} {{Further|Creator in Buddhism|Buddhist deities}} Buddhists do not believe in a [[creator deity]].<ref name="McClelland">{{cite book|last1=McClelland|first1=Norman C.|title=Encyclopedia of Reincarnation and Karma|date=2010|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]|location=Jefferson, NC|isbn=978-0-7864-5675-8|page=136}}</ref> However, deities are an essential part of Buddhist teachings about cosmology, [[Rebirth (Buddhism)|rebirth]], and [[Saṃsāra (Buddhism)|saṃsāra]].<ref name="McClelland"/> Buddhist deities (such as ''[[Deva (Buddhism)|devas]]'' and ''[[bodhisattva]]s'') are believed to reside in a pleasant, heavenly realm within [[Buddhist cosmology]], which is typically subdivided into twenty six sub-realms.<ref name="Trainor">{{cite book|last1=Trainor|first1=Kevin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_PrloTKuAjwC|title=Buddhism: The Illustrated Guide|date=2004|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-517398-7|location=New York|page=62|language=en|access-date=4 October 2017|archive-date=11 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111060833/https://books.google.com/books?id=_PrloTKuAjwC|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="McClelland" /><ref name="Keown" />{{rp|35}} Devas are numerous, but they are still mortal;<ref name="Trainor" /> they live in the heavenly realm, then die and are reborn like all other beings.<ref name="Trainor" /> A rebirth in the heavenly realm is believed to be the result of leading an ethical life and accumulating very good [[karma]].<ref name="Trainor" /> A ''deva'' does not need to work, and is able to enjoy in the heavenly realm all pleasures found on Earth. However, the pleasures of this realm lead to attachment (''[[upādāna]]''), lack of spiritual pursuits, and therefore no [[nirvana]].<ref name="Keown" />{{rp|37}} The vast majority of Buddhist [[Laity|lay people]] in countries practicing [[Theravada]], states Kevin Trainor, have historically pursued Buddhist rituals and practices because they are motivated by their potential rebirth into the ''deva'' realm.<ref name="Trainor" /><ref>{{cite book|last1=Fowler|first1=Merv|title=Buddhism: Beliefs and Practices|date=1999|publisher=Sussex Academic Press|location=Brighton|isbn=978-1-898723-66-0|page=65|url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=A7UKjtA0QDwC}}|access-date=28 June 2017|language=en|quote=For a vast majority of Buddhists in Theravadin countries, however, the order of monks is seen by lay Buddhists as a means of gaining the most merit in the hope of accumulating good karma for a better rebirth.}}{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Gowans|first1=Christopher|title=Philosophy of the Buddha: An Introduction|date=2004|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-46973-4|page=169|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EbU4Hd5lro0C|access-date=28 June 2017|language=en|archive-date=11 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111060836/https://books.google.com/books?id=EbU4Hd5lro0C|url-status=live}}</ref> The ''deva'' realm in Buddhist practice in Southeast Asia and East Asia, states Keown, include gods found in Hindu traditions such as [[Indra]] and [[Brahma]], and concepts in [[Hindu cosmology]] such as [[Mount Meru]].<ref name="Keown" />{{rp|37–38}} [[Mahayana]] Buddhism also includes different kinds of deities, such as numerous [[Buddhahood|Buddhas]], [[bodhisattva]]s and [[fierce deities]]. ====Hinduism==== {{multiple image | align = right | image1 = Ganesha Basohli miniature circa 1730 Dubost p73.jpg | width1 = 157 | alt1 = | caption1 = | image2 = Saraswati.jpg | width2 = 133 | alt2 = | caption2 = | footer = Left: [[Ganesha]] god of new beginnings, remover of obstacle; Right: [[Saraswati]], goddess of knowledge and music }} {{Main|Hindu deities|Deva (Hinduism)|Devi|God in Hinduism|Ishvara|Bhagavan}} The concept of God varies in [[Hinduism]], it being a diverse system of thought with beliefs spanning [[henotheism]], [[monotheism]], [[polytheism]], [[panentheism]], [[pantheism]] and [[monism]] among others.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lipner|first1=Julius|author-link=Julius J. Lipner|title=Hindus: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices|date=2010|publisher=Routledge|location=Abingdon, Oxon|isbn=978-0-415-45677-7|page=8|edition=2nd|quote=(...) one need not be religious in the minimal sense described to be accepted as a Hindu by Hindus, or describe oneself perfectly validly as Hindu. One may be polytheistic or monotheistic, monistic or pantheistic, even an agnostic, humanist or atheist, and still be considered a Hindu.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Chakravarti|first1=Sitansu S.|title=Hinduism, a Way of Life|date=1992|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishing|location=Delhi|isbn=978-81-208-0899-7|pages=71|edition=1st|url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=J_-rASTgw8wC|page=71}}|access-date=28 June 2017|language=en}}</ref> In the ancient [[Vedas|Vedic]] texts of Hinduism, a deity is often referred to as [[Deva (Hinduism)|Deva]] (god) or [[Devi]] (goddess).<ref name="Monier-Williams"/>{{rp|496}}<ref name="Klostermaier"/> The root of these terms mean "heavenly, divine, anything of excellence".<ref name="Monier-Williams"/>{{rp|492}}<ref name="Klostermaier"/> Deva is masculine, and the related feminine equivalent is [[devi]]. In the earliest Vedic literature, all [[supernatural being]]s are called [[Asura]]s.<ref name=Hale/>{{rp|5–11, 22, 99–102}}<ref name="Monier-Williams"/>{{rp|121}} Over time, those with a benevolent nature become deities and are referred to as ''Sura'', Deva or Devi.<ref name=Hale/>{{rp|2–6}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gier|first1=Nicholas F.|title=Spiritual Titanism: Indian, Chinese, and Western Perspectives|date=2000|publisher=State University of New York Press|location=Albany, NY|isbn=978-0-7914-4528-0|pages=59–76}}</ref> Devas or deities in Hindu texts differ from Greek or Roman [[theodicy]], states Ray Billington, because many Hindu traditions believe that a human being has the potential to be reborn as a ''deva'' (or ''devi''), by living an ethical life and building up saintly ''[[karma]]''.<ref name="Billington">{{cite book|last1=Billington|first1=Ray|title=Understanding Eastern Philosophy|date=2002|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-79348-8|pages=42|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dACFAgAAQBAJ|access-date=28 June 2017|language=en|archive-date=11 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111055833/https://books.google.com/books?id=dACFAgAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> Such a ''deva'' enjoys heavenly bliss, till the merit runs out, and then the [[soul]] (atma = gender female) is reborn again into [[Saṃsāra]]. Thus deities are henotheistic manifestations, embodiments and consequence of the virtuous, the noble, the saint-like living in many Hindu traditions.<ref name="Billington"/> ==== Shinto ==== {{Main|Shinto}} Shinto is [[polytheism|polytheistic]], involving the veneration of many deities known as {{lang|ja-Latn|kami}},{{sfnm|1a1=Littleton|1y=2002|1p=23|2a1=Cali|2a2=Dougill|2y=2013|2p=13}} or sometimes as {{lang|ja-Latn|jingi}}.{{sfnm|1a1=Bocking|1y=1997|1p=70|2a1=Hardacre|2y=2017|2p=31}} In Japanese, no distinction is made here between singular and plural, and hence the term {{lang|ja-Latn|kami}} refers both to individual {{lang|ja-Latn|kami}} and the collective group of {{lang|ja-Latn|kami}}.{{sfnm|1a1=Boyd|1a2=Williams|1y=2005|1p=35|2a1=Cali|2a2=Dougill|2y=2013|2p=13}} Although lacking a direct English translation,{{sfn|Earhart|2004|p=8}} the term {{lang|ja-Latn|kami}} has sometimes been rendered as "god" or "spirit".{{sfnm|1a1=Earhart|1y=2004|1p=2|2a1=Cali|2a2=Dougill|2y=2013|2p=13}} The historian of religion [[Joseph Kitagawa]] deemed these English translations "quite unsatisfactory and misleading",{{sfn|Kitagawa|1987|p=36}} and various scholars urge against translating {{lang|ja-Latn|kami}} into English.{{sfnm|1a1=Offner|1y=1979|1p=194|2a1=Bocking|2y=1997|2p=84}} In Japanese, it is often said that there are [[Indefinite and fictitious numbers#Specific values used as indefinite|eight million]] {{lang|ja-Latn|kami}}, a term which connotes an infinite number,{{sfnm|1a1=Nelson|1y=1996|1p=29|2a1=Littleton|2y=2002|2p=24}} and Shinto practitioners believe that they are present everywhere.{{sfn|Hardacre|2017|p=1}} They are not regarded as [[omnipotence|omnipotent]], [[omniscience|omniscient]], or necessarily [[immortality|immortal]].{{sfnm|1a1=Boyd|1a2=Williams|1y=2005|1p=35|2a1=Hardacre|2y=2017|2p=52}} ==== Taoism ==== {{Main|Taoism}} Taoism is polytheistic religion. The gods and immortals(神仙) believed in by Taoism can be roughly divided into two categories, namely "gods" and "xian". "Gods" refers to deities and there are many kinds, that is,heaven gods/celestials(天神), earth spirits(地祇), wuling(物灵,animism,the spirit of all things),netherworld gods(地府神灵),gods of human body(人体之神),gods of human ghost(人鬼之神)etc. Among these "gods" such as heaven gods/celestials(天神),earth spirits(地祇),netherworld gods(阴府神灵),gods of human body(人体之神) exist innately."Xian" is acquired the cultivation of the Tao,persons with vast supernatural powers, unpredictable changes and immortality.<ref>{{cite web |last1=武当山道教协会 |first1=武当山道教协会 |title=道教神仙分类 |url=http://www.wdsdjxh.com/detail.php?id=51 |access-date=29 January 2024 |archive-date=26 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240126153241/http://www.wdsdjxh.com/detail.php?id=51 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ====Jainism==== [[File:Padmavati.JPG|thumb|upright=0.6|Padmavati, a Jain guardian deity]] {{Main|God in Jainism|Deva (Jainism)}} Like many ancient Indian traditions, [[Jainism]] does not believe in a creator, omnipotent, omniscient, eternal God; however, the cosmology of Jainism incorporates a meaningful [[causality]]-driven reality, and includes four realms of existence (''gati''), and one of them for ''[[Deva (Jainism)|deva]]'' (celestial beings, gods).<ref name="Bullivant"/>{{rp|351–357}} A human being can choose and live an ethical life ([[karma]]), such as being non-violent ([[ahimsa]]) against all living beings, thereby gain merit and be reborn as ''deva''.<ref name="Bullivant"/>{{rp|357–358}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wiley|first1=Kristi L.|title=The A to Z of Jainism|date=2004|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-6337-8|page=186|url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=cIhCCwAAQBAJ}}|access-date=28 June 2017|language=en}}</ref> Jain texts reject a trans-cosmic God, one who stands outside of the universe and lords over it, but they state that the world is full of ''devas'' who are in human-image with sensory organs, with the power of reason, conscious, compassionate and with finite life.<ref name="Bullivant"/>{{rp|356–357}} Jainism believes in the existence of the [[soul]] (Self, [[Jīva (Jainism)|atman]]) and considers it to have "god-quality", whose knowledge and liberation is the ultimate spiritual goal in both religions. Jains also believe that the spiritual nobleness of perfected souls ([[Arihant (Jainism)|Jina]]) and ''devas'' make them worship-worthy beings, with powers of guardianship and guidance to better ''[[Karma in Jainism|karma]]''. In Jain temples or festivals, the Jinas and Devas are revered.<ref name="Bullivant"/>{{rp|356–357}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kelting|first1=M. Whitney|title=Heroic Wives Rituals, Stories and the Virtues of Jain Wifehood |date=2009|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|isbn=978-0-19-973679-9|pages=44–48|url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=-txAd-dK0tEC}}|access-date=28 June 2017|language=en}}</ref> ====Zoroastrianism==== [[File:Taq-e Bostan - High-relief of Ardeshir II investiture.jpg|right|thumb|Investiture of Sassanid emperor [[Shapur II]] (center) with [[Mithra]] (left) and Ahura Mazda (right) at [[Taq-e Bostan]], [[Iran]]]] {{Main|Ahura Mazda}} [[Ahura Mazda]] ({{IPAc-en|ə|ˌ|h|ʊ|r|ə|ˌ|m|æ|z|d|ə}});<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ahura%20mazda |title=Ahura Mazda |publisher=Merriam-Webster |access-date=11 June 2017 |archive-date=7 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707153613/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Ahura%20Mazda |url-status=live }}</ref> is the [[Avestan language|Avestan]] name for the creator and sole God of [[Zoroastrianism]].<ref name="Boyce">{{citation|last=Boyce|first=Mary|chapter=Ahura Mazdā|title=Encyclopaedia Iranica|location=New York|publisher=Routledge & Kegan Paul|year=1983|volume=1|pages=684–687}}</ref> The literal meaning of the word ''[[Wikt:Ahura|Ahura]]'' is "mighty" or "lord" and '' [[Wikt:Mazda|Mazda]]'' is ''[[wisdom]]''.<ref name="Boyce"/> [[Zoroaster]], the founder of Zoroastrianism, taught that Ahura Mazda is the most powerful being in all of the existence<ref name="Andrea">{{citation|last=Andrea|first=Alfred|author2=James H. Overfield|title=The Human Record: Sources of Global History : To 1700|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|year=2000|edition=Illustrated|volume=4|page=86|isbn=978-0-618-04245-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tiz6jbjgSjEC&q=ahura+mazda&pg=PA87|access-date=16 October 2020|archive-date=31 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831002212/https://books.google.com/books?id=tiz6jbjgSjEC&q=ahura+mazda&pg=PA87|url-status=live}}</ref> and the only deity who is worthy of the highest veneration.<ref name="Andrea"/> Nonetheless, Ahura Mazda is omnipotent because his [[evil twin]] brother [[Angra Mainyu]] is powerless<ref name="Andrea"/> Zoroaster taught that the ''[[daeva]]s'' were evil spirits created by Angra Mainyu to sow evil in the world<ref name="Andrea"/> and that all people must choose between the goodness of Ahura Mazda and the evil of Angra Mainyu.<ref name="Andrea"/> According to Zoroaster, Ahura Mazda will eventually defeat Angra Mainyu and good will triumph over evil once and for all.<ref name="Andrea"/> Ahura Mazda was the most important deity in the ancient [[Achaemenid Empire]].<ref>{{citation|last=Bromiley|first=Geoffrey|title=The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Q-Z|year=1995|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing|isbn=978-0-8028-3784-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6OJvO2jMCr8C|access-date=16 October 2020|archive-date=30 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210830091414/https://books.google.com/books?id=6OJvO2jMCr8C|url-status=live}}</ref> He was originally represented anthropomorphically,<ref name="Boyce"/> but, by the end of the [[Sasanian Empire]], Zoroastrianism had become fully aniconic.<ref name="Boyce"/> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page