Search the world over, and you find basically seven major worldviews. Each of those seven worldviews are intrinsically different. Each one as something that drastically separates it from the other six. The seven big worldviews are theism, atheism, pantheism, panentheism, deism, finite godism, and polytheism.
You may think, "Big deal! So there's different beliefs out there. It doesn't really matter what you believe as long as you sincerely believe it. Their all equally valid and true. Right?" WRONG!
Logically, only one worldview can be true, which means the other six must be false. You may interject at this point, "Wait a minute. Who cares about logic?" Well, if you're not interested in what's logical you may as well start talking about a square circle or a one-end stick. Actually, forget about communication at all because all language is based on logic.
Now, let's delve into the seven worldviews and briefly define and describe them.
Theism
Theism is the belief that an infinite personal God exists (
theos=god). Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are great examples of theistic worldviews.
Atheism
Atheism says that no god exists (
a=no,
theos=god). This universe is all that there is; there is nothing beyond. Some famous atheists include Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzche, and Jean-Paul Sartre.
Pantheism
Pantheism claims that the universe is god, and god is the universe (
pan=all
, theos=god). There is no separation from creator and creation; it's one and the same. Hinduism, Zen Buddhism, Christian Science, and most New Age religions fall into this worldview classification.
Panentheism
Panentheism simply says that god is in the universe, kind of like a brain is in a body. So the universe is god's body. Panentheism also claims that god is in the constant process of changing., which is sometimes referred to as process theology. Some notorious panentheists are Alfred North Whitehead, Charles Hartshorne, and Schubert Ogden.
Deism
Deism is the view that holds that god is beyond the universe, but not in it. Miracles are denied. A god created the universe, but then he left it to manage itself. Sometimes this is described as the clock-maker religion: god wound up the clock and just let it run on its on. Some well-known deists include Francois Voltaire, Thomas Jefferson, and Thomas Paine.
Finite Godism
Finite Godism is similar to Deism in that it claims a god outside of the universe, but he is also involved in the universe. However, as Deism would say that god is infinite, Finite Godism says that he is limited in his nature and power. Miracles are denied. Some who have held this belief are John Stuart Mill, William James, and Peter Bertocci.
Polytheism
Polytheism says that there are many gods, but they are finite or limited in their nature and power. The gods are active in this world. Some well-known representatives in this camp are the ancient Greeks, Mormons, and Wiccans.
I know I have been very brief in the descriptions, but I want to emphasize the major differences in the worldviews. If Theism is true, then logically the other six must be false. For example, God cannot both be infinite and finite at the same time. That violates the law of non-contradiction. He can't be both personal and impersonal, involved and uninvolved, beyond the universe and not beyond the universe, able to perform miracles and not able to perform miracles, changing and immutable. All worldviews cannot be true.
