Deity

Deity is a term used to refer to a god or goddess in a polytheistic religion, or anything that is worshipped as divine. Deities are often considered to be powerful, immortal beings who are involved in the creation, maintenance, or destruction of the world. They are often depicted as having human or animal forms and are associated with various aspects of life such as love, war, fertility, and death.

Definition

A Deity is a supernatural being considered divine or sacred. The Oxford Dictionary of English defines deity as "a god or goddess (in a polytheistic religion)", or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greater than those of ordinary humans, but who interacts with humans, positively or negatively, in ways that carry humans to new levels of consciousness, beyond the grounded preoccupations of ordinary life."

Types of Deities

Deities can be categorized in a variety of ways. These categories include:

• Polytheism: The belief in and worship of multiple deities, which are usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own mythologies and rituals.
• Monotheism: The belief in a single, universal, all-encompassing deity.
• Henotheism: The belief and worship of a single deity while accepting the existence or possible existence of other deities.
• Atheism: The absence of belief in deities.

Historical Deities

Throughout history, various cultures have had their own deities. Some of the most well-known include the Greek gods, the Roman gods, the Norse gods, the Hindu gods, and the Egyptian gods.

Deities in Contemporary Religions

Many contemporary religions have their own deities. For example, in Christianity, God is the supreme being. In Hinduism, there are many deities, including Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. In Buddhism, while Buddha is not considered a god, he is revered as a divine figure.

See Also

• List of deities
• Theism
• Pantheon (religion)
• Mythology

Deity Resources
Need Help Finding a Doctor? Need help finding a doctor or specialist anywhere in the world? Explore our world directory. WikiMD's DocFinder can assist you in locating millions of physicians.	Medical Knowledge Access the latest research - Most recent articles Ongoing trials.

Translate to: East Asian 中文, 日本, 한국어, South Asian हिन्दी, Urdu, বাংলা, తెలుగు, தமிழ், ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, မြန်မာဘာသာ, European español, Deutsch, français, русский, português do Brasil, Italian, polski