Instead of the typical dichotomy between theist and atheist, this post will discuss variation among theists. Theists have a wide range of beliefs some of which are supported by great philosophers.
The most obvious way to categorize the various beliefs is by the number of gods they believe in.
The simplest yet most prominent and "western" is Monotheism or the belief in a single god. Within this category fall the typical modern religions such as christianity or judaism.
Next, there are the Polytheists. Polytheists believe in multiple gods who usually have different roles and are prayed to for specific reasons. For example, the ancient Greeks would pray to the Aeries, the god of war, before entering battle. While polytheism does still show up in modern religion, it was also the category in which more archaic beliefs took form. Henotheism is a belief system in which the believer recognizes the existance of multiple gods, but is only loyal to a single god.
Another religion that doesnt fit into either monotheism nor polytheism is pantheism. Pantheism views god more as nature than as an independant entity which manipulates nature. According to this belief system, we are part of god just as a rock is a part of god. God is the substance which makes up everything in the universe.
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