The term
theistic religion refers to a faith, such as
Islam or
Hinduism which views itself as a belief and activity in relation to one or more divine beings. These beings are sometimes referred to as '
supernatural', although this is not strictly accurate. In antiquity, the majority of such faiths were
polytheistic - that is, consisting of the worship of a multitude of essentially independent deities in some kind of collection. The
Roman state religion was the highest development of this form of worship, and effectively assimilated the majority of prevailing faiths in
Europe before 300
CE.
Other
theistic faiths are
monotheistic - that is, honouring a single deity, ususally thought of as the only such being in existence.
Judaism,
Christianity and
Islam are the three most famous such faiths, and are generally understood to be worshipping the same
god, usually referred to as
God, with a capital initial.
In the four centuries straddling the turn of the
Christian Era, there was something of a revolution in theistic religion, resulting in a strong swing from general
polytheism to
monotheism or a more structured polytheism. The
Second Temple period of
Judaism reinforced the
Jewish idea of {the Name} as the only God, rather than simply the 'God of Gods' spoken of in earlier writings. The teachings of
Zoroaster spread through
Persia.
Jesus of
Nazareth created a form of Judaism, subsequently called
Christianity, which could be 'sold' to the Romans. The anonymous author of the
Bhagavad-Gita sparked a move in the
Vedic tradition from simple polytheism to an understanding of the gods as part of an all-encompassing divine force.
Today, the vast majority of theistic religion is either monotheistic or conceived of on the
Hindu model of gods as aspects of divinity. The latter standpoint is common among the resurgent
Pagan movements.
Theistic religion, conceptually, is to be contrasted with
ethical religion, although there are elements of interaction, particularly in
Christianity and
Islam, where respect for the founder's moral teachings is seen in the light of the God who gave him his revelation.