: The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please help by reporting disputed passages and terms on the . NPOV disputes- This article focuses on the concept of singular, monotheistic God. See deity, gods, or goddesses for details on divine entities in specific religions and mythologies.
God is a term referring to the supreme being, generally believed to be ruler or creator of, and/or immanent within, the universe. The concept of a singular God is characteristic of monotheism, but it is not always possible to draw a sharp distinction between some forms of monotheism and some forms of polytheism (see also henotheism).
Some concepts of God may include anthropomorphic attributes, while others hold it impossible or blasphemous to imagine God in any physical form. Some hold that God is necessarily morally good (see summum bonumSummum bonum greatest or supreme good is a neoplatonic concept attributed to the Christian God by Saint Augustine in de natura boni ( 399), in direct opposition to his earlier Manichaean convictions. Augustine denies the positive existence of absolute evi). Others feel that God is beyond the understanding of human morality. Negative theologyNegative theology also known as the Via Negativa (Lat. for "Negative Way") and Apophatic theology is a theology that attempts to describe God through negative attributes. In this theology, one should not say that God exists in the usual sense of the term; argues that no true statements about attributes of God may be made at all, and some hold God to be beyond the understanding of humanity altogether.
A singular God is necessarily unique (but see TrinityThis article concerns the holy Trinity of Christianity. For other uses of trinity see disambiguation. The Blessed Trinity is God, according to the doctrine of most branches of Christianity; the doctrine says that though God is one God, God exists in three, DualismThe term dualism is the state of being dual, or having a twofold division. Dualism doctrine consists of two basic opposing elements. Generally it consists of any system which is founded on a double principle. The term dualism has several uses: Theological). Still, different traditions and understandings of the concept may cause disagreement among believers regarding the God revered by others. Belief in a single God may give rise to concepts of absolute morality, and also to a claim of exclusivity (see Chosen peopleThroughout history, various groups have considered themselves chosen by God for some purpose. Sometimes this chosenness is viewed as marking them as superior; other times it is viewed as giving this group a special responsibility or purpose. Types of purp).
Some espouse an exclusionist view, seeing the God venerated by others with different beliefs as inferior or nonexistent. Others hold an inclusionist view, assuming the God venerated by others to be the same God under a different name. Many people hold personal, sometimes even secularSecular in its most common meaning, means "outside religion". It can be used in a neutral sense, e. when at the end of the 17th century most sonatas were used in church services, a "secular" sonata meant nothing more than a sonata not used in a church ser interpretations of God, typically in agreement with a concept of an " Absolute InfiniteThe Absolute Infinite is Georg Cantor's concept of an " infinity" that transcended the transfinite numbers. Cantor equated the Absolute Infinite with God. He held that the Absolute Infinite had various mathematical properties, including that every propert". Atheists do not believe in the existence of any singular God, gods or goddesses.
