A basic guide to Belief Systems & Concepts

I have a compiled below a basic list of belief systems to help people differentiate between popular modern concepts. This is not an advanced list and I am sure I have missed out some types, but hopefully the major ones are there.

At the end of the day, belief systems are highly subjective and the reader should not feel left out if unable to discover one that resonates with them, nor should they feel pigeon-holed into thinking their beliefs are defined adequately by the ones included here.

Agnosticism
[1] The view that truth values relating to religious beliefs and ultimate metaphysical concepts are unknown or not knowable.
[2] In relation to the existence of God, the agnostic neither believes definitively that God does exist nor that God does not exist.

Apatheism
[1] The tendency to act with apathy, disregard, or lack of interest towards belief or disbelief in a deity.
[2] The apatheist is someone who considers the question of the existence of gods as meaningless or irrelevant to their life.

Atheism
[1] Atheism is a lack of belief in the existence of deities.

Deism
[1] The view that combines a rejection of religious knowledge as a source of authority with the belief that reason and observation of the natural world are sufficient to determine the existence of a single creator of the universe.
[2] Deists believe in the existence of God but without the baggage of organised religion or dogmatic beliefs.

Henotheism
[1] Henotheism is the belief in and worship of a single God while accepting the existence or possible existence of other deities that may also be worshipped.

Ignosticism
[1] The idea that every theological position assumes too much about the concept of God and other theological concepts; including (but not limited to) concepts of faith, spirituality, heaven, hell, afterlife, damnation, salvation, sin and the soul.
[2] Ignosticism is the view that any religious term or theological concept presented must be accompanied by a coherent definition. Without a clear definition such terms cannot be meaningfully discussed.

Monotheism
[1] Belief in the existence of one god or in the oneness of God.
[2] Belief in one personal and transcendent God.

Omnism
[1] Omnism is the recognition and respect of all religions.

Panentheism
[1] Belief system which posits that the divine – whether as a single God, number of gods, or other form of "cosmic animating force" – interpenetrates every part of the universe and extends, timelessly (and, presumably, spacelessly) beyond it.
[2] Panentheism maintains a distinction between the divine and non-divine and the significance of both.

Pantheism
[1] belief that the universe (or nature as the totality of everything) is identical with divinity, or that everything composes an all-encompassing, immanent God.
[2] Pantheists do not believe in a distinct personal or anthropomorphic god.

Polytheism
[1] Belief in multiple deities usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religions and rituals.
[2] In most religions which accept polytheism, the different gods are representations of forces of nature or ancestral principles, and can be viewed either as autonomous or as aspects or emanations of a creator God or transcendental absolute principle (monistic theologies), which manifests immanently in nature (panentheistic and pantheistic theologies).

Theism
[1] Belief that at least one deity exists.
[2] In popular parlance, the term theism often describes the classical conception of God that is found in Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Sikhism, Hinduism, and Satanism.

Transtheism
[1] Transtheism is a term coined by philosopher Paul Tillich or Indologist Heinrich Zimmer, referring to a system of thought or religious philosophy which is neither theistic, nor atheistic, but is beyond them.

There, I hope the above list better helps you understand the different belief systems and concepts that are often referred to in modern philosophical discussions and religious debates. I hope you have found this thread to be informative and somewhat educational.

That was an interesting read, I'd never heard of most of them to be honest, live and learn every day!

a reply to: Dark Ghost

Cool breakdown. What category(ies) do you fall under?

I think I would fall into a blend of panentheism, polytheism, and omnism.

I think a category that's missing (not that you missed it; it doesn't exist) is for the people who believe in their pantheon (polytheists) and also believe in the divinity of other pantheons (henotheism). Henotheism seems to be restricted only to monotheists. If there were a term for that, that's probably what I would be considered.