God

This article is about the belief of a supreme being in monotheistic thought. For the general faith in a supreme being, see Deity. For God in specific religions, see Conceptions of God. For other uses, see God (disambiguation).

Representation (for the purpose of art or worship) of God in (left to right from top) Christianity, Islam, Atenism, the Monad, Balinese Hinduism, and Zoroastrianism.

In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith.^[1] God is usually conceived of as being omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and omnibenevolent, as well as having an eternal and necessary existence. God is most often held to be incorporeal, with said characteristic being related to conceptions of transcendence or immanence.^[1][2][3]

Some religions describe God without reference to gender, while others use terminology that is gender-specific and gender-biased. God has been conceived as either personal or impersonal. In theism, God is the creator and sustainer of the universe, while in deism, God is the creator, but not the sustainer, of the universe. In pantheism, God is the universe itself, while in panentheism, the universe is part (but not the whole) of God. Atheism is an absence of belief in any God or deity, while agnosticism is the belief that the existence of God is unknown or unknowable. God has also been conceived as the source of all moral obligation, and the "greatest conceivable existent".^[1]

Many notable theologians and philosophers have developed arguments for and against the existence of God.^[4] God is referred to by different names depending on the language and cultural tradition with titles sometimes used referring to God's attributes.