Personally, I believe in one higher power...a giant blob of all-powerful energy I refer to as the All/Source/Creator/Universe. It has no name, no specific gender.

Given the above, I believe that specific deities are one or the other (or a bit of both) of the following:

1. Created by physical beings in order to make sense of such an abstract concept and to better relate to their physical world/surroundings. Thus, they do not exist as separete entities, but only in the minds and mythos of the beings who believe in them.

2. Created by the Source to make Itself understandable to physical beings. Thus they are like minor gods in relation to the Source, like parts of a whole.

So what are your theories behind the deity or deities that you personally believe in?

I cant really add anything other than, I agree.

i have a similar theory...it would basically correspond to number 2 of your theory....i believe that there is both one god, and many gods...the various many gods are aspects of an overall divine force that you can also pray to..but i find it easier to develop some sort of personal relationship with some of the many gods..perhaps thats why they're there vs just one god

I always had a theory that just like yours there is one all powerful source in the sky. And with the one all powerful source, in the olden days, it used to have a more physical presence on earth.

Like you see in greek mythology, where they have a god of wine and so on and so forth. Only that those would actually be beings that came to earth, be it angels, demons, er other words for angels or demons in other languages, nonetheless, they'd be like just a race amongst themselves sent to help out humans. Only eventually we began to fear what they were and they were no longer able to help us, so they became divine influences.

Fate, destiny, etc. Once physical beings now only able to influence, because we don't fear the influences that help us through good or bad times. However we would fear beings or want to cast blame on the beings rather than growing as people or individuals.

Hence how many religions have acquired the being and set of rules they themselves want to follow. Christians want their way of life to have purpose and may have some insatiable urges or sins as they call it, that if not for the influence, wouldn't be able to forgive themselves.
Same as buddhists. They had an ideal against either violence or a way of life and so created their deity based on it. I lost my point though, so that's my two cents if you can make heads or tails of it.

I am more of the opinion that these things happen all the time, just gotta notice them. Who is to say that divine being or otherwise don't visit earth anymore? Perhaps we just don't see them anymore.

About buddhism, I thought they had no diety and aimed to escape the suffering that is life and gain elightenment, believing in a universal force. The buddha is just their kind of prophet or messenger I think. But then again in China the buddha is worshipped in his own right along with other gods I think. I dunno

I don't think Buddhists have a deity persay, but it's been a year since I took World Religions...

Anyway...

I don't really pray, but when I do it's to the divine source or what you want to call it....I say 'God' just because it's easier for me than saying 'divine source'. I think that every single god and goddess is an aspect of the divine source.

I think for most peoples throughout history it has more to do with reverence for the unknown. I would go into further detail but I am quite fatigued. so I will explain moreso at a later date.

I was raised a christian because thats the way both my parents were raised I do go to church every now and then.

I was raised a christian, but never really believed in christianity, until I could affirm for myself if it was the right religion for me.

I personally cannot stand churches. I don't like enclosed places, or sitting through them reading a book and looking condemningly at everyone, nor could I stand the really loud music that was supposed to make me stand up and rejoice, but just gave me a huge migraine instead.

Half the time I fell asleep and felt guilty for it, cause you get raised believing this divine force is always looking down at you disapprovingly and ready to smite you for the smallest infraction. Then there's the whole contradiction of God's son was to help us be forgiven our sins if they aren't too great, yet we still thought he would personally send us to hell for swearing.

In the end I had enough and was like all right, I've had a force helping me and so I believed in God and his son, cause I always felt forgiven when I felt I acted particularly dishonorable. Not just for looking at another for lust or wanted something I had. I mean the big infractions like wanting to hit your parents, betraying someones trust, things that could leave a stain on the character more than just cause you're not perfect. I made harmony with nature and since god made it, hey, can't go wrong there. I love what he made. Though don't ask me about the how of how it was made. I just enjoy it. Etc.

I could've went for another religion or atheism, but I do believe there's someone up there looking out for me, the many times I've been in real danger and never noticed it. I think of him more like a fatherly figure. Kind, yet stern, and so on. That's where most christians go wrong is cause they think he'll kill them over anything and raise everyone in their religion to bow down, and apologize for their very lives which I don't think is correct.

Anyway, I didn't know buddhists didn't have a deity. Where'd that buddha figure with the 6? or 8? arms come from? Or am I getting my religions mixed up? There's a woman somewhere who's name I don't recall. Maybe it wasn't buddha. Buddha was the one that reminded me of the guy sitting lotus style, though now that I remember reading it, someone did mention something about it being a ritual practice more than religion. Or maybe that was taoism? Bleh. My history sucks cause they mostly only focused on wars.

I think you're confusing Budhism with Hinduism, Nightwolf.

Budhism is the religion with the big fat, happy, bald fellow who is supposedly an actual person and not a deity.He lived among us and performed miracles much like Jesus. Budhism claims that you can attain enlightenment by following their principles in life and thus be elevated to a higher path in death. Not quite a god but still something higher than man.

Hinduism is the religion with many deities, among which is Shiva: the man with the four arms, usually sitting crosslegged and holding blades. Shakti would be his wife.

Taoism is an eastern religion in which there are no personified deities, there is only one energetic force: Tao. This energy is everywhere around us and within us and ensures that existence remains balanced. It'd be my favorite religion out of the ones available on this rock. Not that I took the time to research any in detail.

All three of those religions are about finding balance or am I wrong?

Ehh, not sure about Hinduism but the other two are about finding balance/inner peace/enlightenment, for a large part.

I always thought that Hinduism was partly about renecartion( I hope I spelled that right)
Balance is something I'm always looking for in my life.

Balance is one of the main constants in life. Having that internal balance usually rights itself on the outside. It's tough and takes constant attention like learning. Without balance well I don't know, but it would be a much more bipolar world than it is now if you ask me. lol

It's reincarnation just to help

*Smacks forehead* That's what it was. I was thinking of Shiva. I don't know why I got that mixed up. hehe

And it was Buddhism that I heard about it being called a religion, but it was more just based on the priests prayers or some such like that. Or maybe it was another one. There was something most mistake for a religion, but it wasn't a religion just a bunch of monks who had a way of life and their way of life was called Somethingism

I thought Buddhism was a religon?