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Sacred Correspondences
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Non-theistic: no creator god is central

This page groups religions by how they conceive of the divine, since traditions disagree sharply about whether there is one god, many, or none in the usual sense. Wikipedia notes that Hinduism's many deities, "Deva (masculine) and Devi (feminine)," are often understood as aspects of "the same Ultimate Reality called Brahman," a very different picture from the strict monotheism of the Abrahamic faiths. Browsing by conception of the divine lets a visitor compare how differently two religions answer the same basic question.

Facts
Status
Standing as a Comparative Category
Contested: non-theistic is accurate about a creator god and misleading about everything else. Buddhas, bodhisattvas and devas are central to most practice, and the label describes a comparison with monotheism rather than the tradition itself. 2
Overview
What Defines This Grouping
Traditions of Indian origin that work within dharma, karma and rebirth without a creator god: liberation comes through practice, discipline and insight, and where gods appear they are inside the cycle of rebirth rather than above it. 2
Directory
Category
Religions 1
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Dharmic Traditions Without a Creator God

This group gathers Dharmic religions of a nontheistic character, Indian-origin traditions that operate within the karma-and-rebirth framework without a creator god at the centre. Buddhism and Jainism are the classic examples, seeking liberation through insight and ethical discipline rather than divine grace.

The browser will find the traditions the atlas classes here. The entries describe each, noting that the absence of a creator does not mean the absence of the sacred, the venerated or the transcendent goal.

Non-theistic: no creator god is central
Filter Results2 entries

Ajivika

Non-theistic: no creator god is central

Buddhism

Non-theistic: no creator god is central
Sources
1. Divinity Atlas Directory Taxonomy, First Edition Category Tree
2. The Foundations of Buddhism
Rupert Gethin, Oxford University Press, 1998View the Source
Divinity Atlas Directory Prose, First Edition Category Descriptions
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