神 (一神教)

在一神教中，神（英语：God）被认为是至高无上的存在，是宇宙万物的创造者，通常也是信仰的主要目标^[1]。一神教中有关神的概念有全知（无所不知）、全能（无所不能）、全在（无所不在），是永恒且必然的存在。这些属性可能是类比的，也可以以字面上来解读。一般会认为神是无形体（英语：incorporeality）（非物质的）的^[1]^[2]^[3]。神有形体（corporeality）或无形体（incorporeality）常和神的内蕴（英语：immanencee）（在自然界之中）及超越性（英语：transcendence (religion)）（在自然界以外）的概念有关。

许多宗教会描绘神的形象，可能是艺术用，或是宗教用途，以上是基督教以及印度教中的一些例子

有些宗教的神是没有性别的，也有一些宗教（或是后来的翻译）对神使用了有区分性别的词语。例如犹太教对于神有文法上的性别（英语：Gender of God），为了方便，使用像是 Him 或是 Father 的称呼^[4]。

有些宗教认为神是有位格的，有些则认为是无位格的。在有神论中，神是宇宙万物的创造者及维持者（英语：God the Sustainer）。在自然神论中，神是创造者，但不是维持者。虽然上帝创造了宇宙和它存在的规则，但是在此之后上帝并不再对这个世界的发展产生影响。泛神论中的神就是宇宙本身，无神论中没有神的存在和对其的信仰。不可知论则认为不确定神是否存在。一般也认为神是所有道德责任的源头，也是最伟大的^[1]。有关神的存在性，许多著名的哲学家都有相关的论述，有些支持神存在，有些则认为神不存在^[5]。

一神教的信徒会用所信仰的宗教对神的称呼（英语：Names of God）来称呼神，其中有些名字是和神的特质及属性有关的文化概念。在古埃及的阿肯那顿改革，可能是有纪录的最早的一神教，其中神的名字是阿顿^[6]，意思是唯一“真正”的至高者，也是宇宙的创造者^[7]。在希伯来圣经及犹太教中，神的名字有埃洛希姆, Adonai（英语：Adonai）、四字神名（希伯来语：יהוה‎）及其他名字（英语：Names of God in Judaism）；雅威及耶和华是基督教所使用的名字，可能是将四字神名YHWH加上母音而得的。基督教的教义中有三位一体：神只有一位，不过有三个位格，分别是圣父、圣子、圣灵或圣神。在伊斯兰教中，会用阿拉或真主来称呼神，不过穆斯林也会用其他对神的称呼。印度教中，有时会将梵视为是一元论概念下的神^[8]。其他的宗教也有神的名字，例如巴哈伊信仰中的神^[9]、锡克教中的Waheguru（英语：Waheguru）^[10]、巴厘岛印度教中的Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa（英语：Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa）^[11]以及琐罗亚斯德教中的阿胡拉·马兹达^[12]。

有关神的许多不同的概念，以及彼此冲突的神的属性、目地以及行动，带来了像泛神论（英语：omnitheis）、泛自然神论^[13]或长青哲学的发展，这些思想认为有一个根本性的神学真理，但每一个宗教都只有部分的理解，因此“其实上，全世界众多广大的宗教其实是在崇拜同一个神，不过是用许多不同、重叠的概念”^[14]。

一神教中的神的存在性是一个广受关注的话题，从古至今，许多知名的哲学家、科学家对神的存在性提出过疑问或反对。迈蒙尼德、圣奥古斯丁、牛顿等人认为神是存在的，同时也有许多科学家、哲学家否认神的存在。近代的不可知论者的代表人物伯特兰·罗素，则相信上帝是否存在是无法证明的，但无法否认其它众人感知的存在，这涉及了哲学上“实存”的争议。

费尔巴哈认为：在各个方面神与人类本能的一般特性和需求是一致的，“若人类想要找出神的意涵，他就要在神（的意涵) 找出他自己”。“神就是人”，可以这样说，“神是人类的内在本性向外的投射”。费尔巴哈提出唯物价值观（materialism）的自然神论的观点——这引导人们由另一个角度思考“神和人的关系”：是神创造了人还是人创造了神？

神的名称

对于一神教诸宗教中的“神”的称呼有不同的汉语译名，例如犹太教和基督宗教中的神常被翻译为“上帝”、“天主”或“上主”，回教中的神则被翻译为“真主”或音译为“阿拉”，巴哈伊教中神被音译为“巴哈伊”。

神的性别

神的性别是一个文学的或寓言的议题，超越了身体的形式^[15]^[16]。在多神教中，神祇一般是有性别的，因此可以以男性或女性的身份和其他神祇或人类互动。在大部分一神教中，神是无形的灵体，神的性别是类比神和人类之间的关系，一般会用宗教典籍中的描述来说明神的性别。

在《旧约》、《新约圣经》中，一般会将神描述为男性，称之为“父”。不过也有时强化神的女性特质，例如创世记1章26-27节^[17]^[18]、〈诗篇〉123篇2-3节，〈何西阿书〉11章3-4节、〈以赛亚书〉66章13节中则是以母亲的角色出现。

截至2000年，全世界大约53%的人口信仰三大亚伯拉罕诸教中的一种（33%为基督宗教，20%为伊斯兰教，不到1%为犹太教），6%信仰佛教，13%信仰印度教，6%信仰中国传统宗教，7%信仰其他多种宗教，不到15%的人为无信仰者。大多数宗教信仰存在一神或多神。^[19]

[1]
Richard Swinburne "God" in Ted Honderich. (ed)The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, Oxford University Press], 1995.
[2]
David Bordwell (2002). Catechism of the Catholic Church, Continuum International Publishing ISBN 978-0-86012-324-8 p. 84
[3]
Catechism of the Catholic Church – IntraText. [30 December 2016]. （原始内容存档于3 March 2013）.
[4]
"G-d has no body, no genitalia, therefore the very idea that G-d is male or female is patently absurd. Although in the Talmudic part of the Torah and especially in Kabalah G-d is referred to under the name 'Sh'chinah' – which is feminine, this is only to accentuate the fact that all the creation and nature are actually in the receiving end in reference to the creator and as no part of the creation can perceive the creator outside of nature, it is adequate to refer to the divine presence in feminine form. We refer to G-d using masculine terms simply for convenience's sake, because Hebrew has no neutral gender; G-d is no more male than a table is." Judaism 101 （页面存档备份，存于互联网档案馆）. "The fact that we always refer to God as 'He' is also not meant to imply that the concept of sex or gender applies to God." Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, The Aryeh Kaplan Reader, Mesorah Publications (1983), p. 144
[5]
Platinga, Alvin. "God, Arguments for the Existence of", Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Routledge, 2000.
[6]
Jan Assmann, Religion and Cultural Memory: Ten Studies, Stanford University Press 2005, p. 59
[7]
M. Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Vol. 2, 1980, p. 96
[8]
Pantheism: A Non-Theistic Concept of Deity – p. 136, Michael P. Levine – 2002
[9]
A Feast for the Soul: Meditations on the Attributes of God : ... – p. x, Baháʾuʾlláh, Joyce Watanabe – 2006
[10]
Philosophy and Faith of Sikhism – p. ix, Kartar Singh Duggal – 1988
[11]
McDaniel, June (2013), A Modern Hindu Monotheism: Indonesian Hindus as ‘People of the Book’. The Journal of Hindu Studies, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/jhs/hit030
[12]
The Intellectual Devotional: Revive Your Mind, Complete Your Education, and Roam confidently with the cultured class, David S. Kidder, Noah D. Oppenheim, p. 364
[13]
Alan H. Dawe. The God Franchise: A Theory of Everything. 2011: 48. ISBN 978-0-473-20114-2. Pandeism: This is the belief that God created the universe, is now one with it, and so, is no longer a separate conscious entity. This is a combination of pantheism (God is identical to the universe) and deism (God created the universe and then withdrew Himself).
[14]
Christianity and Other Religions, by John Hick and Brian Hebblethwaite. 1980. p. 178.
[15]
Aquinas, Thomas. Summa Theologica. Part 1, Question 3, Article 1. 1274 [2014-02-06]. （原始内容存档于2011-11-09）.
[16]
of Hippo, Augustine. Confessions. Book 7. ~397. 请检查|date=中的日期值 (帮助)
[17]
Elaine H. Pagels "What Became of God the Mother? Conflicting Images of God in Early Christianity" （页面存档备份，存于互联网档案馆） Signs, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Winter, 1976), pp. 293-303
[18]
Coogan, Michael. 6. Fire in Divine Loins: God's Wives in Myth and Metaphor. God and Sex. What the Bible Really Says 1st. New York, Boston: Twelve. Hachette Book Group. October 2010: 175 [2011-05-05]. ISBN 978-0-446-54525-9. humans are modeled on elohim, specifically in their sexual differences.
[19]
National Geographic Family Reference Atlas of the World p. 49

（英文）谁是“阿拉” （页面存档备份，存于互联网档案馆）
（英文）基督教中的“神” （页面存档备份，存于互联网档案馆）

[Swinburne-1] [1]
Richard Swinburne "God" in Ted Honderich. (ed)The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, Oxford University Press], 1995.

[2] [2]
David Bordwell (2002). Catechism of the Catholic Church, Continuum International Publishing ISBN 978-0-86012-324-8 p. 84

[3] [3]
Catechism of the Catholic Church – IntraText. [30 December 2016]. （原始内容存档于3 March 2013）.

[4] [4]
"G-d has no body, no genitalia, therefore the very idea that G-d is male or female is patently absurd. Although in the Talmudic part of the Torah and especially in Kabalah G-d is referred to under the name 'Sh'chinah' – which is feminine, this is only to accentuate the fact that all the creation and nature are actually in the receiving end in reference to the creator and as no part of the creation can perceive the creator outside of nature, it is adequate to refer to the divine presence in feminine form. We refer to G-d using masculine terms simply for convenience's sake, because Hebrew has no neutral gender; G-d is no more male than a table is." Judaism 101 （页面存档备份，存于互联网档案馆）. "The fact that we always refer to God as 'He' is also not meant to imply that the concept of sex or gender applies to God." Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, The Aryeh Kaplan Reader, Mesorah Publications (1983), p. 144

[Platinga-5] [5]
Platinga, Alvin. "God, Arguments for the Existence of", Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Routledge, 2000.

[6] [6]
Jan Assmann, Religion and Cultural Memory: Ten Studies, Stanford University Press 2005, p. 59

[7] [7]
M. Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Vol. 2, 1980, p. 96

[8] [8]
Pantheism: A Non-Theistic Concept of Deity – p. 136, Michael P. Levine – 2002

[9] [9]
A Feast for the Soul: Meditations on the Attributes of God : ... – p. x, Baháʾuʾlláh, Joyce Watanabe – 2006

[10] [10]
Philosophy and Faith of Sikhism – p. ix, Kartar Singh Duggal – 1988

[11] [11]
McDaniel, June (2013), A Modern Hindu Monotheism: Indonesian Hindus as ‘People of the Book’. The Journal of Hindu Studies, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/jhs/hit030

[12] [12]
The Intellectual Devotional: Revive Your Mind, Complete Your Education, and Roam confidently with the cultured class, David S. Kidder, Noah D. Oppenheim, p. 364

[Dawe-13] [13]
Alan H. Dawe. The God Franchise: A Theory of Everything. 2011: 48. ISBN 978-0-473-20114-2. Pandeism: This is the belief that God created the universe, is now one with it, and so, is no longer a separate conscious entity. This is a combination of pantheism (God is identical to the universe) and deism (God created the universe and then withdrew Himself).

[14] [14]
Christianity and Other Religions, by John Hick and Brian Hebblethwaite. 1980. p. 178.

[15] [15]
Aquinas, Thomas. Summa Theologica. Part 1, Question 3, Article 1. 1274 [2014-02-06]. （原始内容存档于2011-11-09）.

[16] [16]
of Hippo, Augustine. Confessions. Book 7. ~397. 请检查|date=中的日期值 (帮助)

[17] [17]
Elaine H. Pagels "What Became of God the Mother? Conflicting Images of God in Early Christianity" （页面存档备份，存于互联网档案馆） Signs, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Winter, 1976), pp. 293-303

[18] [18]
Coogan, Michael. 6. Fire in Divine Loins: God's Wives in Myth and Metaphor. God and Sex. What the Bible Really Says 1st. New York, Boston: Twelve. Hachette Book Group. October 2010: 175 [2011-05-05]. ISBN 978-0-446-54525-9. humans are modeled on elohim, specifically in their sexual differences.

[19] [19]
National Geographic Family Reference Atlas of the World p. 49

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神 (一神教)

神的名称

神的性别

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神 (一神教)

神的名称

神的性别

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神的存在性

神的特征

信仰分布

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参考文献

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