Taxonomia Religionum

A personal deity (or deities) intentionally creates the world — whether from nothing, from pre-existing material, or by delegation.

Reality flows outward from a divine source — Neoplatonic, Gnostic, or Hindu-style. Not a deliberate act of will so much as an overflow of being.

Two co-eternal opposing principles (good/evil, light/dark) interact to produce the cosmos.

The world emerges from a primordial state through separation, chanting, dreaming, or passage through worlds. Common in indigenous traditions.

The cosmos has no beginning and no creator. It operates through natural laws or spontaneous processes.

No cosmogonic claim, or the cosmos is explained through natural/scientific processes without supernatural agency.

Time has a beginning and moves toward an end or endpoint. History is non-repeating.

Time repeats in cycles — yugas, kalpas, seasonal wheels, eternal return. May have sub-cycles or escape valves (moksha, nirvana).

No strong temporal direction. The sacred is co-present with the ordinary. The Dreaming, genealogical time, or continuous present.

Time moves forward with cumulative improvement or revelation. May combine linear direction with cyclical revelation.

One God creates — whether omnipotent, formless, unknowable, or parental. Includes monotheism and monolatry.

A triune God — specifically the Christian Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit).

Two co-eternal principles (good/evil, light/dark, god/goddess) jointly produce or contest the cosmos.

Multiple divine beings, primal parents, kami, orisha, or spirit ancestors collectively produce or maintain the world.

An impersonal force, principle, or reality (Brahman, Dao, Logos) from which the cosmos proceeds. Not a personal agent.

No creator of any kind. The cosmos is uncreated, self-existent, or explained naturalistically.

History culminates in a cosmic event — judgment, resurrection, renovation, or separation. God intervenes decisively.

The cosmos cycles endlessly. No final end. Individual escape (liberation) may be possible, but the wheel continues.

The focus is on individual escape from the cycle, not cosmic transformation. The cosmos itself is not 'saved.'

No cosmic endpoint. Focus is on the present, this life, this world. Includes traditions that reject eschatological speculation.

The 'end' is continuity — through ancestors, genealogy, reincarnation within the community, or the Dreaming. No terminus.

Time moves toward a specific culmination — judgment, renovation, dissolution, or fulfillment.

Time repeats. Eschatological events (if any) are recurring features of the cycle, not unique endpoints.

No eschatological timeline. The sacred is present now. Time is genealogical, seasonal, or continuous.

Time moves forward with cumulative improvement. No dramatic endpoint, but steady advancement toward an ideal.

Humans exist to serve, worship, obey, or partner with a personal deity. Includes vicegerent, covenant partner, and submission models.

The human task is to escape suffering, samsara, or material bondage through knowledge, effort, or grace. Liberation (moksha, nirvana, kaivalya) is the goal.

Humans maintain cosmic, social, or ecological balance through ritual, ceremony, reciprocity, and proper relationship.

The human task is self-cultivation — developing moral character, wisdom, or inner harmony. Social harmony flows from individual virtue.

Humans create their own meaning through reason, choice, and action. No externally assigned cosmic role.

Suffering from cognitive error, delusion, or lack of self-knowledge (avidya, avijja, jahiliyyah)

Suffering from craving, desire, or clinging to impermanent things (tanha, kama, kashaya)

Suffering from self-centeredness, pride, or false self (haumai, nafs, hubris)

Suffering from failure of virtue, duty, or ethical conduct (sin, neglect of roles, violation of precepts)

Suffering from accumulated consequences of past actions across lifetimes

Suffering as test, purification, or pedagogical instrument from God

Suffering from cosmic dark forces, demonic powers, or ontological evil (Angra Mainyu, Satan, forces of darkness)

Suffering from broken relationships with spirits, ancestors, land, or community

Suffering from ritual impurity, taboo violation, or contact with contaminating forces (kegare, noa)

Suffering from human-made systems of oppression, inequality, or institutional failure

Suffering from natural processes, environmental forces, or biological reality without supernatural attribution

Suffering from imbalance — with nature, cosmos, inner self, or the Dao. Not moral failure but misalignment

Moral law originates from God's will, revelation, or scripture. Right action = obedience to divine command.

Morality centers on cultivating character virtues (courage, wisdom, compassion, ren). Right action flows from right character.

Morality is governed by cosmic law (dharma/karma). Right action depends on one's role, stage, and accumulated karma.

Morality is embedded in maintaining proper relationships — with spirits, ancestors, community, land. Balance and reciprocity are central.

Morality is judged by outcomes — harm reduction, well-being, utility. Includes scientific ethics and harm-based frameworks.

Morality centers on maintaining purity, balance, or aesthetic harmony. Impurity or disharmony is the primary moral category.