Omnitheism is a
religious concept that suggests that there is some truth to be gained from all
religions, and that all religions offer a
path to reaching
God (or a similar higher
spiritual force). The word combines
Latin omni meaning "all" with
Greek theism meaning "belief in a theos"--a God or other divine force. An interesting parallel occurs with
Pandeism, which combines Greek
Pan with
Deism, derived from the Latin
Deus, but has a very different meaning. Another related comcept is
Pantheism, the belief that all things are part of God.
Omnitheism recognizes that almost all religions aim for essentially the same thing: the
recognition and
reverence of a spiritual force, which is thought to be responsible for the
Creation of the
Universe. Omnitheists therefore respect and honor all religions to the extent that those religions practice
tolerance towards one another.
The word "omnitheism" is something of a
neologism, with usage in
internet forums going back to the mid-1990s. Other words which have been used with this meaning include
Universalism and
Syncretism, although each has had different nuance.