eutheism

Etymology

Coinage from eu- + theism (as antonym of dystheism) Attestation in a 1998 theology lecture https://web.archive.org/web/20071203180444/http://www.utexas.edu/cola/depts/philosophy/faculty/koons/356/lec19.html. Humorous attestation on Usenet in 2002http://groups.google.com/group/alt.games.everquest/browse_thread/thread/8f0df5dadf848aee/cb60e1f231543a29?lnk=st&q=eutheist&rnum=1#cb60e1f231543a29.

Why this word is great

EUTHEISM — [Noun] The belief that a god exists and is wholly benevolent. A coinage from Greek eu- ("good, well") + theism ("belief in a god or gods"), formed as an antonym to dystheism. Unlike "dystheism" (which suspects divine malice) or "misotheism" (which rages against the heavens), eutheism is the quiet conviction that the universe is cradled in kindness. It is the child’s unshaken trust that the storm will pass, the pilgrim’s certainty that the path leads home, the dying man’s smile at a sunbeam through the window—faith distilled to its sweetest, most fragile form, against all evidence.

noun

  1. The belief that there is a god, and that this god is benevolent.“[…] many of them still believe god exists, but that he has let them down and so they keep their belief in his existence, but no longer worship him (and even hate him). ie rather than switching to atheism, they switch from eutheism to dystheism (although they may incorrectly call themselves atheist).”