What do you call one the who believes in God but not any religion?

Question

I'm asking about the formal naming.
If you can please provide a source.

ok let me be more specific,
You don't know whether God intervenes in the universe or not. This is a point of discrepancy between that and Deism.

Answer 1

then he is just like a normal person who believes in religion. the catch is, its not organized religion.

religion is simply a certain group of principles with regards to divinity that a person embraces. a certain person who believes in God must have certain principles that he follows (its just that these principles are not in conformity with all the -organized- religion out there). hence, these people are still with a religion.

Answer 2

Perhaps you are looking for the term Gnostic (gnosticism) or Universalist (universalism). These concepts are born of our spiritual ability to sense and acknowledge God. People are born with this spiritual sense and it would explain the common thread in all religions. Spirituality is our ability to connect with God who is a spiritual being. This sense is often refered to as our conscience or spiritual "heart" and is the beginnings of our concepts of Right and Wrong, Good and Evil, Love and Hate.

Religions, although most often born from these spiritual roots, are mostly formed to govern; that is to say certain laws are established (thou shalt not kill, don't steal, don't lie, honor your father and mother, etc.) and also the consequence for breaking these laws. Religions thereby are established with the idea of ruling a group of people and become mostly political in nature.

The quandary is that when religions depart from their spiritual roots and the laws (which cannot be questioned) become more important than the people they govern, are applied unfairly, or are viewed as obsolete then the people turn away from the religion. Not to mention that some outrageously cruel and atrocious things have been done in the name of God.

At this point, some very spiritual people who have become disappointed by organized religion begin to decide .."What now?".

Other, not so spiritual people become atheists, agnostic, etc.

Answer 3

Deism-

Some believe there is God who created us and the world, Some believe He just doesn't intervene with the world.

Answer 4

Someone who believes in a god is called a theist. That's a general term. If they believe in "God", i.e. the god named God, then they are probably a Christian even if they claim not to follow any particular church. Someone who believes there is a god, but thinks that god just put things in motion and doesn't interact with us directly, just behind the scenes, is called a Deist.

Answer 5

This would be an Agnostic. Basically you believe in a higher power. Be it the Jewish God, Christian God, Muslim God (which by the way are the same God with different Messiahs or none at all). But that is the Meaning of an Agnostic: To believe in God but not the doctrine of religion.

Answer 6

deist is not quite right-The belief, based solely on reason, in a God who created the universe and then abandoned it, assuming no control over life, exerting no influence on natural phenomena, and giving no supernatural revelation.
theist --closer to what you want? Belief in the existence of a god or gods, especially belief in a personal God as creator and ruler of the world.

Answer 7

Deist would be the definition.
Agnostics neither believe nor disbelieve the existance of God.

Answer 8

On the right track. The next step will be when he finds out there is more possibility for spiritual growth without that god as well.

Answer 9

Agnostic

Answer 10

You might call him or her a Christian, since Christianity is NOT a religion. Religion is about man's attempt to reach God. Christianity is about God reaching down to man. It's not a religion--it's a relationship with Jesus Christ himself.