The Unity Beneath Diversity: A Theoretical Model for Understanding Global Conceptions of the Divine

Abstract

This article explores how major world religions understand ultimate reality, engaging the enduring philosophical challenge of reconciling unity and diversity. Addressing a gap in comparative theology, which often remains largely descriptive, it proposes a theoretical model that interprets divine unity as a structural pattern rather than a strict metaphysical uniformity. Using comparative theological analysis and the phenomenology of religion, the study examines key dimensions such as transcendence and immanence, personal and impersonal conceptions, ethical attributes, and theistic and non-theistic orientations across Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The findings show that, despite their differing metaphysical frameworks, these traditions converge in articulating an ultimate source that grounds moral order, existential meaning, and human engagement with the sacred. The article contributes a philosophically informed model of non-uniform divine unity, offering a coherent approach to understanding religious plurality while fostering interreligious dialogue and highlighting the deeper coherence underlying diverse religious experiences.