ABSTRACT
Within every major religion is a belief about a transcendent reality underlying the natural, physical world. From its beginnings, the philosophy of religion has been concerned with reflecting on, as far as possible, how religions might understand what it calls “Ultimate Reality”. How the various religions conceptualize that reality differs, especially between Eastern and Western religions. In Western religion,1 by which I am referring primarily to the three religions of Abrahamic descent, namely Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Ultimate Reality is conceived of in terms of a personal God. God is not only personal, but the creator of all, and perfect in every respect. Many other properties are attributed to God as well, including omniscience, omnipotence, and immutability.
