Compare and contrast monotheism, polytheism, and animism.

Monotheism is the belief in the existence of only one God. The monotheistic religions are, in esteemed order of followers, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Judaism and Zoroastrianism.

Polytheism is a religious system whose followers believe in the existence of multiple gods, personification of natural elements, feelings and human activities, usually organized in a hierarchy or pantheon.  It is not a difference of nomenclature - the different names of a single deity - but of different gods with clearly identifiable individual characteristics. In polytheism, each deity can be honored and invoked individually, depending on the aspects attributed to it.

Animism is a concept that encompasses various beliefs in which both objects and any element of the natural world (mountains, rivers, the sky, the earth, certain characteristic places, rocks, plants, animals, trees, etc.) are endowed with a soul or self-awareness.