Hinduism
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Hinduism 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
Nature of God 
The Vedas depict the monad Brahman as the one source or God, with all other deities emanating therefrom. Brahman (not to be confused with Brahma) is seen as the universal spirit. Brahman is the ultimate, both transcendent and immanent the absolute infinite existence, the sum total of all that ever is, was, or ever shall be. Additionally, like Abrahamic religions which believe in angels, Hindus also believe in more powerful entities, emanating from Brahman, such as devas.
Though all the different paths of Moksha (salvation, liberation) are, to various extents, acknowledged by all denominations, the actual conception of Brahman and his nature is what differentiates them.
Denominations
Each of Hinduisms four denominations share rituals, beliefs, traditions and personal deities with one another, but each sect has a different philosophy on how to achieve life's ultimate goal (moksa, liberation) and on their concept of God (Brahman). However, each denomination respects all others, and conflict of any kind is rare.
Contemporary Hinduism is now divided into four major divisions, Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, and  Smartism. Just as Jews, Christians, and Muslims all believe in one God but differ in their conceptions of Him, Hindus all believe in one God but differ in their conceptions. The two primary form of differences are between the two monotheistic religions of Vaishnavism which conceives God as Vishnu and Shaivism, which conceives God as Shiva. Shaktism worships the Goddess Devi as Brahman or alternatively (where it is viewed as a subsect of Shaivism) as the energy of Shiva, the impersonal Brahman. Smartism, in contrast, believes in all paths being true and leading to one God or source, whatever one chooses to call the Ultimate Truth. The Trimurti concept (also called the Hindu trinity) of Smartism denotes the three aspects of God in His forms as Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer.
Smartism
The Smarta perspective dominates the view of Hinduism in the West. Smarta monists, seeing in multiple manifestations the one God or source of being, are often confused by non-Hindus as being polytheists. It is seen as one unity, with the personal gods being different aspects of only one Supreme Being, like a single beam of light separated into colours by a prism, and are valid to worship. Some of the Hindu aspects of God include Devi, Vishnu, Ganesh, and Siva. Smarta Hindus believe that God, in whatever form they prefer, (or as monists prefer to call, "Ishta Devata,", i.e., the preferred form of God) can grant worshippers grace to bring them closer to Moksha, end of the cycle of rebirth. The Hindu saint, Ramakrishna, a monist, was a prominent advocate of this traditional Hindu view. He achieved the spiritual high of other religions besides Hinduism, such as Christianity and Islam, and came to the same conclusion proclaimed by the Vedas, "Truth is one, the wise call it by different names." Smartism is the only branch of Hinduism that adopts these ideas strictly.
Vaishnavism
A Vaishnavite considers Vishnu as the one true God, worthy of worship and other forms as subordinate. Accordingly, many Vaishnavites, for example, believe that only Vishnu can grant the ultimate aim for mankind, moksha. However, even Vaisnavites, like other Hindus, have tolerance for other beliefs because Lord Krishna, avatar of Vishnu, and God in Gaudiya Vaishnavism, says in the Gita : Whatever deity or form a devotee worships, I make his faith steady. However, their wishes are only granted by Me (Gita: 7:21-22)
O Arjuna, even those devotees who worship other lesser deities (e.g., Devas, for example) with faith, they also worship Me, but in an improper way because I am the Supreme Being. I alone am the enjoyer of all sacrificial services (Seva, Yajna) and Lord of the universe (Gita: 9:23).
Shaivism
Similar to Vaishnavism, many Shaivites hold that the ascetic Lord Shiva is the Supreme Brahman and all other deities sprung forth from him. It has both monistic and dualistic traditions.
Shaktism
Shaktas worship Shakti (or Devi) in all of her forms, whilst not rejecting the importance of masculine and neuter divinity. The "History of the Shakta Religion" explains that The Shaktas conceive their Great Goddess as the personification of primordial energy and the source of all divine and cosmic evolution. She is identified with the Supreme Being, conceived as the Source and the Spring as well as the Controller of all the forces and potentialities of Nature. It is associated with Vedanta, Samkhya and Tantra philosophies, is ultimately monist, and has a rich tradition of Bhakti yoga associated with it.
Shaivite views often consider Shaktism to be sub-denomination of Saivism, arguing that Devi is worshipped in order to attain union with Siva, who in Saivism is the impersonal unmanifest Absolute. This remains a minority view in Shaktism proper.
See Also
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