Deism
"My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble minds. That deeply emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power, which is revealed in the incomprehensible universe, forms my idea of God." - Albert Einstein.
Overview:
Deism involves the belief in the existence of God, on purely rational grounds, without any reliance on revealed religion or religious authority. Deists do not follow the fundamental beliefs by most religions that God revealed himself to humanity through the writings of the Bible, the Koran or other religious texts. They disagree with Atheists who assert that there is no evidence of the existence of God. They regard their faith as a natural religion, as contrasted with one that is revealed by a God or which is artificially created by humans. They reason that since everything that exists has had a creator, then the universe itself must have been created by God.
History:
The term "Deism" originally referred to a belief in one deity, as contrasted with the belief in no God (Atheism) and belief in many Gods (Polytheism). During the later 17th century, "Deism" began to refer to forms of radical Christianity - belief systems that rejected miracles, revelation, and the inerrancy of the Bible. Currently, Deism is no longer associated with Christianity or any other established religion. Then, as now, Deism is not a religious movement in the conventional sense of the world. There is no Deistic network of places of worship, a priesthood or hierarchy of authority. Deism was greatly influential among politicians, scientists and philosophers during the later 17th century and 18 century, in England, France Germany and the United States. Early Deism was a logical outgrowth of the great advances in astronomy, physics, and chemistry that had been made by Bacon, Copernicus, Galileo, etc. It was a small leap from rational study of nature to the application of the same techniques in religion. Early Deists believed that the Bible contained important truths, but they rejected the concept that it was divinely inspired or inerrant. They were leaders in the study of the Bible as a historical document.
Lord Herbert of Cherbury (d. 1648) was one of the earliest proponents of Deism in England. In his book "De Veritate," (1624), he described the "Five Articles" of English Deists:
belief in the existence of a single supreme God
humanity's duty to revere God
linkage of worship with practical morality
God will forgive us if we repent and abandon our sins
good works will be rewarded (and punishment for evil) both in life and after death
Many of the leaders of the French and American revolutions followed this belief system, including John Quincy Adams, Ethan Allen, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison Thomas Paine, and George Washington. Deists played a major role in creating the principle of separation of church and state, and the religious freedom clauses of the 1st Amendment of the Constitution. Many Deists who feel a need to join a spiritual community of searchers for truth become members of congregations associated with the Unitarian Universalist Association.
Beliefs and Practices:
Most Deists believe that God created the universe, "wound it up" and then disassociated himself from his creation. Some refer to Deists as believing in a God who acts as an absentee landlord or a blind watchmaker. A few Deists believe that God still intervenes in human affairs from time to time.
Other beliefs include God has not selected a chosen people (e.g. Jews or Christians) to be the recipients of any special revelation or gifts. Deists deny the existence of the Trinity as conceived by Christians. They may view Jesus as a philosopher, teacher and healer, but not as the Son of God. They believe that miracles do not happen. The "world operates by natural and self-sustaining laws of the creator." They insist that a practical morality can be derived from reason without the need to appeal to religious revelation and church dogma. Deists pray, but only to express their appreciation to God for his works. They do not ask for special privileges.
References:
"World Union of Deists," is a Florida-based group with a web page at: deism.com They publish a quarterly called "Think!"
World View: Deism
John Lindell, "The human Jesus and Christian Deism
"My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble minds. That deeply emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power, which is revealed in the incomprehensible universe, forms my idea of God." - Albert Einstein.
Overview:
Deism involves the belief in the existence of God, on purely rational grounds, without any reliance on revealed religion or religious authority. Deists do not follow the fundamental beliefs by most religions that God revealed himself to humanity through the writings of the Bible, the Koran or other religious texts. They disagree with Atheists who assert that there is no evidence of the existence of God. They regard their faith as a natural religion, as contrasted with one that is revealed by a God or which is artificially created by humans. They reason that since everything that exists has had a creator, then the universe itself must have been created by God.
History:
The term "Deism" originally referred to a belief in one deity, as contrasted with the belief in no God (Atheism) and belief in many Gods (Polytheism). During the later 17th century, "Deism" began to refer to forms of radical Christianity - belief systems that rejected miracles, revelation, and the inerrancy of the Bible. Currently, Deism is no longer associated with Christianity or any other established religion. Then, as now, Deism is not a religious movement in the conventional sense of the world. There is no Deistic network of places of worship, a priesthood or hierarchy of authority. Deism was greatly influential among politicians, scientists and philosophers during the later 17th century and 18 century, in England, France Germany and the United States. Early Deism was a logical outgrowth of the great advances in astronomy, physics, and chemistry that had been made by Bacon, Copernicus, Galileo, etc. It was a small leap from rational study of nature to the application of the same techniques in religion. Early Deists believed that the Bible contained important truths, but they rejected the concept that it was divinely inspired or inerrant. They were leaders in the study of the Bible as a historical document.
Lord Herbert of Cherbury (d. 1648) was one of the earliest proponents of Deism in England. In his book "De Veritate," (1624), he described the "Five Articles" of English Deists:
belief in the existence of a single supreme God
humanity's duty to revere God
linkage of worship with practical morality
God will forgive us if we repent and abandon our sins
good works will be rewarded (and punishment for evil) both in life and after death
Many of the leaders of the French and American revolutions followed this belief system, including John Quincy Adams, Ethan Allen, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison Thomas Paine, and George Washington. Deists played a major role in creating the principle of separation of church and state, and the religious freedom clauses of the 1st Amendment of the Constitution. Many Deists who feel a need to join a spiritual community of searchers for truth become members of congregations associated with the Unitarian Universalist Association.
Beliefs and Practices:
Most Deists believe that God created the universe, "wound it up" and then disassociated himself from his creation. Some refer to Deists as believing in a God who acts as an absentee landlord or a blind watchmaker. A few Deists believe that God still intervenes in human affairs from time to time.
Other beliefs include God has not selected a chosen people (e.g. Jews or Christians) to be the recipients of any special revelation or gifts. Deists deny the existence of the Trinity as conceived by Christians. They may view Jesus as a philosopher, teacher and healer, but not as the Son of God. They believe that miracles do not happen. The "world operates by natural and self-sustaining laws of the creator." They insist that a practical morality can be derived from reason without the need to appeal to religious revelation and church dogma. Deists pray, but only to express their appreciation to God for his works. They do not ask for special privileges.
References:
"World Union of Deists," is a Florida-based group with a web page at: deism.com They publish a quarterly called "Think!"
World View: Deism
John Lindell, "The human Jesus and Christian Deism