Deism, derived from Deus, the Latin word for God, is a natural religion. The existence of God is posited on rational grounds with no reference to revelation, sacred texts or religious authority.
This makes Deism very different from the three Abrahamic faiths, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. All three are based on the notion of prophets receiving the Word of God and relaying it to the rest of humanity.
So, Deists…
• Reject the belief common to most religions that God is revealed through holy texts.
• Disagree with atheists who assert there is no God.
• Appeal to reason, that in the universe there is nothing that exists without a creator, therefore the cosmos, logically, will have a creator, that is God.
1. “God is the power of first cause, nature is the law, and matter is the subject acted upon.” (Thomas Paine)
2. “…everything we behold carries in itself the internal evidence that it did not make itself…” which takes us “…to the belief of a first cause eternally existing…this first cause, man calls God.” (Thomas Paine)
3. “How can a universe of mindless matter produce beings with intrinsic ends, self replication capabilities and coded chemistry?” (Antony Flew, long-time atheist who became a Deist)
History of Deism
Originally, Deism was belief in a single deity as opposed to many Gods or no God(s). However, in the 17th century it came to refer to types of radical Christianity rejecting revelation, miracles and the infallibility of the bible.
Eventually, this led to a complete separation from Christianity, and today Deism is not associated with any established religion. As there is no Deist organisation of churches, priesthood or over-arching authority, it is not a religious movement in any traditional sense.
Deism emerged during what has become known as The Enlightenment, developing its ideas from the scientific advances of such as Bacon, Copernicus, Galileo et al. It was the employment of techniques used to study nature applied to religion.
Early Deists still considered the bible contained important truths, but it was not divinely inspired or literally true. They developed bible study as historical analysis rather than revealed truth.
One of those early Deists was Lord Herbert of Chedbury who listed 5 articles of English Deism in his book, “De Veritate” (1624)
• Belief in a single supreme God.
• Humanity has a duty to revere God.
• God will forgive sins following repentance.
• Worship linked with practical morality.
• Good works will be rewarded (evil punished) in life and after death.
Some leading Deists of the day were; Anthony Collins (1676-1729), Matthew Tindal (1657-1733), JJ Rousseau (1712-1778) and FMA de Voltaire (1694-1778).
Deism was particularly influential amongst leaders of both French and American revolutions. American Deists such as John Adams, Ethan Allen, Ben Franklin, James Madison, George Washington, along with English radical Thomas Paine, insisted on the principle of separation of church and state, a clause in the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
Deism Today
There are no fundamental creeds all deists subscribe to, indeed such would be anathema to Deism. However, there are some broad principles most Deists could accept as a starting point:
• All religious texts and creeds were/are created by humans.
• Deists look to nature as its “gospel” of reasoned creation (not creationism). Nature is not eternal, so it is reasonable to posit the existence of a Creator.
• This non-anthropomorphic Creator has/does not reveal the purpose of creation, so humans must make their own way in the world.
• Deism’s basic premise is that a pre-existing Prime Mover set the universal process going (wound it up or lit blue touch paper or “said” ‘Let there be light’) and allows it to evolve along its own path.
• Some Deists contend that God still occasionally intervenes in human affairs. Most, though, believe God is transcendent and does not listen to or answer prayers, nor interfere with nature through miracles.
• Inspiration can be drawn from traditional sources such as sacred texts as a repository of human thinking on religious themes.
• The universe operates under laws established at the outset by God.
• God does not have human form or feelings such as love, hate etc.
• Deists insist a practical system of morals/ethics can be developed through reason. There may well be an innate sense of right and wrong even if the way this finds expression evolves over time and is socially determined.
• Some Deists, while accepting God stands outside/beyond creation, use prayer and/or meditation to contemplate on and express their appreciation of God’s work, the universe.
Conclusion
Deism is not a fixed ideology; like the universe, it is subject to constant flux and variety. It is very aware that it is a product of human thought not divine inspiration and, therefore, not the ultimate truth which is probably beyond human conception. It cannot be proved to be correct, just as the existence of God can only be inferred not conclusively demonstrated. Deism does not stand in contradiction to science, but rather celebrates scientific discovery as further uncovering and making known the workings of divine creation.
Resource: Religious Tolerance.Org (See Blog Roll for link)
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