Deism is a religious and philosophical belief, that a "supreme being" of some kind created the universe, and also established all of the laws that the universe is held to. Although this is the same basic belief of most religions, Deism is
very different from Theism or Creationism. Deists within this religion see things differently at times, but most believe that a supreme being created the universe, and allowed it evolve and prosper on its own, in accordance to the established laws. The thought of God abandoning its creation is very uncomfortable to most, but this is the core belief of Deism. However, there is no central authority that defines or interprets the beliefs of Deism. Therefore, various beliefs are seen within this religion.
The most common Deism beliefs are:
- God does not intervene with human affairs, all things in the universe are purely bound by the laws of nature. Therefore, miracles do not occur.
- Humans were not made in the form or image of God, and God has no human sentiment, such as hate, love, fear, etc.
- God did not necessarily create the universe for humans, and may not even be aware of the existence of humans.
- God cannot be contacted through prayer or any religious associations.
- Humans can behave in a moral fashion without adherence to religious text, or threats of eternal damnation.
- All religions that claim God has created text or writings (such as the bible), to communicate with humans,are wrong.
The acclaimed principle that surrounds deism is reasoning, rather than the religiously traditional "faith".
Although, there are some Deists who believe that God does at times, intervene with the natural forces, and does make impacts on human affairs.
Other beliefs uncommon in Deism are:
- God intended for the existence of humans, and wanted them to behave morally, and use the concept of reason.
- God created the universe AND governs everything within the universe (rather than abandoning it).
- Humans have souls, and there is an afterlife of some kind.
Deism prominently surfaced in the 17th and 18th century during the
Age of Enlightenment,and since, has sustained an ever-growing population.With the advance of science and numerous evidential proofs exposing the falsehood of theism, many people have turned to the acclaimed rational alternative. In 1990, their were only approximately 6,000 Deists in the U.S.A. But in the year 2001, that number had grown to almost 50,000. That's a 719% increase in just 11 years!!! It is thought that the proof of evolution which surfaced in this 11 year period, has much to do with the increase of Deists. Upon viewing the evidential proof of evolution, many current Deists were not satisfied with Theists shallow claims to deny such evidence. Therefore, they turned to more rational views, views that worked in harmony with science.
Most Deists were raised in Christianity, and found that they did not believe in that prophecy, or any similar claims of communication with God. Yet, they are Deist because they do believe that a creator is responsible for the universe. Hence, in general, a thin line divides Deists between atheists. The only core difference is that most atheists believe in theory's such as abiogenesis, or the big bang theory, to explain the creation of the universe. As far as moral and ethic regards, Deists and Atheists hold very similar beliefs. Typically, Atheism and Deism stand for the same movement of secularism (separation from government and religion).
Personally, I do not believe in Deism because of the lack of evidence. However, I
DO NOT deny the basic claims of deism, as I deny the existence of all gods pertaining to theism and creationism. I view Deism as a much more reasonable belief than any other religion, simply because Deism is based on knowledge. Using what is known with the aid of reasoning, to determine what may be, rather than denying science and all of its principles, to convince yourself that a divine plan has been set for us.
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