The belief, based solely upon reason, in a God who created the universe and then abandoned it, assuming no control over life, exerting no influence on natural phenomena, and giving no supernatural revelation.
The belief that there is a God who created the universe, but that after creating it he left it to regulate itself and doesn't step in to provide miracles or the like.
The false belief that God exists but after creating the universe does not interact with it in any way. Such a belief is supposedly arrived at by observation of the universe and by reason rather than through spiritual revelation or faith.
Eighteenth-century religious belief that privileges reason over faith and rejects traditional religious tenets in favor of a general belief in a benevolent creator. Deists do not believe in original sin and instead assume that human beings are basically good.
Deism is derived the latin word [ deus], which means God, and has come to mean, "the belief in the existence of God strictly by the use of logic, common sense, and reason." This is as opposed to the historical belief in God's existence based upon revelation, scripture, and Church or congregational teachings. In general, Deists believe that God has not shown himself through scripture or any religious texts, but is revealed by logic and rational thought. They look at their philosophy as being a 'natural' belief, as opposed to what they see as religions which are artificially created by humans. In Deism, God is simply the initial creator, not one who is actively involved in His creation. Deism constitutes a secularization of religious thinking. [ back
level: Comprehensive (3) [ order by level] The belief that God does exist, but he only created the universe and has not intervened in its affairs ever since.
order by term] level: Comprehensive (3) The belief that God does exist, but he only created the universe and has not intervened in its affairs ever since.
the form of theological rationalism that believes in God on the basis of reason without reference to revelation
The world view that God is only transcendent (beyond) the world but not immanent (acting) in the world.
A system of though or world view according to which the universe was created by a wholly transcendent god who instituted immutable and universal laws that precluded any alteration and divine intervention, including revelation and miracles.
The idea that God is not personally involved with the material world after having created it. The imagery is of a clock maker who winds the clock and allows it to run according to its own design. Miracles have no place in the deistic worldview.
a world view advocating natural religion based on human reason rather than special revelation, emphasizing morality, and in the 18th century denying the interference of the Creator with the laws of the universe.
the belief that there is a God whose existence can be apprehended without revelation. Cf. agnosticism, atheism, and theism.
The belief that the world was created and set in motion by a supernatural agent which subsequently does not intervene.
belief in a personal Creator/God whom man is obligated to worship, and under whose authority man is obliged to ethical conduct, repentance from sin, and from whom divine rewards and punishments are merited by men. Deists have historically denied God's intervention in the natural order of the past, the Trinity, the Incarnation, the authority of the Bible, the Atonement of Christ, miracles, God's election of people (e.g., Israel and/or the Church), and His supernatural redemptive acts in history. [from Spirit of Revival: The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God by Archie Parrish and R.C. Sproul
The belief that a god created the world but does not interact with it.
An 18th-century Enlightenment religion emphasizing reason, not miracles; partly a reaction against Calvinism and religious superstition.
Belief in God - as a Prime Cause of the world, but not as being involved in the running of the world (Compare with "Theism")
The belief that there is a God but that God is not involved in the world. Deism denies any revelatory work of God in the world whether it be by miracles or by scripture.
the philosophical stance claiming that God exists, but not as a living being who intervenes in the natural or moral worlds we inhabit (as in theism). Many deists believe there are proofs for the existence of God that succeed in making God's existence knowable.
Concept of God current during the scientific revolution; role of divinity was to set natural laws in motion, not to regulate once process was begun. (p. 531)
Belief in a God who created the world, but does not intervene within it (God is transcendent but not immanent). This religious worldview, which emphasizes natural law over revelation, was most popular during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in England, France, and America.
Deism was the faith of the Enlightenment that revered God for the marvels of the universe rather than for His power over humankind. This religious orientation rejects divine revelation and holds that the workings of nature alone reveal God's design for the universe.
a movement arising out of the Enlightenment in 17th and 18th century Europe that emphasizes the importance of human reason and morality. Deists believe that a personal, rational god created the universe, but then stepped back from it. He allows it to continue to function according to the laws of nature without any interference from him.
Deism is a religious philosophy and movement that became prominent in England, France, and the United States in the 17th and 18th centuries. Deists typically reject supernatural events (prophecy, miracles) and divine revelation prominent in organized religion, along with holy books and revealed religions that assert the existence of such things. Instead, deists hold that religious beliefs must be founded on human reason and observed features of the natural world, and that these sources reveal the existence of one God or supreme being.