Definition

1. Noun:
   • A philosophical position concerning the existence of God: Deism is a belief system that affirms the existence of a supreme being, a creator God, based primarily on reason and observation of the natural world, rather than on specific religious revelation, scripture, or supernatural events.

Usage

• Deism typically rejects the concept of a personal God who directly intervenes in the universe through miracles or divine providence after creation. Instead, it posits a non-intervening creator who established natural laws.
• It is often associated with the Enlightenment era, where thinkers used rational argument to arrive at religious belief, separate from organized religion.

Examples

• Noun:
  • Many Enlightenment philosophers, such as Voltaire, were proponents of deism.
  • Deism differs from theism in its rejection of divine revelation.
  • His personal faith was more aligned with deism than with traditional Christianity.

Advanced Usage

• "Classical deism": Refers specifically to the rationalistic theological movement prominent in the 17th and 18th centuries.
  • Classical deism was a significant intellectual force during the Age of Reason.
• "Modern deism": Can refer to contemporary philosophical positions that maintain a belief in God based on reason, often incorporating scientific understanding.
  • Modern deism sometimes engages with concepts from cosmology and physics.

Variants and Related Words

• Deist (noun): A person who holds the belief in deism.
  • Thomas Jefferson is often described as a deist.
• Deistic (adjective): Relating to or characteristic of deism.
  • He held a deistic view of the universe.

Synonyms

• Rational theism: Emphasizes the use of reason in belief about God.
• Natural religion: Religion based on reason and ordinary experience, without revelation.

Antonyms

• Atheism: The disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods.
• Theism: Belief in the existence of a god or gods, specifically of a creator who intervenes in the universe, often based on revelation (e.g., Christianity, Islam).
• Fideism: The doctrine that knowledge depends on faith or revelation, rather than reason.

Noun

1. the form of theological rationalism that believes in God on the basis of reason without reference to revelation