What is Deism?
Rationalistic, Enlightened Belief in God
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Deism is actually a form of monotheism, but distinct enough in character and development to warrant its own section. In addition to adopting general monotheism, deists also accept the specific ideas that the single existing god is personal in nature and transcendent from the created universe. However, they reject the idea that this this god is immanent, which is to say presently active in the created universe.
Deism originally developed as a philosophic and religious challenge to Christian orthodoxy in 17th century England, eventually becoming an important influence on political and religious philosophy through the 18th century. As a systematic philosophy, deism was first developed by Lord Herbert of Cherbury (1583-1648).
The doctrine became very popular among Englightenment intellectuals who were finding less and less reason to believe in the traditional gods but who also didn't feel right in rejecting theism totally. Many of those involved with the American revolution against England and with setting up the American government after independence were deists, either explicitly or in their sympathies, and those deistic beliefs show through in their political ideas and writings.
According to the deistic view of reality, God created the universe but then divorced itself from creation and simply contemplates it now. Sometimes this is referred to as the "watchmaker" god - a god which wound up the universe like a watch and now lets it run on its own. Thus, deists opted for perhaps the most extreme form of transcendence available, completely rejecting the idea of God being immanent and involved in any manner with creation and humanity.
The universe is believed to be rational and ordered because that is how God wanted it to be; God, in turn, is also a rational being with rational desires, rational goals, and rational methods which are understandable through human reason. It is perhaps obvious why such a god would be appealing to Enlightenment rationalists.
Typically, deists were and are empiricists rather than rationalists when it comes to religious knowledge ("rationalism" in this sense refers to the idea that knowledge can be achieved through mental activity alone). What this means is that knowledge about God cannot be discovered through revelation or supernatural, religious experiences. Instead, deists have been heavily influenced by the philosophy of natural religion, according to which knowledge about God can be discerned through God's creation - thus, study of nature, the world, the universe, and humanity is akin to a study of God as well.
Deists were and are opposed to religious orthodoxy, dogma, and doctrine, all of which they have argued lead inevitably to corruption and intolerance. Deism acknowledges that most, if not all, religions contain within them a basic core of rational truth and understanding of God; nevertheless, all have also fallen away due to the corrupting influence of supernatural religious beliefs and superstitions. Insofar as a religious doctrine or practice does not harm anyone, however, deists argue that they should be tolerated as cultural practices and not treated as something blasphemous or heretical.
Deists shared many important sentiments with the rationalist side of the Protestant Reformation, rejecting various trappings and liturgical practices of Roman Catholicism as being too close to the irrational religious beliefs of paganism. However, deists also rejected the very pious and overly emotional forms of worship which came to characterize many Protestant churches - once again, in deism, religion is a matter of reason and rationality rather than highly emotional religious faith.
One very different form of deism has been labeled "Deistic Supernaturalism" and has been supported by philosophers like S¿ren Kierkegaard. According to this system, God is not only transcendent and external to nature (as with deism), but is also the "superhuman and supernatural revealer of values." Denying that God's nature can be found via human experience, Deistic Supernaturalists argue that God can be understood via direct revelations from God. Communion with God can thus be established via activities like prayer or meditation.
Although deism at one point came to be a dominant position among the intelligentsia of England, France, Germany, and even America, today it is not nearly so fashionable as it once was. For one thing, people who are inclined to reject belief in traditional gods can become atheists and reject belief in gods altogether - atheism does not suffer the same amount of social stigma which it once did. For another thing, when deism was popular, people regarded the universe as a finely tuned machine, like a watch. Today, however, that picture of the universe is not so common; instead, the universe is seen as more dynamic, chaotic, and more in continual development, a conception which does not lend itself to the development of deism.
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