Deism

OVERVIEW

Deism encompasses a range of views on the nature of God, particularly on whether God intervenes in the world. The classical view is that the universe was created by a God who then makes no further intervention in its affairs (the Clockmaker Hypothesis ). In this view, the reason God does not intervene in the world (via Miracle s) is ''not'' that God does not care, but rather that the best of all possible worlds has already been created and any intervention could not improve it. Historically, many deists adhered to this view; others hold a more Pantheist or Pandeist view that in creating the world, God became the world and does not exist as a separate entity from it; while some hold that God intervenes only as a subtle and pervasive force in the universe.

The classical view of an impersonal and abstract God has caused many to claim that deism is "cold" and amounts to Atheism . Deists maintain that the opposite is true and that this view leads to a feeling of awe and reverence based on the fact that personal growth and a constant search for knowledge is required. This knowledge can be acquired from many sources including historical and modern interpretations found in the many varied fields of science (biology, physics, etc.) and philosophy. Deism, like many religions, seeks to reconcile and unify with science and "modern views." However, both deism and other religions have differing views with science on evolution, see Evolutionary Creationism .

The term ''deism'' was created by eighteenth century deists to draw attention to their affirmative belief in a God. {Link without Title} The words ''deism'' and '' Theism '' are closely related and this sometimes leads to controversy. The root of the word ''deism'' is from the Latin ''deus'', while the root of the word ''theism'' comes from the Greek ''theos'' (θεος), both meaning ''god'' in English . However, theism can include faith or Revelation as a basis for belief, while deism includes only belief which can be substantiated through reason.

Deism can be considered as the form of theism in opposition to Fideism , while other schemes separate deism and theism. A helpful comparison of the common positions regarding belief in divine beings can be found in the Theism article.

Tenets of Deism:

1. Belief in God based on Reason, Experience and Nature (nature of the universe) rather than on the basis of holy texts and divine revelation. Essentially, through the use of Reason, God’s existence is revealed by the observation of the order and complexity found within nature and our personal experiences.

2. Belief that the nature of God is abstract and generally incomprehensible which puts it beyond definition for humanity at this time. Furthermore, human language is limited and inadequate to define God; however, man can use Reason to theorize and speculate on what this possible nature is.

3. Belief that man's relationship with God is transpersonal. However, this does not create a feeling of a distant and cold deity but of one in which God has a profound and unfathomable relationship with all of creation (nature) rather than just one aspect of it.

4. Belief that humanity has the ability to use Reason to develop ethical/moral principles and through the application of Reason these principles can be used to implement moral behavior, which in turn creates a Utilitarian-Humanist morality. Essentially, humans can be guided by their conscience in matters of morality.

5. Belief that humans have the individual capability of experiencing God, which is defined as spirituality. These spiritual experiences are multi-faceted and can include awe, epiphany, fellowship and even the transcendental. Essentially, each human is capable of having a profound experience of God and nature.

6. Belief that God should be honored in a way that the individual believes is best and most appropriate for them. Individuals must determine for themselves how best to honor God and only they can develop how to accomplish this. For many, it is a multi-faceted and an individualized process.

7. Belief in the principle of Natural Law that states that all men and women are created equal to each other with inherent freedom and liberty so that no human has more worth than another. Essentially, each human is equal in terms of the freedoms that they have and in the eyes of the law.

8. Belief that mankind’s purpose is to use our God-given reason to understand what it means to be alive in every sense of the word (to live life to the fullest) and to act in such a way as to secure human happiness and contentment for all involved.

9. Belief that Reason and Respect are God-given traits to mankind and that we are to utilize them in all aspects of our daily lives thus creating a pragmatic approach to life. This includes respecting other alternative views and opinions of God (other religions) as long as they do not produce harm and/or infringe upon others.

Deism and prayer

Many deists who do not believe in divine intervention still find value in prayer. They think of it as a form of meditation and self-cleansing, which can improve one's life and lead to one's efforts being more effective.

18TH CENTURY POPULARITY

Deist thinking has existed since ancient times and can be inferred from Pre-Socratic philosophers such as Heraclitus . However, it was not until the Modern Era , during the European Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution , with their respective emphases on rigorous Skepticism , Deductive Logic , and Empiricism (experience/ Induction ), that ''deism'' came into its own as a subject of philosophical discourse, particularly in France ( Descartes , the '' Philosophes ''), Germany ( Kant ^†, Leibniz ), Great Britain ( Hobbes , Hume ^‡), and the United States ( Paine , Franklin , Hedrick ).

. National Portrait Gallery , Washington, DC .]]
Deism developed from the expanding influence of Scientism in Europe and European colonial intellectual life. Newtonian Physics , the intellectual basis and the aesthetic model for Enlightenment Scientism , spread the idea that matter behaves in a mathematically predictable manner that can be understood by postulating laws of nature. Objectivity, natural equality, the prescription to treat like cases similarly are central principles of the Enlightenment mentality, ideas borrowed from Newton's observational/experimental method and put to use in all domains the Enlightenment mind scrutinized; these principles informed the development of the philosophy of deism. Exasperation with the costs of centuries of European religious warfare was a powerful recommendation for the new, objective frame for spiritual matters, a perspective the most notable minds of the time found appealing.

Deism was championed by Enlightenment thinkers such as Voltaire and some of the Founding Fathers of the United States . Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin are among the most well-known of the American founding deists. There is debate as to whether George Washington was a deist or not. Thomas Paine published '' The Age Of Reason '', a treatise that helped to popularize deism throughout America and Europe. Paine wrote that deism represented the application of reason to religion. Deists like Paine hoped to settle religious questions permanently and scientifically by reason alone, without revelation.

The First Six And Four Later Presidents Of The United States had strong deistic or Allied beliefs, even if they did not proclaim them.

:^† Kant's identification with deism is controversial. An argument in favor of Kant as deist is Alan Wood's "Kant's Deism," in P. Rossi and M. Wreen (eds.) ''Kant's Philosophy of Religion Re-examined'' (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1991); an argument against Kant as deist is Stephen Palmquist's "Kant's Theistic Solution"

:^‡ Experts dispute whether Hume was a deist, an Atheist , or something else. Hume himself was uncomfortable with the terms 'deist' and 'atheist', and Hume scholar Paul Russell has argued that the best and safest term for Hume's views is 'irreligion'.

APPELLATIONS FOR DIVINITY

The names used for the divinity by deists include the following:

Creator ''(used in the United States Declaration Of Independence )''

Divine Author

Divine Providence ''(used in the United States Declaration Of Independence )''

Divine Watchmaker

Divine Essence

First Cause

Grand Architect of the Universe (often used by members of the Freemasonic Lodges or societies which involve Masonic rituals)

Nature's God ''(used in the United States Declaration Of Independence )''

Providence

The One that is All

The Eternal One

The Living Law (Essene)

The Living Director Principle in All Being

The Governing Being of the Universe

Supreme Being

Supreme Intelligence

Almighty God (used in the preamble of the 1987 Philippine Constitution)

DECLINE IN POPULARITY

Several factors contributed to a general decline in the popularity of deism, including:

the writings of David Hume (and later, Charles Darwin ) increased doubt about the First Cause argument and the Argument From Design

several Christian Great Awakening s in the USA, especially those that taught a more personal relationship with a deity, and that Prayer could alter events

loss of confidence that Reason and Rationalism could solve all problems

criticisms of excesses of the French Revolution

criticisms that deism was not significantly distinct from Pantheism , and then that pantheism was not significantly different from Atheism

criticisms that Freethought would lead inevitably to Atheism

frustration with the Determinism implicit in "This is the best of all possible worlds."

rise of Unitarianism , which adopted many of its ideas

it remained a personal philosophy and never became an organized movement

an anti-deist and anti-reason campaign by some Christian clergymen to vilify and equate deism with atheism in public opinion

CURRENT STATUS

Newtonian physics, when linearized and simplified, is considered Deterministic , and so deism based on that, for many, left little room for Hope . Of some relevance in response to this are newer theories in Physics , most notably Quantum Mechanics , which has both a non- Deterministic interpretation (the Copenhagen Interpretation ), and deterministic interpretations (the Transactional Interpretation and Many-worlds Interpretation ). Some modern revivals of deism resemble Pantheism and Panentheism . However, some Unitarian Universalists are bringing deism back in order to counter Fundamentalism.

The simlicity of the Deistic belief in a supreme reasoning power that is the Designer of Nature seems to be its brightest promise to those who don't feel comfortable in any of the various "revealed" religions. Currently, Deism is reaching many new people who either feel trapped in a revealed religion that requires they suspend their God-given reason in order to accept a particular claim or revelation key to that religion, as well as people who could not accept the fantastic claims made by revealed religions and felt that because of their rejection of the revealed religions they were atheists. An example of the latter is the English philosopher Antony Flew , who turned from atheism to Deism.

Deists are active through the World Union of Deists spreading the word about Deism as well as in efforts to bring society out of the superstition of the revealed religions by combating the legaliztion of withholding medical care from sick and injured children for religious reasons as is shown here .

SEE ALSO