deism

American  

[dee-iz-uhm] / ˈdi ɪz əm /

noun

1. belief in the existence of a God on the evidence of reason and nature only, with rejection of supernatural revelation (theism ).

2. belief in a God who created the world but has since remained indifferent to it.

---

deism British  

/ ˈdeɪ-, ˈdiːɪzəm /

noun

1. belief in the existence of God based solely on natural reason, without reference to revelation Compare theism

---

deism Cultural  

1. The belief that God has created the universe but remains apart from it and permits his creation to administer itself through natural laws. Deism thus rejects the supernatural aspects of religion, such as belief in revelation in the Bible (see also Bible), and stresses the importance of ethical conduct. In the eighteenth century, numerous important thinkers held deist beliefs. (See clockwork universe.)

---

Other Word Forms

• deist noun
• deistic adjective
• deistically adverb

Etymology

Origin of deism

1675–85; < French déisme < Latin de ( us ) god + French -isme -ism

Compare meaning

How does deism compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• deism vs. theism

Example Sentences

Why not deism instead of theism, or pantheism instead of either?

From New York Times

“I started feeling this longing for the culture of deism of my childhood … the warm, holy feeling” of a higher power.

From Los Angeles Times

Leaders such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson thought that traditional religion would eventually vanish into Unitarianism and deism.

From Washington Post

The phrase “ceremonial deism” was coined by a Yale Law School dean in 1962, and in the decades since it has been used by court after court to explain exceptions to the First Amendment.

From The New Yorker

Turkey's top religious cleric, the head of Religious Affairs Directorate Ali Erbas, has also denied the spread of deism and atheism among the country's conservative youth.

From BBC