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 (distinguished from theism).

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

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deism British  

/ ˈdeɪ-, ˈdiːɪzəm /

noun

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

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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.)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• deist
  noun
• deistically
  adverb
• deistic
  adjective

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

Explanation

Deism is the belief in a God who created the world but hasn’t gotten involved with people since then — as opposed to theism, whose God still takes an active role in the world. According to deism, the creator has a hands-off approach and lets people fend for themselves. Originally the word was used to mean a belief in a deity (as theism is used now), in contrast to atheism, which lacks a God at all. Deism as it is used now is associated with the Enlightenment movement of the 17th and 18th century. A person who believes in deism is a deist.

Example Sentences

Deism became the favorite philosophical stance of the Enlightenment’s most eminent representatives, from the distinguished philosophers of France to Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and other leaders of the American Revolution.

From Textbooks • Jan. 18, 2018

But this tradition goes back to Protestants who saw themselves as victims of Deism in 1800, of Catholicism in the 1830s and 1840s, and of Mormonism before and after the Civil War.

From Washington Post • Jan. 29, 2016

Worse, his rejection of innate ideas actually undermined Deism.

From Salon • Nov. 26, 2015

Disgusted by the waste of human life, a stream of dissidents dared to consider heretical alternatives like Deism.

From Salon • Nov. 26, 2015

Give us either Deism or Pantheism, and not an incongruous mixture, and then we will know on what ground to meet you.

From Ingersoll in Canada A Reply to Wendling, Archbishop Lynch, Bystander; and Others by Pringle, Allen