Deism

Deism ( DEE-iz-əm or DAY-iz-əm; derived from the Latin term deus, meaning 'god') is the belief that a Supreme Being or God created the universe and that empirical reason and observation of the natural world are exclusively logical, reliable, and sufficient to determine the existence of a creator God. It is a philosophical position and rationalistic theology that rejects prophecies, revelations, and religious texts as legitimate or reliable sources of divine knowledge. Unlike classical theism, many Deists believe in the existence of a creator God who simply does not intervene anymore after creating the universe, again solely based on rational thought without any reliance on revealed religions or religious authorities. Fundamentally, Deism emphasizes the concept of natural theology—that is, God's existence is revealed through nature itself. Since the 17th century and during the Age of Enlightenment, especially in 18th-century England, France, and North America, various Western philosophers and theologians formulated a critical rejection of the several religious texts belonging to the many organized religions, and began to appeal only to truths that they felt could be established by reason as the exclusive source of divine knowledge. Such philosophers and theologians were called "Deists", and the philosophical/theological position they advocated is called "Deism". Deism, as a distinct philosophical and intellectual movement, saw a revival in early-19th century Great Britain and North America. Several tenets of Deism continued as part of other intellectual and spiritual movements, like Unitarianism, and Deistic philosophy continues to have some advocates in the contemporary era.