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Definition: deism from Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(R) Dictionary

(1682) : a movement or system of thought advocating natural religion, emphasizing morality, and in the 18th century denying the interference of the Creator with the laws of the universe

de•ist \॑dē-ist, ॑dā-\ n, often cap

de•is•tic \dē-॑is-tik, dā-\ adj

de•is•ti•cal \-ti-kəl\ adj

de•is•ti•cal•ly \-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adv


Deism

From The Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization
Deism is a rationalistic, critical approach to theism with an emphasis on natural theology. The Deists attempted to reduce religion to what they regarded as its most foundational, rationally justifiable elements. Deism is not, strictly speaking, the teaching that God wound up the world like a watch and let it run on its own, though that teaching was embraced by some within the movement. Deism arose in the 17th century and reached its heyday in the 18th. It includes such well-known figures as Thomas Hobbes, Conyers Middleton, John Toland, Matthew Tindal, Lord Herbert of Cherbury, and Voltaire. Deism made its influence felt in early America, as shown in such American statesmen as Thomas Paine, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. The Deists set forth a reductionist theology, which pared down religion to what they thought were its bare essentials. For example, Lord Herbert of Cherbury in his Concerning Truth (1624) summarized religion as consisting in five points: …
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Full text Article DEISM

From The Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of the American Enlightenment
When Enlightenment thinkers turned their attention to religion, their thoughts can generally be gathered under the convenient heading of deism, a movement that transcended national and denominational boundaries. France, Scotland, England, and the United States all had prominent exponents of deism. …
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Full text Article deism

From Palgrave Macmillan Dictionary of Political Thought
A system of natural religion, classically expounded in J. Toland’s Christianity not Mysterious , 1696, and highly influential in eighteenth-century France and Germany. According to deism, reason is the necessary and sufficient guarantee of faith, and tells us that God exists, that the world is…
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Full text Article God

From Encyclopedia of World Religions: Encyclopedia of Catholicism
Christianity has its roots in the Jewish faith, whose belief that there is only one God is stated very clearly in its central prayer: “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deut. 6:4). This Jewish faith shaped the monotheism of Christianity and Islam. In contrast with Judaism and Islam, …
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From The Macquarie Dictionary
a supernatural being or entity which is worshipped, revered, propitiated or entreated according to particular conventions, and is believed to control nature or human destiny, often being associated with a particular aspect or facet of these among Hawaiians the god of war was called Kukailimoku., …
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From The Chambers Dictionary
a superhuman being, an object of worship ( fem godd'ess ); (with cap ) the Supreme Being of monotheist religions, the Creator; an idol ( fem godd'ess ); an object of excessive devotion ( fem godd'ess ); a man of outstandingly fine physique; an extremely influential or greatly admired man ( fem…
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From The Columbia Encyclopedia
divinity of the three great monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as many other world religions. See also religion and articles on individual religions. In the Old Testament various names for God are used. YHWH is the most celebrated of these; the Hebrews considered the…
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From Encyclopedia of Ancient Christianity
I. Patristic doctrine on God. - II. Knowledge of God. Who is God, acc. to the Fathers of the church? How does he act in the world, and what are his nature and qualities? The answers to these questions are very complex. As with the Jewish religion, Christian “theological” thought was based on the * …
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From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
In Christianity, the supreme creator and ruler of the universe. The Christian religion, like Judaism and Islam, maintains that there is only one God ( monotheism ), who is active in and concerned about the world. These religions are also patriarchal (male-dominated), which has resulted in God being…
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From Gaither's Dictionary of Scientific Quotations
English instrument maker God pervades infinity, and sees through eternity… Lectures on Natural and Experimental Philosophy (Volume 4 ) Chapter XXVII (p. 4 ) Printed by R. Hindmarsh. London England . 1794. Swiss-born American naturalist, geologist, and teacher I ... …
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From Collins Dictionary of Quotations
Even God is deprived of this one thing only: the power to undo what has been done. In Aristotle , Nicomachean Ethics . Not only is there no God, but try getting a plumber on weekends. ALLEN, Woody Getting Even (1971). The worst that can be said is that he’s an under-achiever. …
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