Deism (Deists, America, Revelation, prophet, experience)

[Green Gaia]

Deism has been mentioned and discussed in several other threads, but let's start a discussion about it alone. I will post a short overview of Deism from wikipedia.org, then everyone is free to discuss.

Deism is belief in a God or first cause based on reason rather than faith, distinguishing it from theism. Deism is usually synonymous with "natural religion" in 18th century Enlightenment writings. Deism originated in 17th century Europe, gaining popularity in the 18th century Enlightenment especially in America as a modernist movement inspired by the success of the scientific method. Deists emphasize the exclusive application of reason and personal experience to religious questions. Deism is concerned with those truths which humans can discover through a process of reasoning, independent of any claimed divine revelation through scripture or prophets. Most Deists believe that God does not interfere with the world or create miracles.

18th century popularity
Deism was founded on the belief that the universe was created by a God who then made no further intervention in its affairs, often expressed by the metaphor of the "Divine Watchmaker" who created a mechanism so perfect as to be self-regulating.

Deism developed in response to Newtonian physics, by which matter is shown to behave in a manner mathematically predictable by natural laws. It was popular among thinkers of the Enlightenment such as Voltaire and the Founding Fathers of the United States.

Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin are perhaps the most well-known of the American founding Deists. Thomas Paine published The Age of Reason, a tract that popularized Deism throughout America and Europe.