Deism

Deism usually refers to a rather obscure religious attitude which entails the recognition and adoption of religious knowledge that is inborn or self revealed through reason, rather than learnt. It may be referred to as natural religion.

This religious knowledge might include concepts such as:

the belief in a supreme being
the need to worship the supreme being
the need to behave morally well
the eventual punishment or reward in life after death
the requirement for religious tolerance because of the common core elements of all religions

Deists would see religious leaders such as Socrates, Buddha, Christ, Muhammad as all seeking to achieve similar goals of reaffirming god's morality. They would recognise the morality of teachings transcribed in books such as the Bible or Koran even though they may not accept their historical accuracy.

Deism grew in the 17th and 18th centuries and several emminent philosophers would have claimed to be deists. By the end of the 18th century the more itellectual and wealthy people in America, including Benjamin Franklin, would have reasonably claimed to be deists.

Deism was often compared with theism, the belief in a currently active god. Whereas deism may be considered to refer to a god that is not actively involved in current affairs. The two terms were often confused and used interchangeably.

Deism is not a currently used concept in discussions of metaphysics.

Spiritual Systems				Main Religions
Agnosticism	Atheism	Monotheism	Polytheism	Buddhism	Islam
Ancestor	Deism	Naturism	Theism	Christianity	Judaism
Atheism	Dualism	Pantheism	Totemism	Hinduism