Deism is the belief in a creator God who does not intervene in the universe. God made the world. He set it in motion. He gave it natural laws. Then he stepped back. He does not perform miracles. He does not answer prayers. He does not reveal himself. He is the clockmaker. The universe is the clock. It runs on its own. Deism was popular in the 17th and 18th centuries. It was the religion of the Enlightenment.

Deism grew out of the scientific revolution. Newton's laws explained the motion of the planets. God was not needed to keep them moving. He was needed to start them. Deists rejected revelation. They rejected miracles. They rejected the Trinity. They believed in a rational religion. They believed in morality. They believed in the afterlife. Many of the American founders were deists. Thomas Jefferson. Benjamin Franklin. Thomas Paine. They admired Jesus as a moral teacher. They did not believe he was God.

Deist beliefs

• God exists and created the universe.
• God does not intervene in human affairs.
• Revelation is not reliable.
• Reason is the guide to truth.
• Morality is based on reason and nature.

Deism is a halfway house. It is between theism and atheism. It affirms God. It denies his involvement. It is a religion of the head. It is not a religion of the heart. It has no prayer. It has no worship. It has no community. It is a philosophy. It is a worldview. It influenced the founding of the United States. It influenced the separation of church and state. It is not common today. But its influence remains. The idea of a creator who does not intervene is still attractive. It explains the universe without requiring faith. It respects reason. It respects science. It is the faith of the Enlightenment. It is the faith of the clockmaker. It is Deism.