Deism in Russian philosophy. Deism, materialism and atheism of the French Enlightenment

The key concept of Western rationalism (late 17th - 18th centuries), which recognizes the existence of God, but is extremely skeptical of religious rituals, the other world and divine intervention in worldly affairs. All the greatest thinkers of the 18th century were deists.

Excellent definition

Incomplete definition ↓

DEISM

from lat. deus - god) - religious-philosophical. a direction that rejects the idea of ​​a personal God and his everyday intervention in the life of nature and society. D. considered God only as the first cause, as the creator of the world - an impersonal principle that informed the world of its laws, which have acted independently since the time of creation. Among the early bourgeois. ideologists D. was a compromise form of struggle with the official. religious the ideology of feudalism, the “bourgeois variety” of Christianity (Marx K., Capital, vol. 1, 1955, p. 85). The emergence of deistic worldview was connected, as Plekhanov put it, with the desire of the bourgeoisie “to limit royal power.” Many progressive philosophers of the 16th and 17th centuries. show a tendency “toward a system of ideas in which the power of God is limited on all sides by the laws of nature. Deism is heavenly parliamentarism” (Plekhanov G.V., On Religion and the Church, 1957, p. 290). Putting forward reason (or feelings) as a criterion for the truth of knowledge, deist philosophers demanded rational faith and denied “positive” religion with its mysticism. the doctrine of revelation, opposed many dogmas and rituals, defended freedom of conscience and thought and sought to create a “natural religion”, a “religion of Reason”. D. saw the proof of the existence of God as the root cause of the world in the harmony and expediency of the “amazing machine” of nature (the so-called “physical-theological” proof of the existence of God). Thus, speaking out against miracles and the idea of ​​God’s everyday intervention in the life of the Universe, D. allowed for an initial miracle. Cherbury is considered the founder of D. ("Treatise on Truth..." - Herbert?. of Cherbury, De Veritate..., 1624). D. did not appear for philosophy. the views of its representatives as a single movement: materialists, idealists, and eclectic thinkers acted under its flag. worldview. Some idealist philosophers joined D. - Leibniz, Hume, Kant ("Religion within the Limits of Reason Only", 1793, Russian translation 1908). Supporters of D. in its progressive version were inclined to interpret the most important natural phenomena either towards metaphysics. materialism, considering matter as an inert mass set in motion by a “first impulse,” or to dualism; many of them based their ideas about the world on new discoveries of natural science, defended the independence of science, reason and morality based on it from religion. Explanations of social phenomena. They looked for life in the laws of nature, and they considered man to be a part of it (see Social Contract). For materialists, as Marx put it, religion “is nothing more than a convenient and easy way to get rid of religion” (Marx K. and Engels F., Soch., 2nd ed., vol. 2, p. 144), since it made it possible, under the guise of recognizing God, to consider the laws of nature and society outside of deities. predestination, as independent and, moreover, comprehensible natures. cognizant by human means. Among the deist-materialists in England were Toland ("Letters to Serena", 1704, Russian translation 1927; "Pantheistikon", 1720, Russian translation 1927), Collins ("A Study of Human Freedom" - "A philosophical inquiry concerning human liberty", 1717), Priestley and others, in Germany - Edelman, in Russia - Lomonosov and Radishchev (about the presence of deistic inconsistency, in materialism of which there is controversy, see "Questions of Philosophy", 1958, No 5). Deists were such progressive thinkers as Newton (Letter to Bentley, February 11, 1693), Locke (Four Letters Concerning Toleration, etc., 1685–1704, ed. 1689–1706 ; “An Essay on the Human Mind,” 1690, Russian translation, 1898, pp. 625–30; Voltaire (“Candide,” 1759, Russian translation, see: Selected works). ., 1947, pp. 45–58, 124–26; ​​“Conversations between A, B and C,” 1768, Russian translation, see pp. 457–99), Jefferson, Franklin (“Principles” "First principles", in his book: Works, v. 2, 1840, pp. 1–3). The “freethinkers” of Shaftesbury (“A Letter concerning Enthusiasm”, 1708), Tyndale (“Christianity not as old as Creation”, 1730), Bolingbroke, Rousseau (“Confession”) were also deists. faith of the Savoy vicar", 1762, see book: "Emil, or about education", St. Petersburg, 1912, pp. 265–79; 298–309), Lessing. D. became widespread among Russians. progressive thinkers of the late 18th century - early. 19th centuries (I.P. Pnin, I.D. Ertov, A.S. Lubkin, some Decembrists). However, by the end of the 18th century. in France D. was criticized by the French. metaphysical materialists and atheists - Holbach ("System of Nature", M., 1940, pp. 321–43), Diderot ("Ramo's Nephew" and other works, see Collected works, vol. 1, M.-L. , 1935, pp. 91–122; 292–98; In Russia in the 20s. 19th century D. was criticized by N. Kryukov, A. P. Baryatinsky (Selected social-political and philosophical works of the Decembrists, vol. 2, 1951, pp. 400–01; 437–40). K ser. 19th century D. turned into a reactionary. system used by proponents of theological view of the world to protect religion from criticism from atheists and materialists. In modern bourgeois idealistic philosophy that revives the ideas of the Middle Ages. scholastics, D. does not play independently. role, but many adhere to it. natural scientists who see in the orderliness of the world proof of the existence of an impersonal creator (see. E. Long, Religious beliefs of American scientists, Phil., 1952; Yu. A. Levada, Modern fideism and science, "Questions of Philosophy", 1957, No. 3, p. 77; The author provides material characterizing deistic. trends in the worldview of some modern people. naturalists). Lit.: Excellent definition

Incomplete definition ↓

DEISM

DEISM

(from Latin Deus - God) - a religious and philosophical view, characteristic primarily of the philosophy of the New Age. It itself became widespread in Protestant circles, in particular among the Socinians, who used it to indicate their difference from atheists. In the 17th century D. finds himself in the so-called. natural religion, developed by H. Cherbury, T. Hobbes, and partly by J. Locke. B. Pascal classified deists (along with atheists and libertines) as opponents of Christianity, and J. Bossuet as “hidden atheists.” D. received his highest degree in the philosophy of the Enlightenment. The majority of the French were deists. encyclopedists. In Great Britain, deists include J. Toland, A. Shaftesbury, M. Tindal, and G. Bolingbroke. In Germany, D. Reimarus, M. Mendelssohn, G.E. joined D. Lessing.
In solving the problem of the relationship between God and the world, deists tried to avoid relying on religious dogma and. According to I. Kant, “deists have no faith in God at all, but only the recognition of an original being or a higher cause.” According to D. Diderot, a deist is one who believes in God, but denies all Revelation. As the first cause, God created immutable laws that he follows. At the same time, according to deists, God is not immanently present in creation, being completely different from it, just as a watchmaker is different from the watch he makes and winds. Revelation is verified by reason and is either rejected or accepted depending on the latter. The world follows the eternal plan. All events occurring in it are predetermined. The purpose of human existence and its highest duty is the laws of nature created by God. On the one hand, D. opposed himself to theism, which proceeded from the immanence of God to the world, which recognized the direct presence of Providence in world events. On the other hand, D. opposed pantheism, which identified God and nature. D. assumed religious tolerance and rejection of fanaticism. Beyond the “universal religion,” he often allowed for a “private” religion, conditioned by the traditions and habits of a particular people or social class.
In relation to philosophy, D. is purely historical, although many modern naturalists profess it in an unreflected form.

Philosophy: Encyclopedic Dictionary. - M.: Gardariki. Edited by A.A. Ivina. 2004 .

The same ideas, but in a more rationalistic form, were expounded by the English politician and philosopher E. Herbert Cherbury in his “Treatise on Truth...”, published in Paris in 1624. This book is usually considered as the first document of deism (although it contains , as in Bodin's work, this term is not mentioned). Refusing to search for any super-reasonable truths in the Bible (which was characteristic of the Socinians) and completely breaking with the Christian dogmas of the Incarnation, atonement, resurrection, etc., Herbert considers faith in God to be a manifestation of “general concepts” innate to man (notitiae communes ), affirming the existence of a supreme being, whose veneration is necessary for human morality, unthinkable without the concept of the immortality of human souls, etc. This precedes Christianity and all other specific religions, which contain truth only to the extent of their correspondence to this ancient “true Catholic” religion.

In subsequent decades, deism became an influential philosophical and religious movement in England. A follower of Herbert Cherbury, C. Blount (1654-93), in his “Summary Account of the Deists Religion” (1693), denied miracles and prophecies. Revelation and directly called his views deistic. But even before the appearance of this book, Bishop Stillingfleet spoke out against deism in his “Letter to a Deist” (1677). In 1678, the Cambridge Platonist R. Kedworth, in his essay “The True Reason of the World,” introduced the Greek term “theist,” etymologically identical to the term “deist”; in philosophical and theological polemics, some deists called themselves theists (these concepts were fixed by the 18th century; Diderot stated that if he accepts faith in Revelation, then deism denies it). The highest deism was found in the works of J. Toland, A. Collins (the author of the term “free-thinking” of the century), J. Tyndall, G. Bolingbroke, published in the beginning. and 1st floor 18th century Rejecting the distinction between “counter-reason” and “super-reason” dating back to Thomas Aquinas, these philosophers approached with rationalistic criteria not only the Old Testament, but also the New Testament, interpreting them from the standpoint of natural religion and viewing positive religions as a clerical distortion of its simple and clear principles. And although they essentially rejected it, the leaders of the English church saw them as atheists. In addition to Bishop Stillingfleet (who also polemicized with Locke), Bishop Butler (1692-1752), J. Berkeley, and S. Clarke criticized deism. The moral and aesthetic variety of deism is presented by A. Shefstderi. T.n. “Christian deists” - T. Chubb (1679-1746), T. Morgan (1743) and others tried to combine the principles of deism with some provisions of Christian doctrine. Hume is peculiar: the author of “The Natural History of Religion” recognizes the regularity of the idea of ​​a “higher mind”, “some intelligent cause” and an “intelligent creator”, but at the same time undermines the principles of deism with his skepticism and assertion of the fictitious nature of “natural religion”, believing that in The basis of religion is human, most often stimulated by fear.

Deistic movement in France in the 17th century. closely intertwined with the influential skepticism here. Its bearers were freethinkers (libertines), although their Christianity (Catholicism) did not reach the sharpness that was inherent in English deism. At the end of the 17th century. deism was popularized thanks to P. Bayle (article “Vire” in his “Historical and Critical Dictionary”). In the 18th century the influence of deism was especially evident in Voltaire, who usually called himself a theist. French materialists of the 18th century. Diderot (who went through the stage of deism in his philosophical development), Holbach and others subjected deism to uncompromising criticism. However, Rousseau, who rejected the traditional, in the “Confession of Faith of the Savoy Vicar”, included in the pedagogical novel “Emile, or On Education”, formulated an emotionally charged version of deism: the supreme divine being is the source of justice and goodness, in him the requirement is not so much intelligence, but hearts. A follower of Rousseau, Robespierre, who rejected both traditional Christianity and atheism, at the height of the French Revolution, insisted on the introduction by the Convention (May 7, 1794) of the cult of the Supreme Being as the civil religion of France.

Deism in Germany in the 18th century developed most intensively after Frederick II came to the throne in 1740. The works of English deists and their opponents were published in German translations, free thinkers (Freidenker) appeared, among them G. Reimarus (1694-1768), theologian and enlightenment philosopher, who spoke from the position of natural religion against both church orthodoxy and French materialism. For the further fate of deism, the work of G. Lessing “Education of the Human Race” (1780) played a significant role. Valuing primarily the moral content of religion, Lessing believed that the Old Testament testifies to a rougher moral state of humanity and corresponds to its childhood, the New Testament speaks of a greater moral maturity of humanity, corresponding to its youth; in the next, third stage, he will reach a perfect moral state - this will be the “Eternal Gospel.” Kant also paid a certain tribute to deism, delimiting it from theism, as the author of “Religion within the Limits of Reason Only” (1793).

Views of the most prominent North American philosophers of the 2nd half. 18th century-B. Franklin, T. Jefferson, T. Paine and others were formed mainly under the influence of English deists and French educators. Under their influence (as well as the first American president, George Washington, who sympathized with deism), the US Constitution (1787) clearly established the complete separation of church and state, and a religious system was established in the country.

The concept of deism is also used in a broader sense to characterize such a relationship between God and the world, in which the role of God is extremely minimized, so that he becomes only a guarantor of the strength of the laws revealed by science. P. Museus in 1667 used the term “naturalist” to characterize the views of deists, and C. Montesquieu, at the very beginning of his main work “On the Spirit of Laws” (1748), clearly formulated this most important idea of ​​deism: “...There is an original mind; laws are the relations existing between him and various beings, and the mutual relations of these various beings. God relates to the world as creator and preserver; he creates according to the same laws by which he protects; he acts according to these laws because he knows them...” (Montesquieu Sh. Selected works. M., 1955, p. 163). With this broader interpretation, some views of Descartes, Hobbes, Leibniz, Locke and many others are usually classified as deism. However, the boundaries between deism, theism, and even more so pantheism among these and other philosophers are often very vague. For deists, it should be recognized that the existence of God is atypical, the cosmological proof dating back to Aristotle is more typical, but the most characteristic and even specific for them was the physical and theological proof, which grew stronger with the success of human activity, especially in the creation of mechanisms (starting from the hours of 14-15 centuries) and in revealing the mechanical laws of the world. Hence the enormous role of Newtonian celestial mechanics, which gave many deists of the 18th century. the main arguments for the substantiation of physico-theology - only a “higher mind” could create such a complex and clearly functioning heavenly-earthly one.

As the principle of religious tolerance triumphed and the historical understanding of religion developed, the influence of deism in the countries of Western Europe fell sharply to the end. 18th century Nevertheless, religious in the 19th and 20th centuries. remained specific with historical deism. There are also deistic tendencies in the views of some natural scientists, who emphasize the natural (“reasonable”) order of the universe.

Lit.: Orbinsky S. English deists of the 17th and 18th centuries. - “Notes of the Novorossiysk University”, year 2, vol. 3, issue. 1. Odessa, 1868; Rogovin S. M. Deism and David Hume. M., 1908; Meerovsky B.V. English deism and John Locke. - “Philosophical Sciences”, 1972, no. 4; Zeckler W. V. Geschichte des englischen Deismus. Stuttg., !981; Hofick Z. Die Freidenker, oder die Represäntanten der religiösen Aufklärung in England, Frankreich und Deutschland. Bern. 1853-55; Rinnsal Ch. De. Philosophie religieuse: de la théologie naturelle en France et en Angleterre. P., 1864; Sayous Ed. Les déistes anglais et le christianisme (1696-1738). P., 1882; Religionsphilosophie des Herbert von Cherbury, hrsg. von H. Scholz. Giessen, 1914; Tùrrey N. Z. Voltaire and the English deists. New Haven-Oxf., 1930; Ort J. English deism. Its roots and fruits. Grand Rapids, 1934; Stephen Leslie. History of English Thought in the Eighteenth Century, v. 1-2, L., 1962.

The term "deism" was first used by Calvinists in the 17th century. Deism (from Lat. deus- God) spread in the 18th century. during the Age of Enlightenment, initially in England, France and America. By the end of the 18th century. its influence on the general public is noticeably diminishing. The emergence of deism was caused by growing confidence in human reason (against the background of scientific and technological progress) and the strengthening trend of rationalism in Western theology. Unlike Christian orthodoxy, deism rejected any religious claim unless it could be justified in a rational way. Today, such faith of deists in the power of the human mind - in the ability of logic to reveal the universal religion of nature - seems to many to be very naive.

According to the founder of deism, Lord Herbert of Cherbury (1583-1648), God, having created the world, no longer takes part in it, does not interfere with the mechanism of physical laws; The main purpose of the universe is to be a place for humans to live. The English chemist, physicist and theologian R. Boyle (1627-1791) came up with an analogy of a “cosmic mechanism” with an ever-running clock that does not require repair. More than a century later, this analogy was updated by his compatriot W. Paley (1743-1805). Enlighteners of the 18th century. imagined the world as a machine created by God and operating according to the laws of mechanics, man as a “spiritual automaton” (Leibniz), and God as a perfect mechanic.

R. Dawkins, an American atheist ethologist, writes with irony: “The deist God is a constant and forever physicist, the alpha and omega of mathematicians, the apotheosis of creative genius; Supreme Engineer,

who established and fine-tuned the laws and constants of the Universe with filigree precision, arranged what we now call the “Hot Big Bang,” and then retired and never announced himself again.”

The most notable deists in England were J. Toland (1670-1722), E. Collins (1676-1729), T. Woolston (1660-1724) and M. Tindal (1657-1730). During his stay in London in 1726-1729. Voltaire (1694-1778) became acquainted with the ideas of English deists and, upon returning home to France, began to actively promote them. Having become the largest French deist, Voltaire fiercely criticized the theism of Catholics and the atheism of materialists, defended faith in God, absolute moral values ​​and personal immortality. The worldview of another French writer and philosopher - J.-J. Rousseau (1712-1778) - evolved from Calvinism to deism. Rousseau agreed with Voltaire's deism, but especially emphasized the role of conscience in establishing a personal connection with God. The American educators B. Franklin (1706-1790), T. Jefferson (1743-1826), and George Washington (1789-1797) borrowed deism from Europe, and the most famous American deist was the journalist and essayist T. Paine (1737-1809). . In The Age of Reason (1794), Paine attempted to refute the Divinity of Jesus Christ, and also to prove that Moses was not the author of the Pentateuch, and the Gospels were not written by the apostles.

From the standpoint of rationalism, deists fight against the interpretation of the Bible in the spirit of mysticism and irrationalism. Recognizing God as the primary cause of the cosmos, most of them deny that the Creator shows interest in his creation, in the course of world history and the destinies of people. Without hoping for miracles, deism relies on the human will to improve life, rationalizes and technologizes moral values. Deists claim that the human mind itself is capable of designing correct morality and solving all the problems of religious life. (Really, how can you logically prove that God has no control over the world and human actions?)

The English philosopher S. Clarke (1675-1729), known primarily as a defender of Newton's doctrine of gravity and absolute space, distinguished in 1704-1705. in his lectures on R. Boyle there are four types of deism. According to Clark, there are deists who:

• 1) recognize God as the supreme being, creator of the world and man, possessing omnipotence, omniscience, unconditional kindness, providentially controlling the course of history, determining after the Last Judgment of people the nature of their posthumous future life; but at the same time they deny the idea of ​​Revelation, trusting exclusively to the judgments of natural reason;
• 2) coincide with deists of the first type, but do not recognize human immortality and the idea of ​​the Last Judgment;
• 3) coincide with deists of the second type; but they do not believe in Divine control over natural processes, do not consider God to be good or evil, and therefore consider God to be indifferent to human well-being;
• 4) not only deny the existence of moral attributes in a supreme being and do not believe in predestination, but also reject the idea of ​​​​Divine control over the world and even the idea of ​​God establishing the laws of nature.

“As long as European culture’s ideas about nature were based on the orthodox trinitarian concept,” writes L. M. Kosareva, “nothing could destroy the anthropocentricity of the medieval image of the universe. And only after the idea of ​​the Son-God-Man as a hypostasis consubstantial with the Father was removed from the foundation of the Christian universe, the Trinity of Athanasius was replaced by the one God of anti-Trinitarian deists, and the ends of the old universe “disintegrated.” It was replaced by an infinite, homogeneous isotropic universe, extremely alien to anthropocentrism and anthropomorphism. The most serious, decisive blow to the old universe was dealt by anti-Trinitarianism

Newton: while still associated with theology, his image of the world is no longer Christian.”

Let us remember that, unlike deism, which limits Creation to a one-time act, theism teaches that God continues to create the world according to His plan and foresee the final goals and the Final Judgment. Divine Providence presupposes a plan for the salvation of man and the establishment of the Kingdom of God, earthly or heavenly. Let us call the theists’ understanding of the relationship between essence and phenomenon the “miracle model.” A miracle is visible in its manifestation, but cannot be rationally deduced from the laws of created nature known to man. According to the “miracle model,” true creativity lies in the tireless creation of something truly new, not by objectifying one’s own content (i.e., not by emanation) and not by combining old realities (i.e., not by invention), but from “nothing” and solely due to the strength of the spirit.

DEISM [de], -a; m. [from lat. deus - god] Religious and philosophical view (17th - 18th centuries), allowing the existence of God as the root cause of the world, but denying his intervention in the development of nature, in the natural course of events. ◁ Deistic (see). Kuznetsov's Explanatory Dictionary

Deists do not believe in miracles, scriptures, or messengers from above. There are no angels or demons. There are no leaders and no churches. So, what is deism? How did it come about? What is its influence on modern religions? More details in the material.

Deism of the Enlightenment: historical information

The idea of ​​thought dates back to the 17th century, when some members of the English church expressed distrust of a number of principles of the Christian faith that seemed to contradict common sense and the laws of nature. Deism arose and reached its peak during the Enlightenment.

At that time, Europe experienced an atmosphere of religious freedom, which contributed to the spread of scientific knowledge. It was then that the basic principle of this belief was laid down: classical deism in philosophy is the belief that God created the Universe and has not interfered with its development since then.

Development of Belief

Deism was popular among the leaders of the American Revolution. Thus, Benjamin Franklin was a fan of deism. He wrote: “I was about 15 when books against deism came into my hands. It so happened that they influenced me in the opposite sense from the intended one. The deist arguments seemed much stronger to me than the refutations (anti-deist arguments).”

Philosophical deism influenced continental Europe during the French Revolution. At that time, Notre Dame Cathedral was renamed the "Temple of Reason".

Over time, other schools of thought developed under the umbrella of deism, including Christian deism, the belief in deistic principles coupled with the moral teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, and Pandeism, the belief that God has become the entire universe and no longer exists as a separate being.

The influence of this movement diminished in the 19th and 20th centuries. This was probably due to the development of science and humanistic thought, which questioned the belief in God.

Recently, the influence of deism has been increasing. One of the reasons is the growing interest in science and free access to the Internet.

Influence of Deism

Since the second half of the 18th century, deism has used science to justify its position. For example, Isaac Newton was able to explain how the Universe and everything around us works without relying on faith. Many phenomena that man had previously attributed to divine origin were given a simple mechanical explanation. The development of science contributed to the decline of religious faith among the intellectual elite. As a philosopher and mathematician, Descartes reduced God to a “mathematical abstraction.” Reason pushed away faith in mythology and superstition, and deism, as a consequence, quickly developed into atheism. Science seemed to be engaged in an age-old battle with religion.

Works of deists

The classic text for deism is probably Thomas Paine's The Age of Reason, where he states: “I believe in one God, and no more; and I hope for happiness beyond ​this life. I believe in human equality; and I believe that the religious duties are to seek justice, to be merciful, and to try to make our countrymen happy.”

“I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish Church, the Roman Church, the Greek Church, the Turkish Church, the Protestant Church or any other church that I know of. My own mind is my own church.”

Do Deists Believe in God?

Deism is, as stated above, a belief that defines God through nature and reason rather than through revelation. Deists, who believe in God, or at least divine providence, may follow some of the principles and practices of Christianity, Judaism, or any other religion.

So why do some deists believe in God at all? Partly because they were raised Christian, and partly because they thought of God as a natural creator and ruler who was able to order the universe.

Some deists have specific religious views. Many of them believe that the big bang was initiated by God, and everything that has happened since then is a consequence of the fact that at the same moment the scientific laws by which the modern world works were created. Deists sometimes believe that God not only initiated all the events that make life on Earth inevitable, but is still responsible for them. They have the right to believe or not to believe in an afterlife. Deistic beliefs generally differ from conventional religion in that the creator god is either not worthy of worship or worship is completely unnecessary. In this freethinking, deism, compared to other religions, is more like atheism.

Fundamental Principles

Deism is the belief in a supreme being who remains unknowable and untouchable. God is seen as the first cause and fundamental principle of rationality in the universe. Deists believe in a nature god - a creator who bequeathed the universe to act according to natural laws. Like the “clock god” who initiates the cosmic process, the Universe moves forward without the need for observation. Here are some examples of deist reasoning:

• Some deists believe in Jesus Christ, while others do not. Most focus on the moral teachings of Jesus.
• The Bible is not perceived as the inerrant Word of God. Deists refute the evidence for the incarnation of Jesus Christ on earth. They deny the writings of the Apostles and any other "inspired" writings.
• Thus, in deism there are no articles of faith or holy books. They do not believe in Satan, hell or symbols of evil.
• Deism in philosophy is the belief that man has the right to decide what the reasonable path is. Deists call themselves "freethinkers."
• They reject revelations and visions. In the life of an enlightened deist there is no place for nonsense, miracles and prophecies.

The basic principle of Enlightenment deism: all an individual needs is their own common sense and the ability to contemplate their human condition. Deism believes that precise and unchanging laws define the Universe as independent and self-evident. These laws are revealed through the “light of reason and nature.” Relying on the power of reasoning trades faith for human logic.

Deism, pantheism, atheism, Christianity: differences

The God of deists is completely different from the God considered by traditional Abrahamic religions: God has no personality and does not communicate with people. Deists tend to perceive him as an abstract logical principle rather than an anthropomorphic being with needs and a burning desire to control humanity.

Unlike the Abrahamic religions, atheism shares common ground with deism. This is evident in the fact that both deists and atheists believe that the Bible and other religious works are works of a political nature rather than the holy word of God. Both beliefs claim that there is a naturalistic explanation for almost every phenomenon around us. In fact, the only real difference between atheism and deism is the explanation of the origins of time and space. Deists claim that God created the universe and its rules, but did not and will not do anything else. Atheism denies the existence of any god and, therefore, his involvement in the creation of the Universe. Thus, atheism can be considered as modern deism.

Pantheism in its spiritual essence is also close to deism. Its development history is impressive. In pantheism, God is not represented separately from the world, in itself, since he is immanent, that is, inherent in something. Spinoza expressed himself most accurately in this regard: “God is nature.” Pantheism is most characteristic of Indian philosophical systems.

Deistic beliefs

An analogy often used to explain philosophical deism is that of a watchmaker: a watchmaker creates a watch and designs a mechanism, but the device ends up working on its own.

Instead of believing the Bible, deists typically view the Old Testament as, at best, a historical novel with added supernatural trappings, and the New Testament as pure brainwashing. They regard Jesus and Paul as philosophers who have nothing from the Almighty.

Unlike members of established religions, many deists do not worship God because they see no evidence that he wants to be worshiped. However, deists who still wish to enjoy the trappings of church services can attend Unitarian Universalist congregations, where lack of faith in the Bible is not usually stigmatized.