Frequently Asked Questions deserve frequent answers. Since Deism has no dogma, tenets or sacred text that say how things must be, the answers are not always cut and dried. Bear in mind that the answers that follow merely represent the beliefs of many Deists. No one answers for all Deists.

What is Deism?
Deism is a belief in God through one’s own reasoning, the study of nature and one's accumulated experiences. Deism doesn’t accept that any holy book is the word of God. Nor do most Deists accept revelation or miracles. Most Deists do not believe that God intervenes or interferes.

Is Deism a religion or a philosophy?
Some Deists believe that it is a religion, and some say it is just a philosophy. It is up to individual Deists to decide whether it is a religion or philosophy.

Is Deism a religion or a category of belief?
There is a strong case for calling Deism a category of belief like Theism or Atheism or Agnosticism. Deism is a broad definition with sub-categories. But again, it is up to individual Deists to decide.

How is Deism different from Atheism or Agnosticism?
Atheists don’t believe in a supreme being or God. Agnostics are not sure. Deists do believe in God. All have come to their conclusions using their own reasoning, but their conclusions are different.

How do you know that there is a God?
Different Deists have used their own reasoning and studies to decide that there is, or probably is, a supreme being otherwise known as God. Certainly, there is no proof, but several arguments exist supporting belief in God, and faith bridges the gap between needing or desiring to believe in God and proof. Deists seem to be more comfortable with some notion of God in their worldview. So there is no one answer as to why Deists believe in a God.

But isn't the Deist God a watchmaker God who walked away and abandoned His creation?
That sounds bad, which is why it is a definition supplied by critics of Deism. The Classical Deist way of looking at God's non-intervention is that His creation is so perfect that He does not need to intervene. The laws of nature do not need fiddling or constant adjustment. The only evil that exists is man's creation.

 

Does God intervene? Can I have a personal relationship with God?

Different Deists have different opinions about the nature of God. Most Deists would say that God does not intervene, but feeling that God does keep a hand in, or feeling a personal relationship with God certainly does not disqualify you from being a Deist.