Historical and modern Deism is defined by the view that reason, rather than revelation or tradition, should be the basis of belief in God. Deists reject both organized and revealed religion and maintain that reason is the essential element in all knowledge. For a "rational basis for religion" they refer to the cosmological argument (first cause argument), the teleological argument (argument from design), and other aspects of what was called natural religion. Deism has become identified with the classical belief that God created ...

Including:

• Deism - Overview
• Deism - Deism and prayer
• Deism - 18th century popularity
• Deism - Appellations for divinity
• Deism - Decline in popularity
• Deism - Current status

Read more here: » Deism: Encyclopedia - Deism

Deism: A doctrine which believes in the existence of God based on purely rational grounds; a particular faith prominent in the 17th and 18th centuries adhered to by several founding fathers of the United States, including Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. It holds that God created the world and its natural laws but is not involved in its functioning.

(See also: Deism, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

A Christian theological definition of Deism according to CARM - The Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry:

"

Deism

See also: Deism, Christianity, Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Deism Dictionary

Deism encompasses a range of views on the nature of God, particularly on whether God intervenes in the world. The classical view is that the universe was created by a God who then makes no further intervention in its affairs (the clockmaker hypothesis). In this view, the reason God does not intervene in the world (via miracles) is not that God does not care, but rather that the best of all possible worlds has already been created and any intervention could not improve it. Historically, many deists adhered to this view; others hold a m ...

See also:

Deism, Deism - Overview, Deism - Deism and prayer, Deism - 18th century popularity, Deism - Appellations for divinity, Deism - Decline in popularity, Deism - Current status

Read more here: » Deism: Encyclopedia II - Deism - Overview

The Clockmaker hypothesis is a tenet of deism that states that some higher power, such as God, created the universe (for example, in the Big Bang) and then stepped aside after the moment of creation. According to this hypothesis, since the creation of the universe, God has not interfered with its inner workings in any manner; instead, the universe has been left to its own devices. The name of the hypothesis derives from the analogy that the universe is a watch, and God is the Clockmaker – the clockmaker does not do any ...

Read more here: » Clockmaker hypothesis: Encyclopedia - Clockmaker hypothesis

The Universist Movement refers to a worldwide religious movement of people who apply reason and experience to questions concerning human existence, derive inspiration from uncertainty in the human situation, and deny the validity of revelation, faith, and dogma. Universism refers to the philosophy of a Universist. Summarizing its five basic principles, Universism is modernist and materialist in its attitude towards science; relativistic, individualist, and post-modernist in its moral reasoning; libertarian and humanistic in its politi ...

Read more here: » Universist movement: Encyclopedia - Universist movement

Rationalism, also known as the rationalist movement, is a philosophical doctrine that asserts that the truth can best be discovered by reason and factual analysis, rather than faith, dogma or religious teaching. Rationalism has some similarities in ideology and intent to humanism and atheism, in that it aims to provide a framework for social and philosophical discourse outside of religious or supernatural beliefs; however, rationalism differs from both of these, in that: As its name suggests, humanism is centered o ...

Including:

• Rationalism - Rationalists

Read more here: » Rationalism: Encyclopedia - Rationalism

Polytheism is belief in, or worship of, multiple gods or divinities. The word comes from the Greek words poly+theoi, literally "many gods." Most ancient religions were polytheistic, holding to pantheons of traditional deities, often accumulated over centuries of cultural interchange and experience. The belief in many gods does not preclude the belief in an all- powerful all-knowing supreme being. In polytheistic belief systems, gods are conceived as complex personages of greater or lesser status, with individual skills, ...

Including:

• Polytheism - Overview
• Polytheism - Ancient polytheism
• Polytheism - Gods and divinity
• Polytheism - The Indic Traditions

Read more here: » Polytheism: Encyclopedia - Polytheism

The Creator God is the divine being that created the omniverse, according to various traditions and faiths. Creator God - Abrahamic religions. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam teach that Creation is the origin of the totality of the omniverse by the action of God. Even more particularly, every type of existence is also owing to the act of creation by God. Among monotheists it has historically been most commonly believed that living things are the God's creations, and are not the result of a pr ...

Including:

• Creator God - Abrahamic religions
• Creator God - Christianity
• Creator God - Hinduism
• Creator God - Classical Greece

Read more here: » Creator God: Encyclopedia - Creator God

Professor Antony Garrard Newton Flew (born February 11, 1923) is a British philosopher, known principally as a supporter of libertarianism and atheism. Antony Flew - Biography. Flew was born in London in 1923, the son of a Methodist minister. He was educated at St. Faith's Preparatory School, Cambridge followed by Kingswood School, Bath. During the Second World War he studied Japanese at the School of Oriental and African Studies, and was a Royal Air Force intelligence officer. After the war, Flew achieved ...

Including:

• Antony Flew - Biography
• Antony Flew - Atheism and Deism
• Antony Flew - Works
• Antony Flew - Notes

Read more here: » Antony Flew: Encyclopedia - Antony Flew

The criticism of religion includes criticism of the concept of religion itself, criticism of the practice of religion, and criticism of the consequences of religion on humanity as a whole. The singular word religion is used here referring to the concept of religion, rather than a particular religion or any group of religions. This page is about criticism of religion in general, as opposed to criticism of any specific religion. Criticism of Religion - Social construct. One criticism of religion is the ...

Including:

• Criticism of Religion - Social construct
• Criticism of Religion - Irrationality
• Criticism of Religion - Intellectual confinements
• Criticism of Religion - Dogmatism
• Criticism of Religion - Arbitrary restrictions
• Criticism of Religion - Eschatologically Irresponsible
• Criticism of Religion - Moral deficiency
• Criticism of Religion - Narcissism
• Criticism of Religion - Opium of the people
• Criticism of Religion - Authoritarian
• Criticism of Religion - Political opposition
• Criticism of Religion - Religious wars
• Criticism of Religion - Specific religions

Read more here: » Criticism of Religion: Encyclopedia - Criticism of Religion

Catholicism and Freemasonry have often seemed to be in conflict, with Freemasonry tending to anticlericalism and the Roman Catholic Church forbidding Catholics from becoming freemasons. Catholicism and Freemasonry - Catholic attitudes towards Freemasonry. Freemasonry is seen by the church as being in fundamental competition with Catholic doctrines for a number of reasons: It is alleged to advocate a Deist view of religion It advocated a radical separation of church and st ...

Including:

• Catholicism and Freemasonry - Catholic attitudes towards Freemasonry
• Catholicism and Freemasonry - Ban on Membership
• Catholicism and Freemasonry - Papal Encyclicals
• Catholicism and Freemasonry - The Inquisition and Freemasonry
• Catholicism and Freemasonry - Allegations of Deism
• Catholicism and Freemasonry - Seperation of Church and State
• Catholicism and Freemasonry - See Also

Read more here: » Catholicism and Freemasonry: Encyclopedia - Catholicism and Freemasonry

The American Unitarian Conference (AUC) was founded in 2000 by several Unitarian Universalists who thought that the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) was too liberal, both theologically and politically, for their beliefs. They saw their mission to promote "classical" unitarianism which they defined as a Christian belief system. At the same time they hoped their organization would be of interest to non-Christians who embrace generic or philosophical theism and Deism. Classical unitarianism has as a main tenet the belief in God as one person as opposed to ...

Read more here: » American Unitarian Conference: Encyclopedia - American Unitarian Conference

Monotheism (in Greek μόνος = single and θεός = God) is the belief in a single, universal, all-encompassing deity. Zoroastrianism, the Abrahamic religions, and Vaishnavism (a Hindu denomination) are considered monotheistic. Monotheism - Types. Various forms of monotheism exist, including: Theism a term that refers to the belief in the existence of a god or divine being. Deism is a form of monotheism in which it is believed that one god exists. However, a deist rej ...

Including:

• Monotheism - Types
• Monotheism - Origins in Abrahamic or Middle East religions
• Monotheism - In Hinduism
• Monotheism - In Ayyavazhi
• Monotheism - In Taoism
• Monotheism - Comparison to polytheism

Read more here: » Monotheism: Encyclopedia - Monotheism

Historic Unitarianism believed in the oneness of God as opposed to traditional Christian belief in the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Historic Unitarians believed in the moral authority, but not the deity, of Jesus. Unitarians are characterized by some as being identified through history as free thinkers and dissenters, evolving their beliefs in the direction of rationalism and humanism. Throughout the world, many Unitarian congregations and associations belong to the International Council of Unitarians and Universalis ...

Including:

• Unitarianism - Forms of Unitarianism
• Unitarianism - History
• Unitarianism - Early origins
• Unitarianism - Poland
• Unitarianism - Transylvania and Hungary
• Unitarianism - England
• Unitarianism - Scotland
• Unitarianism - Ireland
• Unitarianism - United States
• Unitarianism - Germany
• Unitarianism - Denmark
• Unitarianism - Spain
• Unitarianism - Impact and opposition

Read more here: » Unitarianism: Encyclopedia - Unitarianism

Pantheism (Greek: pan = all and Theos = God) literally means "God is All" and "All is God". It is the view that everything is of an all-encompassing immanent God; or that the universe, or nature, and God are equivalent. More detailed definitions tend to emphasize the idea that natural law, existence, and/or the universe (the sum total of all that is, was, and shall be) is represented or personified in the theological principle of 'God'. Pantheism - History. The term "pantheist" — of which th ...

Including:

• Pantheism - History
• Pantheism - Varieties of pantheism
• Pantheism - Methods of explanation
• Pantheism - Debate
• Pantheism - Related concepts
• Pantheism - Panentheism
• Pantheism - Cosmotheism
• Pantheism - Pantheistic concepts in religion
• Pantheism - Hinduism
• Pantheism - Ayyavazhi
• Pantheism - Judaism
• Pantheism - Christian
• Pantheism - Islam
• Pantheism - Other religions
• Pantheism - Quotations

Read more here: » Pantheism: Encyclopedia - Pantheism

Many arguments about the existence of God have been proposed by philosophers, theologians, and other thinkers. This article lists some of the more common arguments, especially those covered in the area of philosophy of religion. In philosophical terminology, this article introduces schools of thought on the epistemology of the ontology of God. Existence of God - What is God? Definition of God's existence. See main articles: Definition, God, Deity, Ontology What does it mean to ass ...

Including:

• Existence of God - What is God? Definition of God's existence
• Existence of God - The problem of the supernatural
• Existence of God - How do we know?
• Existence of God - Positions on the Existence of God
• Existence of God - Theism
• Existence of God - Atheism
• Existence of God - Agnosticism
• Existence of God - Arguments for the existence of God
• Existence of God - Inductive arguments for
• Existence of God - Subjective arguments for
• Existence of God - Arguments against the existence of God
• Existence of God - Notes

Read more here: » Existence of God: Encyclopedia - Existence of God

History of creationism Creation in Genesis Types of creationism: Young Earth creationism - Creation science Old Earth creationism Omphalos creationism Theistic evolution Neo-Creationism Islamic creationism Intelligent design - Intelligent design movement Modern geocentrism Controversy: Creation vs. evolution ... in public education ...

Including:

• Old Earth creationism - Types of Old Earth Creationism
• Old Earth creationism - Gap Creationism
• Old Earth creationism - Day-Age Creationism
• Old Earth creationism - The Framework Hypothesis
• Old Earth creationism - Cosmic Time
• Old Earth creationism - Progressive Creationism
• Old Earth creationism - Broader Reasoning

Read more here: » Old Earth creationism: Encyclopedia - Old Earth creationism

The Bible says very little about cosmology, such as the position of the earth in the universe, the nature of the fixed stars and planets, seeing as its main emphasis was on the history of God’s dealings with man. Skeptics argue that the bible is written from a flat earth perspective[1] although this is not made explicit in any of the canonical books of the bible. Biblical cosmology - Background. Much of what the Bible says concerning cosmology is couched in terminology whose definitions are uncerta ...

Including:

• Biblical cosmology - Background
• Biblical cosmology - Sky sun moon and stars
• Biblical cosmology - Stars as the Hosts of Heaven
• Biblical cosmology - Planets
• Biblical cosmology - The Bible and the Big Bang
• Biblical cosmology - Modern day biblical cosmologies

Read more here: » Biblical cosmology: Encyclopedia - Biblical cosmology

DEISM: The belief that a God exists and created the world but did not assume any control over it or the lives of people.

(See also: DEISM, Magickal Traditions, Magickal Paths, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)