Deism Defined

Deism is a branch of theology which first began as a movement during the Age of Enlightenment, otherwise known as the 17^th and 18^th centuries. Practitioners of Deism, like those who believe in Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, believe there is one supreme being who created all life on Earth.

Unlike Theism, on which the other 3 are based, and also unlike Agnosticism, which asserts that God cannot be proven nor disproven, Deism is based fundamentally on the belief that proof of the existence of a higher power, God, can be found simply by looking at the natural world, and that God created the Earth and humanity as part of a greater plan for the universe as a whole. Deists do not believe, generally, in miracles, scripture, or the need for faith.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Deism evolved during a period of scientific advancement, the so-called Scientific Revolution during the 1600's when scientists began to discover truths that were in opposition to many ideas about the world which had been held in belief for centuries. These new ideas about the natural world led to new ideas about how and when it was created, which led inevitably to thoughts about whether the Bible and other religious accounts of creation could be true in light of these discoveries.

Deists believe that there is one supreme being who created the universe and its contents. They deem that prayer should be only for thanks, never for requesting assistance, as most Deists also think that God does not really watch over humanity in the same way that other "revealed" religions understand it, but rather "created...the world and then just stepped back from it". Deism.com FAQ

Sources: http://www.deism.com/

http://www.religioustolerance.org/deism1.htm

http://moderndeism.com/html/deism_defined.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism