What do Deists believe?
There are two basic features that distinguish Deism from either Atheism or Theism. They are summed up in Thomas Paine’s assertion, “God exists, and there it lies.” • “God exists…”: Deists view the order and architecture of the universe as indications of a conscious designer. • “…and there it lies.”: Deism as a philosophy makes no positive assertions about the nature of that designer. It rather leaves it up to the individual to speculate based upon empirical observations of the universe and personal reason (reason being seen as a sacred gift from God). Deists tend to view with extreme suspicion any efforts to claim divine authority, whether it be claiming to speak for God directly, being part of an order allegedly favored by God or citing so-called “sacred scripture” allegedly written by those who allegedly spoke for God. Only God speaks for God. Specific beliefs beyond these two features will vary from one Deist to the next. A person’s perception of reason is relative. Each mind is
