The links to the right lead to some primers that should be helpful for those just learning about Deism, especially the Deism of today.

If I were to ask the majority of people to raise their hands if they have heard of Deism, very few hands would go up and puzzled looks would abound. Like most, you have probably never heard of Deism unless you have taken a college philosophy and/or seminary course. Deism is a natural religion that started roughly 400 years ago with roots to ancient Greece and was primarily the belief of the intellectual class. In terms of locality, it was prevalent throughout Europe and North America. In fact, many of the American Founding Fathers were Deists, or incorporated Deistic thought, including Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, James Madison, Thomas Paine and George Washington.

Traditionally, many of the men and women who were Deists viewed it as a personal philosophy, which is also one of the primary reasons for its fall. This fall was further compounded by the fact that it remained small and had no real organization with the final blow occurring around the time of the Second Great Awakening of the 1800’s. However, contrary to reports of its demise, it did not become “extinct” but remained alive albeit small and individualized. Today, Deism is seeing a resurgence in popularity with it growing 717% from 1991 to 2001. Its growth is partly due to the increased availability and communication of the Internet and because this philosophy kept its classical roots while evolving into a more modern and inclusive interpretation.

While there are no “official” tenets of Deism, many of the following “unofficial” tenets might be the best way to introduce generally accepted beliefs within Deism. The unofficial tenets of Deism are: