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Theism comes from the Greek word meaning God, “theos.” Deism comes from the Latin word “Deus,” which also means God. They both refer to some kind of understanding of the relationship to the divine.
Very generally, theism is usually applied to both monotheistic and polytheistic systems. Deism is most often used in reference to monotheistic systems. However, it can apply to polytheism as well. A term that was coined in the early 20th century is polydeism, and it’s usually referred to as a subcategory of polytheism.
Theism is the belief in a personal god who seeks to have a personal relationship with all or some human beings. This can be either a direct or an indirect relationship. Deism, on the other hand, is the belief in an impersonal god who created and oversees the universe but who neither has nor desires to have a personal relationship with human beings.
Christianity is a theistic religion. It’s a monotheistic religion based on the belief in one God who created the world and influences its processes. The direct or indirect involvement He may have with individuals depends on the perspective of different branches of Christianity.
The term deism began to be applied to Christianity around the beginning of the Scientific Revolution, the Age of Reason, and the Enlightenment. It was a time when human rationality, ingenuity, and agency were beginning to take center stage. In the field of religion, particularly among Protestant thinkers in northern Europe and England, the term deism was applied.
The general belief that was shared among deists was that God still functioned as an omnipotent creator but that he was more of a grand architect or divine watchmaker. All the pieces were put in place and natural laws keep things running. These laws were being explained by Newtonian science, and this form of deism became known as Newtonian deism. The thinking went that it was up to humans, with the agency of science and reason, to explain and experiment with these laws.
One of the experiments was American democracy. Thomas Jefferson and the other founding fathers of the United States had various commitments to the ideals of deism. This form of deism is slightly different from the watchmaker god of Newtonian deism in that it ascribes to a belief in divine Providence.
This was the idea that God is invested in and supports worthy causes that are moral and just, such as American independence from Great Britain. Because a deistic worldview was closely associated with Enlightenment philosophy, Thomas Jefferson and others could support the idea of religious freedom and certain forms of individualism that were important in this emerging context. This became known as Jeffersonian deism.
Theism is predominantly applied to the Western monotheistic religions, but the more you explore, the more you’ll see that it’s not always that cut and dry. There are Eastern religions that are theistic, such as some branches of Hinduism.
Vaishnavism is a founding branch of India’s indigenous Hindu religion. Followers of Vaishnavism are devoted to the personal god Vishnu and his avatar or manifestation, Krishna. Vaishnavism has a very colorful cosmology in which Lord Vishnu’s divine work and personalities are happily involved in the universe, the world, and the lives of devotees.
Source: THIS TUTORIAL WAS AUTHORED BY TED FAIRCHILD FOR SOPHIA LEARNING. Please see our Terms of Use.
