Absentee Heavenly Father

Holy Watermelon

Deism may sound a lot like theism, and while they’re etymologically the same, the belief systems are more nuanced.

In this episode, we deep dive into Deist belief and its rise to popularity in the 17th and 18th centuries. We explain the core belief of the initial creator, but he’s not around anymore—kind of like the dad that left for a pack of smokes.

The Enlightenment made deism a popular belief system as people looked to logic, reason, science, and observation to explain the world around them, rather than revelation. Deist philosophers believe in a God that created the universe, but they also believe in science to explain how things work.

If you’re an American history buff, we also talk about the founding fathers and their religious beliefs. While we don’t have great records for all of them, it’s clear that some were Deists, most notably Thomas Jefferson and his book The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, aka The Jefferson Bible.

That’s right, Deism is a spectrum, and we talk about the different deism types and how they overlap with other faith groups.

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