Deism as a Worldview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Deism as a Worldview - Essay Example divine revelations and holy books of revealed religion. Essentially, through the use of Reason, a belief in God is determined by the observation of the order and complexity found in nature and our own personal experiences of nature. The nature of God has been a point of contention for Deism because it has been defined as a religion that acknowledges a specific nature of God but in actuality it does not and leaves it up to the individual Deist to determine what they believe that nature to be. Overall, Deism is not a hard concept to understand as Deists use Reason and rational thought to develop their view on God, morals and life. [3] History : Deistic thinking has existed since ancient times (e.g., in philosophers such as Heraclitus and most especially Plato, who envisaged God as the Demiurge or 'craftsman') and in many cultures. The word Deism is generally used to refer to the movement toward natural theology or freethinking that occurred in 17th-century Europe, and specifically in Britain. Natural theology is a facet of the revolution in world view that occurred in Europe in the 17th century.[4] The 17th century saw a remarkable advance in scientific knowledge: the scientific revolution. The work of Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo destroyed the old notion that the earth was the center of the universe and showed that the universe was incredibly larger than ever imagined. These discoveries posed a serious challenge to biblical authority and to the religious authorities, Galileo's condemnation for heresy being an especially visible example. In consequence, the Bible came to be seen as authoritative on matters of faith and morals but no longer authoritative (or meant... Deistic thinking has existed since ancient times and in many cultures. The word Deism is generally used to refer to the movement toward natural theology or freethinking that occurred in 17th-century Europe, and specifically in Britain. Natural theology is a facet of the revolution in a worldview that occurred in Europe in the 17th century. The 17th century saw a remarkable advance in scientific knowledge: the scientific revolution. The work of Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo destroyed the old notion that the earth was the center of the universe and showed that the universe was incredibly larger than ever imagined. These discoveries posed a serious challenge to biblical authority and to the religious authorities, Galileo's condemnation for heresy being an especially visible example. In consequence, the Bible came to be seen as authoritative on matters of faith and morals but no longer authoritative (or meant to be) on matters of science. Isaac Newton's discovery of universal gravitati on explained the behavior both of objects here on earth and of objects in the heavens. It promoted a worldview in which the natural universe is controlled by laws of nature. This, in turn, suggested a theology in which God created the universe, set it in motion controlled by natural law, and retired from the scene. The new awareness of the explanatory power of universal natural law also produced a growing skepticism about such religious staples as miracles (i.e., violations of natural law) and about books, such as the Bible, that reported them.