Deism, What is it?

I consider myself an Agnostic Deist, but I lean more toward the side of Agnostic. In the 18th century, I would be considered a freethinker and that's the word that best describes my religious views. But what is a deist?

Well for starters, Deists believe in God, but this God has no gender like our Abrahamic religions. We derive the existence and nature of God from reason and personal experience and not supernatural or revelations like Abrahamic religions do. Deists believe that God is a "watchmaker" God, who created the universe and just let it unfold and doesn't interfere in day to day life. Deists also follow no religious dogma and they are not a church. Many people are deists including some of the founders of America, including Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and Ben Franklin. Other more notable but debated thinkers are Newton, Plato, Voltaire, Hugo, Einstein and others.

Most deists do not pray, but some do and believe that God intervenes when prayers are asked, but only at Its discretion. Supposed supernatural experiences and prophets are not deemed trustworthy by Deists because of the ways that the mind and people can manipulate the individual. However, most Deists have respect for Jesus, but as a thinker and a teacher, not as the Son of God.

Over the years, Deism has waned and has been encompassed by Humanitarianism and Unitariansim, but recently, Deism is making a comeback among the populus. I as an Agnostic Deist can neither confirm nor deny the existence of a God, but the sheer complexity of everything leads me to believe in a watchmaker God, or a intelligent universe. Deism does not follow the Bible or any books written by "God" because there is no proof that "God" supplied the information to the prophets who wrote the books. Religious books are still in good moral standing and read by Deists, but we do not believe everything that is in them that can not be proved with reason.

This is not propaganda or me trying to convert anybody. Whatever you believe is up to you, I will neither say you are wrong nor right, but if you seem me debating with you, it is more than likely after you've used a religious text to back your arguements. I hope this enlightens you to other beliefs out there.

For a recap, "'Deism is a religious philosophy and movement that derives the existence and nature of God from reason and personal experience. This is in contrast to fideism which is found in many forms of Christianity[1]. Islamic and Judaic teachings hold that religion relies on revelation in sacred scriptures or the testimony of other people as well as reasoning.

Deists typically reject supernatural events (prophecy, miracles) and tend to assert that God does not interfere with human life and the laws of the universe. What organized religions see as divine revelation and holy books, most deists see as interpretations made by other humans, rather than as authoritative sources."

Part in quotes brough to you by wikipedia.