The all-purpose religious affiliation poll!

[Gustaf]

Alcon...next time can't you split agnostic and atheist up? To me, the difference between them is pretty big.

[Gustaf]

What's with the Deism, people?

[Gustaf]

What's with the Deism, people?

I'm surprised there aren't fewer affiliated people and more deists.

It seems a lot easier to accept that God exists than to accept that God exists and you're 100% sure about a bunch of complicated doctrine.

...what? I always thought deism was the specific belief that God created the universe and then took a time-out and ceased to intervene in human affairs. I don't condmen that or anything I just thought it was a bit odd that so many peopel believe in that. But maybe I'm completely in the wrong here.

[Gustaf]

...what? I always thought deism was the specific belief that God created the universe and then took a time-out and ceased to intervene in human affairs. I don't condmen that or anything I just thought it was a bit odd that so many peopel believe in that. But maybe I'm completely in the wrong here.

I just looked up "deism" in about ten different dictionaries/encyclopedias, and only two of them listed that as the primary definition.

Ah. I guess one of those 2 was used by my teacher.

EDIT: having looked it up in a couple of Swedish dictionaries this is probably a language difference. One mentions that deism originally had the same meaning as theism but now refers to the specific 18th century belief held by Voltaire and others which I referred to above. The other does not even mention the first interpretation. So presumably it took on a more specific meaning in Swedish than it did in English over time.

2nd EDIT: Wikipedia seems to agree with me. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism

[Gustaf]

The general notion of deism does indeed tend to include the idea that God does not interfere with the universe.  However, it's also basically the best word we have for the idea of someone who believes in God, but who arrived at that belief through reason and logic rather than belief in supernatural revelation, and who rejects the core beliefs of all official religions (besides the existence of God, of course).

Theism?

[Gustaf]

The general notion of deism does indeed tend to include the idea that God does not interfere with the universe.  However, it's also basically the best word we have for the idea of someone who believes in God, but who arrived at that belief through reason and logic rather than belief in supernatural revelation, and who rejects the core beliefs of all official religions (besides the existence of God, of course).

Theism?

I believe that the usual definition of theism includes no such rejection of supernatural revelation; a follower of a religion would be a theist, but not someone who simply believes in God due to logical deduction or extrapolation.

Ah. The confusion of this discussion has really been something else. I apologize for the extent I'm responsible. If I were that kind of person I'd say that with all this explanation, my question still stands: what's with the deism, people?