deism
dee i zuhm
- n the form of theological rationalism that believes in God on the basis of reason without reference to revelation
- But the awe part comes in his 50s when he settled into a deism based on what he called the "spirit manifest in the laws of the universe" and a sincere belief in a "God who reveals .
- The pledge became one of those gestures of an innocent and anodyne "ceremonial deism," like "In God We Trust.
- The phrase "nature's god" reflected Jefferson's deism--his rather vague Enlightenment-era belief, which he shared with Franklin, in a Creator whose divine handiwork is evident in .