What does deism refer to?

• A. The universe has no creator
• B. God intervenes frequently in daily life
• C. God created the universe but does not interfere
• D. God is a personal deity who answers prayers

Answer: (C)

Deism is the belief that God created the universe but does not interfere in its ongoing workings. In Enlightenment thought, deists pictured a rational Creator who set natural laws in motion—like a clockmaker who winds up the mechanism and then lets it run on its own—without performing miracles or responding to individual prayers. Because of that, deism rejects ongoing divine intervention or personal communication with God. So the statement that best describes deism is that God created the universe but does not interfere. This stands in contrast to atheism, which denies a creator, and to traditional theism, which envisions a personal God who actively intervenes in daily life and answers prayers. In American literature, deism shows up among colonial thinkers who valued reason and natural theology, influencing writers such as Franklin, Jefferson, and Paine as they argued for morality and understanding through observation of the natural world.