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| | In other words, this is the belief that God started everything and then left it alone. This belief rejects the divinity of Jesus, and rejects prayers for divine intercession. | | In other words, this is the belief that God started everything and then left it alone. This belief rejects the divinity of Jesus, and rejects prayers for divine intercession. |
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| − | This philosophy became popular in England during the seventeeth and eighteenth centuries, and some of the founding fathers of the U.S. were self-described deists. [[Thomas Paine]] espoused deism and popularized the term in his book [[The Age of Reason]]. [[Benjamin Franklin]] wrote in his autobiography, | + | This philosophy became popular in England during the seventeeth and eighteenth centuries, and some of the founding fathers of the U.S. were self-described deists. [[Thomas Paine]] espoused deism and popularized the term in his book [[The Age of Reason]]. [[Benjamin Franklin]] wrote in his autobiography about an earlier period in his life, |
| | :Some books against Deism fell into my hands; they were said to be the substance of sermons preached at Boyle's Lectures. It happened that they wrought an effect on me quite contrary to what was intended by them; for the arguments of the Deists, which were quoted to be refuted, appeared to me much stronger than the refutations; in short, I soon became a thorough Deist. | | :Some books against Deism fell into my hands; they were said to be the substance of sermons preached at Boyle's Lectures. It happened that they wrought an effect on me quite contrary to what was intended by them; for the arguments of the Deists, which were quoted to be refuted, appeared to me much stronger than the refutations; in short, I soon became a thorough Deist. |
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| | + | At the [[Constitutional Convention]] less than three years from his death, however, [[Benjamin Franklin]] proposed prayers in a way indicative of his no longer being a deist. |
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| | [[Thomas Jefferson]] did not label himself as a deist, but he rejected the doctrine of the divinity of Jesus and certainly was not an orthodox Christian. Jefferson produced an edited version of the Gospels, later known as the [[Jefferson Bible]], which contained only the moral and ethical teachings of Jesus and omitted third-person accounts of his life, particularly the accounts of the miracles. | | [[Thomas Jefferson]] did not label himself as a deist, but he rejected the doctrine of the divinity of Jesus and certainly was not an orthodox Christian. Jefferson produced an edited version of the Gospels, later known as the [[Jefferson Bible]], which contained only the moral and ethical teachings of Jesus and omitted third-person accounts of his life, particularly the accounts of the miracles. |