Deist (Noun)
Meaning
A person who believes that God created the universe and then abandoned it.
Classification
Nouns denoting people.
Examples
- Many of the founding fathers of the United States were deists who trusted reason over divine intervention in their decision-making.
- The philosopher argued that deists and theists both end up believing in a higher power, but deists place less emphasis on divine involvement in everyday life.
- A deist does not rely on holy scripture for guidance, but rather looks to the natural world for moral and philosophical answers.
- In his later years, the novelist became a deist, concluding that a higher power may have started the universe, but had long since abandoned humanity to its fate.
- During the Enlightenment, a growing number of intellectuals began to identify as deists, rejecting traditional faith for a more rational worldview.