AP World History: Modern › Religions 1750 to 1900
Which of these statements about Deism is most accurate?
It is a belief system that argues that God did create the universe, but he does not play a role in regulating it
It is a polytheistic religious belief that incorporates many elements of paganism
It is a monotheistic religious belief that attempts to blend different Abrahamic traditions into one unifying faith
It is a belief system that argues for religious tolerance on the grounds that God himself would have been tolerant of other faiths
None of these
Deism emerged during the Enlightenment. It is based on the belief in a "watchmaker God." That is to say, a God that created the universe with a set of absolute natural laws, and then left the universe to its own devices. It suggests that God does exist, but that he does not interfere in day-to-day life. Many Enlightenment thinkers were Deists including Thomas Jefferson.