Deism
<p ><b>Deism</b> (<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/En-uk-deism.ogg" title="Listen" ><img src="/b4e5589c-f149-5e31-b3b2-908500b28cad.png"/></a><sup ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:En-uk-deism.ogg" title="File:En-uk-deism.ogg" >i</a></sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English" title="Help:IPA for English" >/</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >ˈ</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >d</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >iː</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >.</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >ɪ</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >z</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >əm</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English" title="Help:IPA for English" >/</a><sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism#cite_note-1" >[1]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism#cite_note-2" >[2]</a></sup> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English" title="Help:IPA for English" >/</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >ˈ</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >d</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >eɪ</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >.</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >ɪ</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >z</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >əm</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English" title="Help:IPA for English" >/</a>) is the belief that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reason" title="Reason" >reason</a> and observation of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature" title="Nature" >natural world</a> are sufficient to determine the existence of a Creator, accompanied with the rejection of authority as a source of religious knowledge.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism#cite_note-3" >[3]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism#cite_note-4" >[4]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism#cite_note-5" >[5]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism#cite_note-6" >[6]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism#cite_note-7" >[7]</a></sup> Deism gained prominence in the 17th and 18th centuries during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Enlightenment" title="Age of Enlightenment" >Age of Enlightenment</a>—especially in Britain, France, Germany, and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" title="United States" >United States</a>—among intellectuals raised as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian" title="Christian" >Christians</a> who believed in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monotheism" title="Monotheism" >one god</a>, but found fault with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organized_religion" title="Organized religion" >organized religion</a>and did not believe in supernatural events such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle" title="Miracle" >miracles</a>, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_inerrancy" title="Biblical inerrancy" >inerrancy of scriptures</a>, or the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity" title="Trinity" >Trinity</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism#cite_note-8" >[8]</a></sup>
<i>Deism</i> is derived from <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deus" title="Deus" >deus</a></i>, the Latin word for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God" title="God" >god</a>. Deistic ideas influenced several leaders of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolution" title="American Revolution" >American</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution" title="French Revolution" >French Revolutions</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-books.google_9-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism#cite_note-books.google-9" >[9]</a></sup> Two main forms of deism currently exist: classical deism and modern deism.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism#cite_note-10" >[10]</a></sup></p>