Man has always been interested in knowing the secrets of nature. He has always sought to justify the existence of a superpower that controls the world, and this belief has given to birth of many different religions. There are also many beliefs regarding the existence of a super natural power or deity. Two such doctrines or beliefs are Deism and Theism that confuse a lot of people because of their similarities. While both agree that there is a deity or power controlling the affairs of the world, there are subtle differences that will be explained in this article.
Deism
Deism is a doctrine or belief about the creator and the world. It says that there is a super power that is called as God and that God has created the world, but this happens to be the end of the role for God as this theory does not believe in miracles or super powers of God. The theory evolved in 17th and 18th centuries, which are often referred to as the period of the enlightenment. The theory says that God created the universe but then stopped playing an active role in controlling the universes as it left it in the hands of natural laws that he created along with our planet. God does not show up and can only be felt through these natural laws. This means that God does not intervene in the affairs of the world, and no super natural events or miracles can be ascribed to God.
Theism
Theism is a belief that there exists only one God. This is a doctrine that is similar in nature to monotheism that believes that there is a creator of the universe who is controlling the events and affairs of the universe. This belief is similar in nature to the beliefs expounded in many religions of the world such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Judaism. Theism emerged as an answer to Deism that was a popular belief in 17th and 18th centuries. Thus, theists believe that god does listen to our prayers and answers through miracles and super natural events.
What is the difference between Deism and Theism?
Both Theism and Deism believe in the existence of one God that created the universe, but whereas Theism ascribes powers to God and believes him to be involved with controlling the affairs of the universe, Deism believes that Go created the universe and stropped intervening in its affairs. He created natural laws at the same time and allowed the universe to be governed through these natural laws. So, while deism ascribes no miracles and super powers to God, Theism believes that God listens to our prayers and controls the events all the time. He is actively supervising the events taking place on earth.