Deism, a form of religion associated with the Enlightenment, was a term first used in the 1500s in France, but Deist thought occurred in abundance in England from approximately 1689 to 1742. This may be attributed in large part to the Glorious Revolution when Mary and William became the rulers of England, which ushered in a surprising freedom of religious expression. Up to this point, theism—the belief that God actively intervenes in the lives of men—was the accepted understanding of God (“Deism”). Deists, though maintaining the concept as God as creator, saw God withdrawing from his creation—not interfering in the lives of humans. Deists typically “demoted” Christ from a miracle making savior to an exemplary teacher of morals (“Enlightenment”). This understanding most assuredly led to the metaphor of God as a clockmaker. Notable deists (for the purpose of this class) include Anthony Cooper, Third Earl of Shaftesbury (grandson of the model for Dryden’s titular character Achitophel) and John Locke (the Third Earl of Shaftesbury’s mentor and personal physician of the 1st Earl of Shaftesbury).
Works Cited “Deism.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, 01 Nov. 2017, www.britannica.com/topic/Deism.
Accessed 29 January 2019.
“Enlightenment.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 29 Aug. 2017, plato.stanford.edu/
entries/enlightenment/. Accessed 29 January 2019.
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