The Enlightenment/Deism

Artfuldodger

Senior Member
Not really a religion but how did it affect Christianity?

The Enlightenment has been defined in many different ways, but at its broadest was a philosophical, intellectual and cultural movement of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It stressed reason, logic, criticism and freedom of thought over dogma, blind faith and superstition.

It included ideals of brotherly love, charity, truth, religious tolerance, fidelity, & uprightness.

Its purpose was to reform society using reason, to challenge ideas grounded in tradition and faith, and to advance knowledge through the scientific method. It promoted scientific thought, skepticism, and intellectual interchange. The Enlightenment was a revolution in human thought. This new way of thinking was that rational thought begins with clearly stated principles, uses correct logic to arrive at conclusions, tests the conclusions against evidence, and then revises the principles in the light of the evidence.
 
Last edited:

Artfuldodger

Senior Member
Deism gained prominence in the 17th and 18th centuries during the Age of Enlightenment—especially in Britain, France, Germany, and the United States—among intellectuals raised as Christians who believed in one god, but found fault with organized religion and did not believe in supernatural events such as miracles, the inerrancy of scriptures, or the Trinity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism
 

gordon 2

Senior Member
The enlightenment was due to people of western Europe having access, for the first time perhaps, to the writings of the Greek-roman and Muslim philosophers and all the subjects they had written about.

It gave the people of Europe a perspective on government(s), law, justice, empire, the military, politics, reason, science and spirituality, the arts and many other subjects-- outside of their own immediate day to day.

From the pools of the ancients, the pagan converts to Christianity in Western Europe, could return to the baptisms of Alexander the Great and the dreams of conquest which they had come from--- all in the name of reason or in the name of the faith. The great commission of Christianity with the rally to conquest and conquer, this would eventually fracture their Christendom in many ways. The peace of Christ was made to stand shoulder to shoulder with roman peace. It would help evangelize the world, but by rootless men with forked tongues--who had in their minds and hearts more than just one savior's kingdom.

Christians would end up more than not like their ancient relatives before the apostles visited them. They would regularly turn on themselves in anger with deceits and hate.
 
Last edited:
Top