as in paganism
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Recent Examples of deism
This vague gesture in the direction of deism has no antecedent in the book, no moral or theological trajectory to make Bambi’s insight meaningful or satisfying.
—
Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2022
Those intuitions usually commended a staid deism and scorn for those whose beliefs extended any further.
—Jeffrey Collins, WSJ, 12 Mar. 2021
Our Founding Fathers were mostly influenced by deism.
—WSJ, 15 Jan. 2021
These concepts readily passed from Rousseau’s sentimental deism, to Hegel’s doctrine of world-historical progress, to Marx, and to progressivism today.
—John D. Hagen, National Review, 20 Aug. 2020
And yet Kelso returned to a kind of deism after the war.
—D.g. Hart, WSJ, 22 Aug. 2018
Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2022
Those intuitions usually commended a staid deism and scorn for those whose beliefs extended any further.
—Jeffrey Collins, WSJ, 12 Mar. 2021
Our Founding Fathers were mostly influenced by deism.
—WSJ, 15 Jan. 2021
These concepts readily passed from Rousseau’s sentimental deism, to Hegel’s doctrine of world-historical progress, to Marx, and to progressivism today.
—John D. Hagen, National Review, 20 Aug. 2020
And yet Kelso returned to a kind of deism after the war.
—D.g. Hart, WSJ, 22 Aug. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deism
Noun
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Leland presented European material as the survival of an ancient pagan cult—moreover, a paganism that had been demonized by Christianity.—
Angelica Frey,
JSTOR Daily,
18 Apr. 2025
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All across Central Europe, a fascination with runes and folk magic aligns with both right-wing xenophobia and left-wing paganism.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2025
Noun
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While most of the Empire was being immersed in a religion which was a synthesis of Roman institutions, Greek philosophy and Hebrew theism, a subset of the population of philosophical inclination was being drawn into a religious system descended from Hellenistic paganism.—
Razib Khan,
Discover Magazine,
10 Aug. 2012
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Another frequent topic of disbelief among Edge responders was theism and its anti-science offshoots---in particular the belief in intelligent design, and the belief that the Earth is only a few thousand years old.—
Jennifer Welsh,
Discover Magazine,
23 Nov. 2010
Noun
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In 1809, Friedrich’s budding pantheism landed him in hot water.—
Zachary Fine,
The New Yorker,
28 June 2024
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Spinoza was infamous for his sometimes inscrutable variety of pantheism, in which God no longer sits outside Nature, paring his fingernails (James Joyce’s joke), but effectively is Nature, inextricable from it.—
James Wood,
The New Yorker,
4 Sep. 2023
Noun
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Perhaps the slogan suggested not so much romantic love but something like agape in Christian theology: a desireless, God-like benevolence—love for, not just between, lovers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 June 2025
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Augustine’s numerous works cover mostly theology, philosophy, biblical exegesis, apologetics, and pastoral matters.—
Alejandro Antonio Chafuen,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Noun
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Freud, too, proposed that Moses was an Egyptian prince who invented monotheism (or stole it from Akhenaten).—
Louis Menand,
The New Yorker,
13 Jan. 2025
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Freud, too, proposed that Moses was an Egyptian prince who invented monotheism (or stole it from Akhenaten).—
Louis Menand,
The New Yorker,
13 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The Pope's polytheism places him among the people of Hell.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
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Both discoveries date to the period when the Roman Empire was transitioning from polytheism to Christianity.—
Meilan Solly,
Smithsonian Magazine,
27 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Because Moore was working for the network, Eady is also suing them by respondeat superior, a legal doctrine that holds employers responsible for the wrongful conduct of their employees.—
Liza Esquibias,
People.com,
6 June 2025
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After Mao died, new leadership saw the folly of the Maoist doctrine.—
Tim Bajarin,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
Noun
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Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping and his allies made reforms and gradually steered China away from a command economy and Maoist dogma and opened it up to foreign investments and technology.—
Tim Bajarin,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
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Several participants were surprised to encounter imagery or dogma outside their own faith.—
Michael Pollan,
New Yorker,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deism. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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