How is Deism different from Atheism?
Arguably, the only difference between them is their answer to the question on whether the universe was made or just happened. Although most Atheists do not positively assert that the universe came to be on its own, this view is treated as the default assumption barring further proof to the contrary. To the Deist, the idea of such a universe creating itself makes no sense, so the concept of the Designer is treated as the default explanation. Put simply, where the Atheist sees chaos, the Deist sees order. Aside from this philosophical difference, Deists and Atheists have a great deal in common. Both philosophies believe in the use of reason and empirical observation. Both become excited to learn of scientific discoveries (Atheists see expanding knowledge as a reduction of the “god of the gaps” while Deists see further understanding of our universe as coming closer to God). Both reject superstition in favor of a rational worldview. Both reject church authority, scripture, and the impositi
