Deism in Enlightenment England

Deism in Enlightenment England PDF Author: Jeffrey R Wigelsworth
Publisher: Manchester University Press
ISBN: 184779730X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 438

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Book Description
This is the first complete study of English deists as a group in several decades and it argues for a new interpretation of deism in the English Enlightenment. While there have been many recent studies of the deist John Toland, the writings of other contemporary deists have been forgotten. With extensive analysis of lesser known figures such as Anthony Collins, Matthew Tindal, Thomas Chub, and Thomas Morgan, in addition to unique insights into Toland, Deism in Enlightenment England offers a much broader assessment of what deism entailed in the eighteenth century. Readers will see how previous interpretations of English deists, which place these figures on an irreligious trajectory leading towards modernity, need to be revised. This book uses deists to address a number of topics and themes and theme in English history and will be of particular interest to scholars of Enlightenment history, history of science, theology and politics, and the early modern era.

Deism in Enlightenment England

Deism in Enlightenment England PDF Author: Jeffrey R Wigelsworth
Publisher: Manchester University Press
ISBN: 184779730X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 438

Get Book Here

Book Description
This is the first complete study of English deists as a group in several decades and it argues for a new interpretation of deism in the English Enlightenment. While there have been many recent studies of the deist John Toland, the writings of other contemporary deists have been forgotten. With extensive analysis of lesser known figures such as Anthony Collins, Matthew Tindal, Thomas Chub, and Thomas Morgan, in addition to unique insights into Toland, Deism in Enlightenment England offers a much broader assessment of what deism entailed in the eighteenth century. Readers will see how previous interpretations of English deists, which place these figures on an irreligious trajectory leading towards modernity, need to be revised. This book uses deists to address a number of topics and themes and theme in English history and will be of particular interest to scholars of Enlightenment history, history of science, theology and politics, and the early modern era.

The English Deists

The English Deists PDF Author: Wayne Hudson
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317316339
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 213

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Book Description
Interprets the works of an important group of writers known as 'the English deists'. This title argues that this interpretation reads Romantic conceptions of religious identity into a period in which it was lacking. It contextualizes these writers within the early Enlightenment, which was multivocal, plural and in search of self definition.

The Enlightenment and Religion

The Enlightenment and Religion PDF Author: S. J. Barnett
Publisher: Manchester University Press
ISBN: 9780719067419
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 260

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Book Description
This publication offers a critical survey of religious change and its causes in 18th-century Europe. Focusing on the Enlightenment in Italy, France and England, the text illustrates how the canonical view of 18th-century religious change has in reality been constructed upon scant evidence and assumption.

Atheism and Deism Revalued

Atheism and Deism Revalued PDF Author: Assoc Prof Diego Lucci
Publisher: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
ISBN: 1472407261
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 297

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Book Description
Given the central role played by religion in early-modern Britain, it is perhaps surprising that historians have not always paid close attention to the shifting and nuanced subtleties of terms used in religious controversies. In this collection particular attention is focussed upon two of the most contentious of these terms: ‘atheism’ and ‘deism’, terms that have shaped significant parts of the scholarship on the Enlightenment. This volume argues that in the seventeenth and eighteenth century atheism and deism involved fine distinctions that have not always been preserved by later scholars. The original deployment and usage of these terms were often more complicated than much of the historical scholarship suggests. Indeed, in much of the literature static definitions are often taken for granted, resulting in depictions of the past constructed upon anachronistic assumptions. Offering reassessments of the historical figures most associated with ‘atheism’ and ‘deism’ in early modern Britain, this collection opens the subject up for debate and shows how the new historiography of deism changes our understanding of heterodox religious identities in Britain from 1650 to 1800. It problematises the older view that individuals were atheist or deists in a straightforward sense and instead explores the plurality and flexibility of religious identities during this period. Drawing on the most recent scholarship, the volume enriches the debate about heterodoxy, offering new perspectives on a range of prominent figures and providing an overview of major changes in the field.

The Faiths of the Founding Fathers

The Faiths of the Founding Fathers PDF Author: David L. Holmes
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199740968
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
It is not uncommon to hear Christians argue that America was founded as a Christian nation. But how true is this claim? In this compact book, David L. Holmes offers a clear, concise and illuminating look at the spiritual beliefs of our founding fathers. He begins with an informative account of the religious culture of the late colonial era, surveying the religious groups in each colony. In particular, he sheds light on the various forms of Deism that flourished in America, highlighting the profound influence this intellectual movement had on the founding generation. Holmes then examines the individual beliefs of a variety of men and women who loom large in our national history. He finds that some, like Martha Washington, Samuel Adams, John Jay, Patrick Henry, and Thomas Jefferson's daughters, held orthodox Christian views. But many of the most influential figures, including Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, John and Abigail Adams, Jefferson, James and Dolley Madison, and James Monroe, were believers of a different stripe. Respectful of Christianity, they admired the ethics of Jesus, and believed that religion could play a beneficial role in society. But they tended to deny the divinity of Christ, and a few seem to have been agnostic about the very existence of God. Although the founding fathers were religious men, Holmes shows that it was a faith quite unlike the Christianity of today's evangelicals. Holmes concludes by examining the role of religion in the lives of the presidents since World War II and by reflecting on the evangelical resurgence that helped fuel the reelection of George W. Bush. An intriguing look at a neglected aspect of our history, the book will appeal to American history buffs as well as to anyone concerned about the role of religion in American culture.

Enlightenment Deism

Enlightenment Deism PDF Author: Dale N. Daily
Publisher: Dorrance Publishing Company
ISBN: 9780805946314
Category : Deism
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description


The Fall of Man and the Foundations of Science

The Fall of Man and the Foundations of Science PDF Author: Peter Harrison
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521875595
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 34

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Book Description
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Reason, Ridicule, and Religion

Reason, Ridicule, and Religion PDF Author: John Redwood
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780500278857
Category : Enlightenment
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
This study, with its examination of the lives and works of Isaac Newton, Robert Boyle, George Berkley, John Locke and other Enlightenment scholars, rejects the idea that the early modern period was marked by a triumph of reason or that it should be seen as a simple battle between science and religion. The more far-reaching debate is focused on one great theme: the questioning of God's place and significance in the cosmos - and the threats that this doubt appeared to pose for the whole of society.

Freethought and Freedom

Freethought and Freedom PDF Author: George H. Smith
Publisher: Cato Institute
ISBN: 1944424385
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 322

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Book Description
Liberty of conscience and freedom of thought are twin, core components of modern life in societies across the world. The ability to pursue one?s vision of the right and the good, coupled with liberty to pursue individual reason and enlightenment, helped produce so much of modern life that we may be apt to forget that libertarian philosophy was not dictated by Nature. Freethought and Freedom surveys the long history of religious and intellectual liberty, exploring their key ideas along the way.

Did America Have a Christian Founding?

Did America Have a Christian Founding? PDF Author: Mark David Hall
Publisher: HarperChristian + ORM
ISBN: 1400211115
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
A distinguished professor debunks the assertion that America's Founders were deists who desired the strict separation of church and state and instead shows that their political ideas were profoundly influenced by their Christian convictions. In 2010, David Mark Hall gave a lecture at the Heritage Foundation entitled "Did America Have a Christian Founding?" His balanced and thoughtful approach to this controversial question caused a sensation. C-SPAN televised his talk, and an essay based on it has been downloaded more than 300,000 times. In this book, Hall expands upon this essay, making the airtight case that America's Founders were not deists. He explains why and how the Founders' views are absolutely relevant today, showing that they did not create a "godless" Constitution; that even Jefferson and Madison did not want a high wall separating church and state; that most Founders believed the government should encourage Christianity; and that they embraced a robust understanding of religious liberty for biblical and theological reasons. This compelling and utterly persuasive book will convince skeptics and equip believers and conservatives to defend the idea that Christian thought was crucial to the nation's founding--and that this benefits all of us, whatever our faith (or lack of faith).