# Deism among American colonists



## Afterthought (Jan 25, 2013)

Were there Deists among many of the first American colonists, among many of the first people who settled in North America? I had thought that Deism in the colonies was a gradual sort of thing that crept in, not something that was imported directly from the start, and that the colonies had started out Christian in general (e.g., Quakers, congregationalists, Anglicans). Perhaps there's an essay or work that covers this?


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## RamistThomist (Jan 25, 2013)

Older secular scholarship said it was dominant. Recent academic scholarship (Gordon, Mahaffey) has challenged that reading.


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## Edward (Jan 25, 2013)

Afterthought said:


> among many of the first people who settled in North America?



The Spanish Catholics?


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## Philip (Jan 25, 2013)

Afterthought said:


> Were there Deists among many of the first American colonists, among many of the first people who settled in North America?



I'm curious to know the context for this question. I'm not sure that there were many deists at all in the 17th century, so it would surprise me very much.


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## Afterthought (Jan 25, 2013)

Philip said:


> I'm curious to know the context for this question. I'm not sure that there were many deists at all in the 17th century, so it would surprise me very much.


That's what I would have thought. There isn't too much context for this question this time. Merely, I heard someone claim it, as part of his "joy" in discovering that his religious beliefs have actually been around a long time and are even "American" in that it was around with many of the first settlers of America. I, having thought the history on Deism was different, found it a curious claim and so am seeing whether my original view of the matter is correct or not.



Cameronian said:


> Older secular scholarship said it was dominant. Recent academic scholarship (Gordon, Mahaffey) has challenged that reading.


Hmm. That might explain the claim.


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## jwithnell (Jan 25, 2013)

The Enlightment had its influences on both sides of the Atlantic. George Marsden does a good job of explaining this context in his biography on Jonathan Edwards. You had plenty who remained orthodox, others who clearly wanted to exult man's reason, and others who, in my opinion, added an odd synthesis through free masonry.


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## Philip (Jan 25, 2013)

jwithnell said:


> The Enlightment had its influences on both sides of the Atlantic



Right, but I think in view here would be people in the first generations, like Roger Williams, William Bradford, John Smith, William Penn, or John Winthrop.


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