Worldviews of Theism and Deism After our introduction last week to the concept of worldviews, in this lesson we begin by considering the worldviews of theism and deism. Why do I not include polytheism in this discussion of theism? What are the primary theistic worldviews? What do theists, in general believe about God, man, the world, life after death, and other matters? What is the evolutionary model for the history of religion and the development of monotheism? What are the assumptions which underlie the evolutionary model? What are the five chief stages in the evolutionary model? What are some of the difficulties faced by the evolutionary model which account for why it is not openly defended any more by ethnologists? How does the anthropological, ethnological, and contemporary evidence point towards monotheism as the religious belief of very early cultures? How is deism distinct from theism? Why is deism considered a transitional or bridge worldview? Why is deism “unstable?” What are some current expressions of deism?
Lesson 19: Review Questions
Lesson 19: Lesson Notes

Tags: Theism, Deism, History of Religion, Monotheism