Project Gutenberg 2011-09-03 Public domain in the USA. 127 Stephens, William 1718 Stephens, W. (William) An Account of the Growth of Deism in England E-text prepared by Chris Curnow, Joseph Cooper, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team "An Account of the Growth of Deism in England" by William Stephens is a historical account written in the late 17th century. The book explores the emergence and rise of Deism in England, a philosophical stance that denies revealed religion and promotes natural theology. Through a reflective dialogue with various acquaintances, Stephens examines the reasons behind the skepticism towards Christianity and the embrace of Deism during a time of significant political and religious upheaval. In the text, the author discusses several motivations that have led people to abandon revealed religion in favor of Deism. He highlights the disillusionment with the clergy's self-serving practices, emphasizing the perception that both Roman Catholicism and Protestant sects engage in power struggles rather than genuinely promote faith. Stephens recalls personal anecdotes and conversations illustrating how individuals have been turned away from Christianity due to the hypocrisy and incompetence of religious leaders. Ultimately, he argues that while prejudices against the church may lead some to Deism, the essence of the Christian faith remains invaluable and worthy of respect. Through these reflections, he encourages a return to the core principles of Christianity, advocating for a distinction between true faith and priestly interests. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 48.9 (College-level). Difficult to read. en Deism -- Early works to 1800 Deism -- Great Britain -- Early works to 1800 Church and state -- Great Britain -- Early works to 1800 BL Text Category: History - British Category: History - Religious 85616 2025-07-15T07:58:49.605697 text/html 83761 2011-09-03T14:09:46 text/html 113672 2025-07-15T07:58:54.899682 application/epub+zip 111949 2025-07-15T07:58:52.485680 application/epub+zip 99048 2025-07-15T07:58:51.375676 application/epub+zip 244636 2025-07-15T07:58:56.681667 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 231570 2025-07-15T07:58:54.213685 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 204414 2022-09-17T06:51:20.498401 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 75265 2025-07-15T07:58:49.240689 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 75069 2011-09-03T14:05:02 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 75078 2011-09-03T14:05:02 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 21650 2025-07-15T07:58:56.800651 application/rdf+xml 15608 2025-07-15T07:58:51.869667 image/jpeg 3513 2025-07-15T07:58:51.620716 image/jpeg 29069 2011-09-03T14:05:02 application/octet-stream application/zip 31358 2011-09-03T21:29:12 application/octet-stream application/zip 29066 2011-09-03T14:05:02 application/octet-stream application/zip 111399 2025-07-15T07:58:49.613709 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia