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Deism was often synonomous with "natural religion" (as distinct from "revealed religion") in the 17th and 18th centuries; it meant a belief in God but not in any particular mystical or supernatural powers. Interest in deism was not so much a movement or philosophical system as it was a concept which allowed those who were uneasy with the elements of superstition in revealed religion to reconcile with the expanding boundaries of religion and specifically Christianity.
The word "deism" probably originated in 16th century France, but the concept began to emerge in British theology in the 17th century, most notably in "De Verirare" by Lord Edward Herbert of Cherbury and "Christianity Not Mysterious" by John Toland. These and other important documents on the history of deism in Britian are collected here alongside lesser-known and hard-to-find articles on the subject.