Deism: I don't get it

[DeistPaladin]

I'm curious, have theists ever tried to co-opt you into their camp when you've asserted your deism (i.e. claim you as "on their side" when it comes the the existence of god)? Or are they generally aware that you disbelieve nearly exactly 100% of what they believe?

Most of them think of me as an atheist.

I mentioned earlier that I don't bother to correct people who call me an atheist anymore. Most of them are theists, though a few are not. Funny thing, once at the local atheist meetup, one atheist caught me saying "we atheists..." at one point. He thinks I'm an atheist in denial.

If anything, the theist that recognizes the distinction is actually more offended than if I were an atheist. The atheist just doubts the existence of their god. The deist emasculates their god (I refer to God as "It" when I use a pronoun, since gender distinctions, or even a physical form, would surely be moot for a being of that power. In my D&D cosmology that I invented, and I wrote out an elaborate back story complete with each deity's motivations, I make it clear the gods aren't anthropomorphic but rather spiritual forces, ala The Force) and then transforms their god from a stern father figure to a hippy scientist. Nature's God bears no resemblance to the Biblical god, Yahweh/Yeshua.

In turn, I feel more comfortable around atheists. Most of my friends and family are, including my wife.

Contrary to Richard Dawkins' assertions in The God Delusion, the only thing I have in common with the theists is we say the word "God", and even on this point there is a chasm of difference in what we mean by that term.