Written by an Ex – Jehovah’s Witness, for those who believe in God, but not Religion. An argument for the abolition of all Organized Religion and an indictment of Organized Religion for all the suffering, exploitation and misery it has thrust upon the human race. An exposure of the hypocrisy of Organized Religion which in fact causes division and human suffering on an unimaginable scale. Presently, I am in Law Enforcements as a technical advisor and investigator.
April 20, 2008 at 2:38 am |
I was once Spirtual but never Religious, I even called myself a Christian once. Until the Religious became Christians the Christians became Spiritual HOWEVER they didn’t leave all that organized religion of judgement condemnation you are going to hell for breathing or for waking up this morning — Good Grief!!
Now I am a deist and I feel so free, freer than what I have EVER been and God still loves me as I am.
Have a Blessed Day,
VickiLynne
July 17, 2009 at 1:32 am |
Vickeilynne,
You know what is funny today I though we are only what we believe…KNOW
I was a christian when I believed, I WAS ?
October 10, 2008 at 1:44 am |
I’m so sorry for you. The Jehovahs Witnesses obviously really messed you up. I’m so sorry you no longer put your faith in Jesus. I will pray that you find him and that you lose all that anger.
God Bless
Clive
November 13, 2008 at 2:59 pm |
Thanks, Vickie and Clive!!
December 18, 2008 at 2:56 pm |
I will pray for your soul that you open your heart to Jesus Christ as He is the light, the truth and the way. Remember, “For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten son to suffer and die for you so that you may have everlasting life.” John 3:16
If you are feeling spiritual, but are “afraid” of becoming religious try this:
1. Sit quietly for a few moments, letting go of all the burdens and anxieties that are so much a part of life bring your attention to your heart and to your breath.
2. Let your heart speak to God about your longing for relationship. You don’t need special words or prayers. Just tell God what you are feeling.
3. Take out a piece of paper and write out ten ways that you could be more religious without stopping being spiritual. Feel free to think outside the box!
4. Re-read your list, and visualize reading it to God.
5. Spend a few moments in silence to see what God wants to say to you. You may have a fresh idea or insight, or a new sense of peace.
6. Choose one or two things that you will begin to work on, and offer your intentions to God.
7. Thank God for the time that you have spent together.
The word religion in Latin actually refers to piety and the word spiritual comes from the French word esprit and refers to the breath or breathing. You are, first and foremost, spiritual. Becoming religious—practicing piety—is a result of being spiritual. Your breath (your spiritual nature) is given to you by the Creator/God. You cannot make yourself breathe, nor can you will your breathing to cease. You are intimately connected to the One who gave you the breath and every time you inhale and exhale, your spirit longs for a deeper relationship with that One who is beyond your wildest imaginings.
When you think of being spiritual rather than religious, you are probably feeling that you don’t want to simply practice a piety that is antiquated, or that causes you to feel guilty for what you have and have not done in your life. But, when you feel spiritual, you will naturally be led to embrace a practice of piety. Religious piety does not have to be a straightjacket. There is an immense amount of freedom in how you give voice and substance to the spiritual longing you feel within. Perhaps your piety will involve simple silence and centering. Perhaps it will be lived out in the way that you show care and compassion to others. Perhaps you will articulate it through the way that you pray and surrender yourself to the God who loves you with infinite constancy. Perhaps you will manifest it through embracing such virtues as patience, kindness, truthfulness, or unconditional love. Being religious doesn’t mean simply surrendering yourself to a church institution. Rather, being religious is choosing to live a life that honors and claims the relationship with God that your soul so deeply craves. And, you may find that sharing the journey with others in a church community will help you live that life with authenticity and joy.
December 27, 2008 at 6:22 pm |
Lisa;
Thanks for the post. I am formulating a reply. Sorry fpr the delay, but I have avery busy professional practice that as of late is taking a lot of time.
Thanks again. I do plan to reply to your very well thought out points. Thanks again!!
Fred, isnrblog
July 16, 2009 at 6:42 pm |
Webster who wrote the Dictionary was christian, and so was I
http://www.scottklarr.com/topic/151/zeitgeist-documentary—part-1-on-religion/
My mind is my own church.” – Thomas Paine
Man’s language, therefore, cannot easily define truth, nor, can the Bible,everyone is going to hell according to someones religion.
The opposite of Deism is Atheism -
That’s sort of like saying,
“There are absolutely NO absolute truths.”
I do believe in you and me, so therefore you might call me A Deist.
December 26, 2008 at 2:04 am |
To coffeestainednews I am also a Deist. Welcome to Deism. If Christians would study history outside of the bible they would find that Jesus never even exsisted. You have to be willing to open up your mind and do a lot of reading. Christianity just follows all the othe pagan mystery religions. Enough of this. I want to welcome you as a fellow Deist.
December 26, 2008 at 5:52 pm |
Just turn to their own bible’s and in a nice way use it against them. Use their own history to do the same. Ask them to explain why christians never practice the hard sayings of Jesus? Ask them to justify whatever answer they give you with what Jesus quotes in Mark about those that are ashamed of his words and do not practice all of his words, what happens to these people? Did you ever see a christian giving up everything they owned, taking up a life of forced homelessness, hating their family, resisting all evil done to them? These are a few of the hard teachings of the so call Jesus. Whatever their answers, it is a pick and choose religion of contradicting sayings most based not in reaility. When they can no longer refute what you are saying they you alone.
December 26, 2008 at 5:56 pm |
I’ve seen the WUD bumper stickers, shirts, etc. I’ve looked at other Deism webs shirts, coffee mugs, mouse pads, all items related to Deism. They all have their point. The WUD comes on strong, but they tell it like it is. How do you tone down the facts that Deists don’t accept revealed religions, and their holy books? A sticker, shirt, etc. that promotes Deism as a natural religion based on God through through nature and reason as opposed to revealed religion, ( not exact wording), but put together to express this understanding to me serves the Deists main starting poiint.
When talking about Deism to other people I don’t tell them that their beliefs are rooted in superstition. When the subject comes up on religion, church, the bible, God, science, prayer in public schools, the posting of the ten commandments etc, I share my Deism. Most people on the subject of posting the ten commandments in public buildings don’t realize that there are four versions of the ten commandments; the Jewish, Protestant, Catholic, and the bible version. Whatever one is used it will offend the believers of the other ones, not to mention religions that have no commandments, or peoople who don’t accept them at all. If you really want to get technical the 10, Jewish, Protestent, Catholic versions break down to 13 commandments. The point is seperation of Church and State. Hang the US Constitution and The Bill of Rights in and arround public buildings. The so called commandments place them where they belong, in a church or in a private citizens home.
I always ask many questions in order to get people to think. There’s plenty of written information that I can give them, books to read, Deism webs they can access if they are interrested. Some enjoy this type of conversing. Most have reservations about what they have been taught to believe. This opens them up to freely think out and express what if any problems they have within their belief systems. I’m proud to be a Deist and will always share my Deistic thinking with anyone who is open to sharing ideas on such matters.
December 26, 2008 at 6:11 pm |
In America, one common response to questions of fundamental rights is “What would the Founding Fathers have done?” But sometimes even historians don’t agree on what George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin and the others who participated in the creation of the United States did or did not believe, especially when it comes to matters of religion.
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In “The Faiths of the Founding Fathers” (Oxford University Press), David L. Holmes, a professor of religious studies at the College of William and Mary, digs deep to discover facts about religion as it was practiced in late colonial and early republican America. He focuses particularly on Deism, a broad school of religious thought whose adherents tend to rely on reason rather than revelation, deny the divinity of Christ and are skeptical of miracles and other supernatural events. Deism was at the height of its popularity in the colonies circa 1770.
Holmes, while admitting the evidence isn’t 100 percent conclusive on George Washington, identifies the first five presidents and Benjamin Franklin as Deists who practiced a faith that differed from orthodox Christianity.
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Why do the religious beliefs of the Founding Fathers matter so much now?
There are a lot of questions swirling around about whether America is in fact a Christian nation. These questions are coming particularly from the evangelical side, and they are reaching the courts. Can you display the Ten Commandments in a courtroom? Can you have prayer before a football game, or in a public event, or in school? And people are asking, “What would the Founders have thought of these things?” So the religion of the Founding Fathers does have ramifications in today’s political and social context.
In books and articles on this subject I often read that some of the Founding Fathers have been “recognized” or “identified” as Deists. Wouldn’t a Deist just say he was a Deist in the same way someone would say they are Catholic or Protestant?
Tom Paine comes out with clear statements of what he is and isn’t, but Deism was a controversial stance. People such as Ben Franklin, who fits very much into the Deistic camp, were prudent about their beliefs — they thought that it would just cause problems to define it.
Right before he died, Franklin received a letter from the president of Yale, who was a minister asking what he believed. And he gives a very prudent answer, but it is Deistic. He says that as to whether Jesus is divine, he rather thought not, but he just doesn’t know, and he thinks that he will find out so soon that he doesn’t need to spend time now to try to figure it out.
Jefferson knew that if he ran for president his Deist beliefs would be thrown in his face by the Presbyterian and Congregationalist clergy — and by the New England clergy, whom he considered as bad as medieval priests enforcing rigidity of thought. And he was right — that did happen.
How does a researcher figure out who was a Deist and who was not?
We can’t get inside anyone’s head and tell for sure what they believed. But we can look at, among other things, whether or not they went to church. If they went to church, did they participate in the ordinances or sacraments of their church? Did they receive Holy Communion? If they didn’t, we have to ask why. And Jefferson did not. Washington did not. Madison did not. Monroe did not. At least we have no indication that they did.
Then we look at their religious language. Did they talk as, say, evangelicals do of Jesus as Savior, as Lord, as Redeemer? As Messiah? As Son of God? If they did — as some of the Founding Fathers, like John Jay, Elias Houdenot and Samuel Adams did — then we have good indication of what they believed.
And you look into their writings. If you find a person like Monroe, who even when his 2-year-old son dies, and he is anguished, does not discuss the consolations of religion in any of his correspondence with friends, then you have an idea of his beliefs.
And so you feel pretty certain that people like Franklin, Jefferson, Washington and Madison were Deists.
Franklin? A prudent Deist from about the age of 15 on.
Jefferson?
We know a lot about Jefferson’s religion, and I would classify him as a Deist who in the categories of his time would have also been a moderate Unitarian.
Madison?
Madison was quite clearly a Deist. We have that evidence. I once tentatively thought that he might have returned to his childhood faith, orthodox Anglicanism, in his last years, but I checked with the help of the James Madison papers, his correspondence of his last years, and found no evidence of that at all. I would say he died a Deist.
Washington’s religious orientation is somewhat difficult to discern, no? He was a very private man.
Yes. He was not a glad-hander. He was not a person who carried his personality or his beliefs on his sleeve. But he viewed himself as a Christian, and so did those who knew him up close, except for the clergy. The Episcopal clergy were not [happy with] his Christian beliefs.
Since there is a wide gradation of Deism, he’s probably closer to the orthodox Christian camp than the others that we name. But he did not receive the Holy Communion, and he did not ask for the clergy to be involved when he was dying. Nor did he use the word “Savior,” “Redeemer,” or “Son of God.” These aren’t the actions of an orthodox Christian.
What was the most threatening part of Deism to colonial conservative Christians?
Probably the denial of the divinity of Christ. When you deny the divinity of Christ, his resurrection, you call into question the heart of the Christian religion.
But many of the Founding Fathers who apparently were Deists also considered themselves Christians. How could they be Christian if they denied the divinity of Jesus?
They were what ecclesiastical historians call Restorationists. They were attempting to restore the true religion [of Christianity] that they believed had been distorted. They believed that human embellishments had been added over the centuries to Christian tradition and to the New Testament. Jefferson, for example, was very much a Restorationist. He thought he was restoring that true Christian religion.
I read that Jefferson scissored all references to miracles out of his Bible? Is that true?
I’m not sure if it was scissored or whether he used razor blades. But yes, I’ve seen the original Jefferson Bible, and it’s a really neat cutting job! It’s really something to see.
Why did he do that?
His God was a God of reason, not of irrationality. Jefferson, as a man of his time, which was the Enlightenment, could not see how a God of reason would do certain of these things. Therefore, he considered these miracle stories in the New Testament to be embellishments, pious human embellishments. He wanted to get back to the original religion of Jesus.
Do you believe there are Deist thoughts and beliefs imbedded in the Constitution?
Yes, I do. And one of the primary ones is a concern for human freedom. A typical Deist opposed oppression in church and in state. He believed in freedom in matters of religion and in matters of government.
Some religious people today are arguing that the Constitution provides freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. What would a Deist like Jefferson say to that?
Well, there were a wide variety of Deists. John Adams existed under a state-church system in Massachusetts, whereas Jefferson and Madison wanted to get rid of state churches. When you have a state-church system, that’s not quite freedom from religion, you know? But the major thrust of Deism was freedom of and freedom from religion.
A Deist would not have kept count as to whether you had showed up at the parish church on Sunday. And as Jefferson wrote, “it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. …” (“Notes in Virginia,” 1785). That’s freedom from religion. And most Deists believed that. Read Tom Paine and “The Age of Reason.” Religion was nature — the God of nature.
I gather a lot of the Founders didn’t take a literal view of the Bible?
No. They did not. They knew the Bible well. They knew it a lot better than most Americans do today. But they were not raised in a supernatural age, and they tended to take with a considerable grain of salt some of the statements in the Bible. And since Deism was a wide spectrum, the further left you go on the Deist spectrum, the more the Bible was called into question.
Most Deists believed that God created the universe perfectly, and so there is no need to pray, because nothing can alter the fundamental nature of the universe, even God, correct?
That’s pure Deism. But with the American Founding Fathers we find a belief in an intervening Providence, who particularly intervened in the affairs of the United States.
Washington had a strong sense that Providence had intervened in his life and in the nation’s existence, and others did too. The American Deists were involved in a remarkable thing — the establishment of a new nation, and the first really successful revolution to that effect. And they put God on their side. They put an intervening Providence on their side. When Monroe uses a term for God, which he doesn’t do much, he uses the term Providence.
Did your own spiritual beliefs change at all as you learned more about Deism?
They changed only in the way that they had been progressing for the last perhaps 20 years. I was raised a moderate Congregationalist, and I became an Episcopalian (a branch of Anglicanism). I was so proud of myself that I had found my way into what we call the church historian’s disease, which is Anglicanism — many church historians in graduate school become Anglicans of one kind or another. And I was very proud that I was a moderate Episcopalian, but I eventually realized my religious faith had hardly changed at all.
I emerged from this study realizing all the more how much a product we are of our upbringing. And how influential our childhood, and our early introduction to various things is, because the Founding Fathers born at another time would not necessarily have been Deists at all. They were born, after all, in the Age of the Enlightenment.
Finding My Religion wants to hear from you. Send comments on stories and suggestions for interview subjects to miller@sfgate.com.
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During his far-flung career in journalism, Bay Area writer and editor David Ian Miller has worked as a city hall reporter, personal finance writer, cable television executive and managing editor of a technology news site. His writing credits include Salon.com, Wired News and The New York Observer.
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December 26, 2008 at 7:18 pm |
Deism is the belief that a supreme natural God exists and created the physical universe, and that religious truths can be arrived at by the application of reason and observation of the natural world. Deists generally reject the notion of supernatural revelation as a basis of truth or religious dogma. These views contrast with the dependence on divine revelation found in many Christian[1], Islamic and Judaic teachings.
Deists typically reject most supernatural events (prophecy, miracles) and tend to assert that God (or “The Supreme Architect”) has a plan for the universe which he does not alter either by intervening in the affairs of human life or suspending the natural laws of the universe. What organized religions see as divine revelation and holy books, most deists see as interpretations made by other humans, rather than as authoritative sources.
Deism became prominent in the 17th and 18th centuries during the Age of Enlightenment, especially in the United Kingdom, France and the United States, mostly among those raised as Christians who found they could not believe in either a triune God, the divinity of Jesus, miracles, or the inerrancy of scriptures, but who did believe in one god. Initially it did not form any congregations, but in time deism strongly influenced other religious groups, such as Unitarianism, and Unitarian Universalism, which developed from it. It continues to this day in the form of classical deism and modern deism.
December 27, 2008 at 6:19 pm |
Bob,
Thanks for the great posts!!!
Good stuff!!
Fred, isnrblog
December 28, 2008 at 1:39 am |
I usually don’t post outside of the Deism webs, but figured why not give it a shot.
December 29, 2008 at 1:13 am |
The God of the Bible and the God of nature are not the same. No Christian lives out the Bible. Each Denomination cherry picks the Bible to take out of it what they want their church to believe. The Bible promotes, racism, sexism, bigotry, rape, genocide, marriage to more than one woman. Women are supposed to be quite in church and not hold any offices. It’s filled with contradictions. As a human race we promote better justice than the Bible could ever produce. There is no Bible Jesus that ever existed historically outside of the Bible. Thinking about this is why I am a Deist. The laws of the universe are unchanging and apply to everyone.
January 10, 2009 at 12:44 pm |
Hello,
I have an intersting history with the J.Ws. I never became baptized but was considered an unbaptized publisher at different times in my life. I recently became aware of Deism and was amazed with how much of my own beliefs fit right into Deism. I really enjoyed the article written on deism.com by Fred Thompson. In fact, it was the research that I did on the Internet, reading material from “Apostate” sites that opened my eyes to the many false prophecies made by the Watchtower. Once I finally made the decision to unaffiliate myself with the JWs I felt so liberated. I have been free of that mind imprisonment for well over a year and I can’t wait to meet more people locally that are Deists. I am also looking forward to learning from Deism sites and blogs like this one.
May 3, 2009 at 6:36 pm |
Todd, we have similar stories. I wish you well!!
January 11, 2009 at 6:51 pm |
A good site is Positive Deism. They have around 220 members. The World Union of Deists is another. You’ll be able to draw a distinctive contrast between the both. I personally see Deism as a philosophy rather than a religion. A religion has creeds, dogmas, rituals, prayer, Bibles, saints, etc. Deism has none of these and leaves it up to each Deist to form their own worldview. My mind is my church and my Bible is the universe. I look forward to seeing your posts.
May 3, 2009 at 6:33 pm |
Thanks, Bob.
Deism has a rather wide definition. I’m glad that I finally figured I was a Deist. I hope you are well and thanks for your comments!
January 11, 2009 at 7:38 pm |
Here’s an article from the World Union of Deists
Welcome to Deism!
Deism has a lot to offer you! It also has a lot to offer society! Deism is belief in God based on the application of our reason on the designs/laws found throughout Nature. The designs presuppose a Designer. Deism is therefore a natural religion and is not a “revealed” religion. The natural religion/philosophy of Deism frees those who embrace it from the inconsistencies of superstition and the negativity of fear that are so strongly represented in all of the “revealed” religions such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam. (These religions are called revealed religions because they all make claim to having received a special revelation from God which they pretend, and many of their sincere followers actually believe, their various and conflicting holy books are based on.) When enough people become Deists, reason will be elevated over fear and myth and its positive qualities will become a part of society as a whole. Then, instead of having billions of people chasing after the nonsensical violence promoting myths of the “revealed” religions, people will be centered on their God-given reason which will lead to limitless personal and societal progress!
This is not a utopian pipedream. Deism has the potential to connect with every human being because every human being possesses God-given reason. Because of this fact, Deism clicks with the vast majority of people who are made aware of it. This God-given reason, which is so dear and key to Deism, is the natural state of humanity. The superstitions of the man-made “revealed” religions are NOT the natural state of humanity. The cause of our God-given reason being overrun with these man-made myths and superstitions is very simple. ACTIVE people promoted these falsehoods. Some of these active people were motivated by self gain while others were acting on ignorance. Since the problem was brought about by ACTIVE people, it can be corrected by ACTIVE people. As the number of ACTIVE Deists grows, our actions and energies will cause Deism to eclipse the “revealed” religions of the world and Deism will eventually, through lots of hard teamwork and altruism, replace the “revealed” religions. Humanity and the individuals who make up humanity will then be able to reach their full progressive potential!
Please familiarize yourself with Deism by reading the many articles the links to the left take you to. By using this site you will learn such things as God and religion are two distinct things, that one of the many benefits Deism offers you and your family and friends is solid protection from cults, that America’s Declaration of Independence is a Deistic document, that the Bible and Koran paint a very evil and insane picture of God, that the Designer of Nature is as real as the designs in Nature, plus much, much more!
We hope the following statement by the man who did more than any other person to bring Deism to everyone, Thomas Paine, will ring true in your heart and mind after you learn what Deism really is: “There is a happiness in Deism, when rightly understood, that is not to be found in any other system of religion. All other systems have something in them that either shock our reason, or are repugnant to it, and man, if he thinks at all, must stifle his reason in order to force himself to believe them.
“But in Deism our reason and our belief become happily united. The wonderful structure of the universe, and everything we behold in the system of the creation, prove to us, far better than books can do, the existence of a God, and at the same time proclaim His attributes.”
Deist Glossary
Compiled by the World Union of Deists
I’d like to thank everyone who contributed their ideas to this new Deist Glossary! Your help is much appreciated! The editor.
Cult: In Deism, a cult is an embracing of unreasonable beliefs by a group of people. Based on this definition, Judaism, Christianity and Islam are all cults because their members suspend their God-given reason in order to believe or accept the unreasonable dogmatic teachings and superstitions such as God giving real estate as a gift to the Jews, the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, faith-healing (as just one example of faith-healing being a superstition, if faith-healing was REAL there would not be anyone suffering from mesothelioma and corporations would not be required by law to pay out millions of dollars per case in REAL damages) and Mohammed’s ascension to heaven, among many more false and unreasonable claims. Because Deism always promotes free and independent thought and reason, it is impossible for Deism to become a cult.
Deism: Deism is the recognition of a universal creative force greater than that demonstrated by mankind, supported by personal observation of laws and designs in nature and the universe, perpetuated and validated by the innate ability of human reason coupled with the rejection of claims made by individuals and organized religions of having received special divine revelation.
Faith: This word has been so terribly abused by “revealed” religions that it has come to really mean the suspension of an individual’s God-given reason in order to accept, or at least to tolerate, an unreasonable claim made by a “revealed” religion. It is the only way “revealed” religions can get people to accept such insane and unreasonable claims and ideas as original sin, walking on water, healing the sick without medical care, splitting the Red Sea, etc. Deists prefer to use the word “trust” instead of faith due to the twisted meaning the word “faith” has acquired after centuries of abuse from the “revealed” religions.
One key difference between Deism and the “revealed” religions is that Deists don’t believe faith is required to believe in God. This quote from Voltaire sums it up, “What is faith? Is it to believe that which is evident? No. It is perfectly evident to my mind that there exists a necessary, eternal, supreme, and intelligent being. This is no matter of faith, but of reason.”
God: The universal creative force which is the source of the laws and designs found throughout Nature.
Intelligent Design: Intelligent Design refers to the structures in Nature, such as that of DNA, which can be observed and the complexity of which required an intelligent Designer. In this context “structure” means something arranged in a definite pattern of organization. In Deism, Intelligent Design has absolutely nothing to do with the unreasonable Biblical myth of creation.
Natural Religion: Belief in God based on the application of reason on the laws/designs of Nature as opposed to revealed religion which is based on alleged revelations.
Philosophy: The study of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct.
Reason: The mental powers used with forming conclusions or inferences based on facts. Deists look at reason as the second greatest gift from Nature’s God to humanity, second only to life itself.
Religion: A set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature and purpose of the universe.
Revelation: The act of revealing or of making known. In the religious sense, revelation usually means divine revelation. This is meaningless, since revelation can only be revelation in the first instance. For example, if God revealed something to me, that would be a divine revelation to me. If I then told someone else what God told me it would be mere hearsay to the person I tell. If that person believed what I said, they would not be putting their trust in God, but in me, believing what I told them was actually true.
Revealed Religion: An organized system of belief in and worship of God based on the belief that God communicated/communicates with certain individual founders/members of the particular revealed religion. As mentioned above, by believing in any of the revealed religions a believer is not putting their trust in God, but in the person/people making the claim of receiving the divine revelation.
Trust: Trust is confidence in a person or thing based on reason and experience.
Frequently Asked Questions about Deism
What is the basis of Deism? Reason and nature. We see the design found throughout the known universe and this realization brings us to a sound belief in a Designer or God.
Is Deism a form of atheism? No. Atheism teaches that there is no God. Deism teaches there is a God. Deism rejects the “revelations” of the “revealed” religions but does not reject God.
If Deism teaches a belief in God, then what is the difference between Deism and the other religions like Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, etc.? Deism is, as stated above, based on nature and reason, not “revelation.” All the other religions (with the possible exception of Taoism, although superstition does play a role in both Buddhism and Taoism) make claim to special divine revelation or they have requisite “holy” books. Deism has neither. In Deism there is no need for a preacher, priest or rabbi. All one needs in Deism is their own common sense and the creation to contemplate.
Also, “revealed” religions, especially Christianity and Islam, use greed and fear to catch and hold converts. The greed is belonging to their “revealed” religion so you can get rewards such as eternal life, and in Christianity, anything you ask for. In combination with greed they use fear of death. Deism does neither. Deism teaches that we should do what is right simply because it’s the right thing to do. And Deism doesn’t pretend we know what, if anything, happens to us after our bodies die. We love and trust God enough not to worry about it. As Thomas Paine wrote, “I consider myself in the hands of my Creator, and that He will dispose of me after this life consistently with His justice and goodness. I leave all these matter to Him, as my Creator and friend, and I hold it to be presumption in man to make an article of faith as to what the Creator will do with us hereafter.”
Do Deists believe that God created the creation and the world and then just stepped back from it? Some Deists do and some believe God may intervene in human affairs. For example, when George Washington was faced with either a very risky evacuation of the American troops from Long Island or surrendering them, he chose the more risky evacuation. When questioned about the possibility of having them annihilated he said it was the best he could do and the rest was up to Providence.
Do Deists pray? Only prayers of thanks and appreciation. We don’t dictate to God.
How do Deists view God? We view God as an eternal entity whose power is equal to his/her will. The following quote from Albert Einstein also offers a good Deistic description of God: “My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble minds. That deeply emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power, which is revealed in the incomprehensible universe, forms my idea of God.”
Is Deism a cult? It’s impossible for Deism to be a cult because Deism teaches self-reliance and encourages people to constantly use their reason. Deism teaches to “question authority” no matter what the cost.
Unlike the revealed religions, Deism makes no unreasonable claims. The revealed religions encourage people to give up, or at least to suspend, their God-given reason. They like to call it faith. For example, how logical is it to believe that Moses parted the Red Sea, or that Jesus walked on water, or that Mohammed received the Koran from an angel? Suspending your reason enough to believe these tales only sets a precedent that leads to believing a Jim Jones or David Koresh.
What’s Deism’s answer to all the evil in the world? Much of the evil in the world could be overcome or removed if humanity had embraced our God-given reason from our earliest evolutionary stages. After all, all the laws of nature that we’ve discovered and learned to use to our advantage that make everything from computers to medicine to space travel realities, have existed eternally. But we’ve decided we’d rather live in superstition and fear instead of learning and gaining knowledge. It’s much more soothing to believe we’re not responsible for our own actions than to actually do the hard work required for success.
Deism doesn’t claim to have all the answers to everything, we just claim to be on the right path to those answers.
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Latest News of Interest to Deists
Was America created to destroy Islam?
John McCain, who says he agrees with the majority of Americans who erroneously believe the US Constitution established the United States as a Christian nation, is endorsed by a powerful Christian preacher who believes America was founded, in part, to destroy Islam!
Click here to read the article
Both Democratic candidates promote the nonsense of the Bible!
Hilary Clinton says, “I think the whole Bible is real.” So she believes in the talking donkey (Numbers 22:28), that any nation that will not serve Israel should “be utterly wasted” (Isaiah 60:10-12), among many other ridiculous claims! Based on the blank check both Democratic and Republican politicians give to Israel, it appears they’re all strong believers in the Hebrew Bible!
Barack Obama gave a speech in which he used the genocidal maniacs, Moses and Joshua, as great examples to be followed! It’s pathetic and dangerous when in this nuclear age politicians still cling to the insanity found in the Bible, Torah and Koran! Here are just two examples to demonstrate that Moses and Joshua were murderous butchers. Deuteronomy 2:34 in which Moses brags about killing “men, women and the little ones”, and Joshua 6:21 which says the Hebrews “utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.” How Obama can think this is good is beyond reason!
At least 50 people were blinded due to religious superstition!
50 people who believed there was an image of the fictional virgin Mary on the sun were blinded due to looking directly at the sun while trying to see the image! Our God-given reason is the only thing that will protect us from such ignorance and superstition – if we decide to use it!
Help Get the Word Out About Deism! Thank You!
January 24, 2009 at 7:00 pm |
The type of Deist that I I’m is a Spiritual Deist. A Spiritual Deist believes in Panentheism, reincarnation, and prayers of affirmation not supplication, and meditation.
February 25, 2009 at 10:48 pm |
You’re an angry angry man, Deep ol’ boy! LOL Looking forward to reading your stuff here, and all the other banter on that “other” site we frequent.
May 3, 2009 at 6:31 pm |
Hi Daddy-O!! Sorry for the late reply. I hope you see this.
I am definitly a major asshole. No arguement there.
March 2, 2009 at 1:40 pm |
Bob You’ve done it!!! For two-thousand years the most intelligent philosophers, historians, scientists, theologians and religious experts have tried to debunk The Bible only to have been shown time and again…they can not.
But the blogger has risen to the occasion!
Please accept this as an un-OFFICIAL LETTER OF APPRECIATION ON BEHALF OF THE WORLD.(please accept “the world” to include man/womankind most specifically, but not limited to all taxonomic classifications under all six kingdoms of life).
Your blog post reply may quite possibly be the most important piece of literature ever.
I am amazed by you Bob, and whoever this isnrblog guy is because he provided you with an outlet for your intellectual discoveries.
Keep writing sir, you may have yet to make other discoveries!
May 3, 2009 at 6:29 pm |
Did I already tell you what a shit head you are? I forget.
Who is this Bob?
Anyway, fuck you, the way you like it, in the ass.
March 3, 2009 at 1:55 am |
Blane, your sarcasm is….well…lame.
What is your story
March 16, 2009 at 2:18 am |
Well, Blane maybe you’re on to something
Of all those Millions of people for Centuries who have “proved” the Bible true, you neglect to mention the equal or greater number who ardently support other books, i.e.Hindus,Muslim and Millions of Athiests.
I mean if you’re going by numbers, non bible beleivers out number you.
Also, most Bible believers are biased. Secondly, we have only recently obtained scientific knowledge that proves the Bible bullshit.
Read my post on Faith and see where the Bible trips on itself. And this is only one instance.
You are as fucking idiot.
July 17, 2009 at 1:26 am |
http://tvftm.com/
Is good too, Bob or interested created beings, like you & ME : > )
July 23, 2009 at 9:06 pm |
I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
July 24, 2009 at 5:38 pm |
Thanks!
I love your name. I hope it is just a sarcastic statement and you don’t have that disease.
If you do, wishing you the best. If you don’t, still wishing you the best.
July 24, 2009 at 6:47 pm |
Dear ISN,
just becoause you disagree does not make it horse shi…
In my MHO,
Cindy Mulvey my comment does not support WND, JUST America’s God, Nature’s God, IF ONE EXIST, I believe in a creator, but, … .nothing else…….
“Anyone who believes in the Grand Creator of heaven and earth including all the creatures thereupon and who also rejects the dogma of the entire range of established religion is already a Deist whether he/she recognizes it or not.
July 25, 2009 at 1:40 am |
What?
I might disagree, Cindy, if you made any sense.
July 25, 2009 at 4:06 am |
I do not need you to understand me or agree.
I do not type or write well, but, Do your BEST, I do
Truth is with-in for ALL to see.
Moment by moment NO BOOKS or Philosophies to follow.
For me hearing Deist or es-christians have been a breath of fresh air.
The problem of bitter America, they will not seek to understand.
Just swear or get angry or LAUGH off what they do not understand.
PS Many christian tell me The Bible says, So
July 25, 2009 at 3:09 pm |
Sorry that I don’t understand.
July 26, 2009 at 3:40 am |
Well part of the problem is MY writing I suppose to write IMHO (In my humble opinion.
The other might be I understand as I come from a Deist understanding, and I know what I am saying but not everyone does, but it works out in the END.
I do believe Reason & Common Sense is answer for us all, Do Atheist think that way?
They seem bitter swear and the put down others.
To me that makes NO SENSE.
July 27, 2009 at 1:44 am |
I did understand IMHO.
I also believe in reason and understanding.
To be fair, all Athiests don’t swear etc. I am a Deist and I am down right vulgar.
For more on Atheists, look up Sam Harris. I have read most of hi work. Interesting stuff. Some very common sense stuff.
It seems often people with strong beliefs react defensively and will overreact.
Athieism often becomes a religion and people act “religious”.