1.28.2010

DEISM

when it comes to religion there's a really unfortunate thing that happens... people only see each end of the spectrum without realizing that the truth of our relationship with a higher power lies in between the two.

there are the people who believe strongly that there is a higher power AND religion... but then the people who don't believe the same decide to write off both religion and a higher power when it doesn't have to be that way at all.

in walks Deism... to some, like thomas paine, deism is still considered a religion... its actually the belief in a higher power and no belief in organized religion...

instead of me going on and on about what this theology is, i'll just refer u to wikipedia... there's really good info there. Here's a portion of it:

"Deism is a religious and philosophical belief that a supreme being created the universe, and that this (and religious truth in general) can be determined using reason and observation of the natural world alone, without a need for either faith or organized religion. Deists tend to, but do not necessarily, reject the notion of divine interventions in human affairs, such as by miracles and revelations. These views contrast with a dependence on revelations, miracles, and faith found in many Jewish, Christian, Islamic and other theistic 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 that is not altered either by God intervening in the affairs of human life or by 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 what is now the United Kingdom, France, United States and Ireland, 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."


the book Age of Reason by one of our founding fathers, thomas paine, is also a really great reference... he was the one to put a spotlight on deism in america back in the 1800s so i believe he has good incite into this religion... here's one of his quotes:

"the only religion that has not been invented... and that has in it every evidence of divine originality, is pure and simple deism. it must have been the first and will probably be the last that man believes..."

he says of christianity:

it's too "absurd for belief, too impossible to convince and too inconsistent to practice..."


anyway... hope this helps =)

8 comments:

  1. I am also one that believes in God however the control of Organized religion bothers me. I believe in a God that loves me/us and is the father that exceeds all expectation. Believe, God is a Spirit which means that He/she is no particular sex just a being. Like you I will not delve deep into theology, but I do believe God looks over our lives quite frequent and persistently. I do believe God as Omnipresent, Omnipotent, and Omniscient. Mayb Im naive, but I'm happy this way. Your blessing is definitely that. As I do not know the details, but by what you've given is sufficient enough. We go way back and I know we've all gone through some changes, but remember we are apart of the same energy. Light!

    Warrick Buffett

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  2. I am very happy to see that you finally wrote about Deism. I've been looking quite forward to it as I'm sure you know. I am a bit surprised to see that it holds true with many of my religious beliefs. One of which being that I do not believe in the Bible or any other Holy text for that matter. In fact if there is a Devil, then it is my thought that he is the one responsible for its/their creation. Not that it carries any evil messages, but those who believe in it tend to seemingly worship it as though it were itself godly. To me that is extremely sinful and annoying to boot. If it is Gods will to pass on a message to us, he will do it directly. He will not refer us to page 32. Sorry if this was too long. Belive me, I had a lot more to say so I toned it down quite a bit.

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  3. i fully agree... it doesn't make sense that god would entrust his word w/ man... if there is a "word of god" it wouldn't be in a form that is so easily changed or misinterpreted... his word resides within us and not in a txt written by people who weren't even around when all of its context actually happened

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  4. Where does Jesus fall into Deism if at all

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  5. ultimately i think there's a lot of room for personal beliefs in deism... i personally believe that jesus may have been a real person and that he was, in fact, a good man... but i don't believe in Christianity so i don't believe things like he was born of a virgin and that he died and was rose again 3 days later

    back in those days it was common in heathen mythology for great men to be born of virgins who were impregnated my gods... and while i don't believe it to be real, i do see where the belief came from

    but then again there might be deist who believe otherwise... in my opinion the basic idea of deism is that there's no belief in organized religion or scripture... so everything else is up for personal belief

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  6. Thank you for helping me to get a better understanding. Your the best.

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