Thoughts on: Deism
Well today marks the start of a new series of opinion articles I’ll be writing from time to time. With Thoughts on, I’ll give my, as the title says, thoughts on different subjects. These subjects will range from politics to religion to philosophy and more.
Starting us off is that centuries old religious philosophy of which I am becoming a follower, Deism. In brief, this belief follows that while there is likely a supreme being, people should still rely on logical and reason, as opposed to blind faith and books purported to be the word of said deity. Deism has its origins in The Enlightenment of the 18th century. Wikipedia’s article about Deism has the "tenets" of Deism:
* Belief in God based on Reason, Experience and Nature (nature of the universe) rather than on the basis of holy texts and divine revelation. Essentially, through the use of Reason, God’s existence is revealed by the observation of the order and complexity found within nature and our personal experiences.
* Belief that the nature of God is abstract and generally incomprehensible which puts it beyond definition for humanity at this time. Furthermore, human language is limited and inadequate to define God; however, man can use Reason to theorize and speculate on what this possible nature is.
* Belief that man’s relationship with God is transpersonal. However, this does not create a feeling of a distant and cold deity but of one in which God has a profound and unfathomable relationship with all of creation (nature) rather than just one aspect of it.
* Belief that humanity has the ability to use Reason to develop ethical/moral principles and through the application of Reason these principles can be used to implement moral behavior, which in turn creates a Utilitarian-Humanist morality. Essentially, humans can be guided by their conscience in matters of morality.
* Belief that humans have the individual capability of experiencing God, which is defined as spirituality. These spiritual experiences are multi-faceted and can include awe, epiphany, fellowship and even the transcendental. Essentially, each human is capable of having a profound experience of God and nature.
* Belief that God should be honored in a way that the individual believes is best and most appropriate for them. Individuals must determine for themselves how best to honor God and only they can develop how to accomplish this. For many, it is a multi-faceted and an individualized process.
* Belief in the principle of Natural Law that states that all men and women are created equal to each other with inherent freedom and liberty so that no human has more worth than another. Essentially, each human is equal in terms of the freedoms that they have and in the eyes of the law.
* Belief that mankind’s purpose is to use our God-given reason to understand what it means to be alive in every sense of the word (to live life to the fullest) and to act in such a way as to secure human happiness and contentment for all involved.
* Belief that Reason and Respect are God-given traits to mankind and that we are to utilize them in all aspects of our daily lives thus creating a pragmatic approach to life. This includes respecting other alternative views and opinions of God (other religions) as long as they do not produce harm and/or infringe upon others.
Deists can pray, buts it normally just seen as a form of meditation and spiritual cleansing.
So in a nutshell, it was for people who wanted to believe in a higher being, but didn’t want all the needless restrictions imposed by organised religions like Christianity and such. Atleast, thats the reason why I’m a Deist. Who were some well known Deists? Well, America wise, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Ben Franklin, James Madison, Abraham Lincoln Harrison Ford, Neil Young and Thomas Paine. Beyond our shores, Arthur C. Clarke, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Frederick The Great. For a more complete list, check this site.
I know Christians in the US will rant and rave about my claim that Jefferson, Washington and such were Deists, since they’ve been told so many times that they were infact Christians. Wrong. Jefferson was a strident Deist. Why else would he have pushed for seperation of church and state and other secular ideals? Because he didn’t have the Christian mindset of that era. Its true that both he and Washington belonged to Christian churches in Virginia, but that was actually a requirement in order to gain a seat in the Virginia House of Burgesses. Yes, they invoked the name of God, but there wasn’t exactly a Deist rule that said they couldn’t. When I was an Atheist, I would do the same, as a matter of expression. Also, keep in mind that Jefferson created his own version of the Bible, with all the supernatural parts edited out (like Jesus being divine, for example).
Anyways, Deism’s popular was very high back in their time and only dwindled because of the various Christian revivalisms that swept the country (which we can "thank" for evangelists in this country *groan*). Its not gone though and might eventually make a comeback if more people were aware of it.
So now you know, and as that G.I. Joe cartoon hammered into our heads for years, knowing is half the battle (the other half being blowing your enemy six ways from Sunday ;) ).
