I have written other essays relating to the practice of Christian deism as a personal religion. In the essay, "Christian Deism as a Personal Religion," I focused on what it means to "love God" and "love neighbor" as we live each day. I also focused on repentance by us, and our forgiveness of others. In the essay, "Christian Deists: Christians Without Churches," I focused on the meaning of worship "in spirit and in truth."
In this essay, I will try to address the subjects of Bible study and prayer in the practice of Christian deism.
In regard to "Bible study," my focus as a Christian deist is on the teachings of Jesus found in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the New Testament.
Preceding these books in the "Bible" is the Hebrew Bible, which Christians erroneously refer to as the "Old Testament."
The Hebrew Bible presents the story of a primitive people (the Jews) struggling to survive in an environment of conflict with other nations. In that conflict, the Jewish leaders clearly believed that "might makes right" even if it meant the slaughter of innocent women and children of other nations in the Jews' pursuit of a land of their own (Numbers 31:13-17).
What makes this even worse is that this brutality was allegedly done in obedience to "God's will." Although there are some valuable passages in the "Old Testament," these are too few to be of much value to a Christian deist.
Following the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the book called "The Acts of the Apostles" provides some history about the early years of the Christian movement, at least as it was viewed by the writer about fifty years (or more) later.
The remainder of the "New Testament" includes letters that Paul (a Jew from Tarsus) wrote, expressing his interpretation of Christianity which varies significantly from the teachings of Jesus. Also included are some letters and books, by unknown writers, reflecting late first Christian century theology, much of which was influenced by Paul.
Finally, in the New Testament, there is a book called "Revelation" predicting an imminent end of the world to encourage persecuted Christians to hope for a "new heaven and a new earth" after the destruction of "evil doers."
This fantasy writing continues to inspire modern-day "end-of-the-world" fanatics to lead their followers to disappointment (at best) and destruction (at worst). Christian deists should view this book as useless.
In reading the books of the New Testament, a Christian deist must put each idea to the test of reason. The basic theology of Paul, with his idea of the crucifixion of Jesus being a sacrifice to pay for the sins of humankind, should be summarily dismissed. However, a Christian deist can identify with Paul's statements about faith, hope, and love in the letter called First Corinthians, chapter 13.
Unfortunately, the scope of Paul's love did not include persons of a different sexual orientation.
In studying the life and teachings of Jesus, a Christian deist should keep in mind that Jesus was a human being like ourselves. Some of his ideas simply express the cultural views common among Jews two thousand years ago in a pre-scientific age.
Some ideas, such as "demons" causing epilepsy, have no validity. The idea of a "devil" tempting and misleading people is also a sign of that time, and has no place in a religion based on reason.
Let me say this clearly: If you find an idea in the Bible that does not seem reasonable to you, you do not have to believe it.
God gave you a mind to use, so use it.
In the New Testament, it is clear that Jesus began his career as a Jewish revolutionary who was seeking liberation of the Jews from the Romans, but Jesus gradually came to recognize that the rulership of God (the "kingdom of God") on earth would not become a reality by military force but by the gradual recognition of God's laws "in the heart" of individuals. This concept was too "unorthodox" for his compatriots to accept at the time, but Jesus' view of the "kingdom of God" came to be understood later when Jesus' teachings, especially his parables, were collected. Now, let us think about prayer. What is the meaning of prayer to me as a Christian deist? Put quite simply, prayer is communion with God. Jesus taught that "God is spirit" and it is the "spirit that gives life" to us as individuals (John 4:24 and 6:63). In other words, the essence of God and our own being is spirit. This is not an idea that originated with Jesus. Ancient Greek philosophers, such as Heraclitus over 500 years before Jesus, recognized that a "creative intelligence" (they called "logos") was responsible for the creation of order in the world, and for the creation of "intelligence" in individual human beings.
In other words, there is a "Mind" which we call "God" and we each have a "mind" through which we can communicate "mind-to-Mind." Prayer was important to Jesus, and we can learn much from how Jesus prayed. Usually, Jesus prayed by himself, away from the company of others (Matthew 14:23; Matthew 26:36; Luke 6:12).
Sometimes Jesus prayed in the presence of a few close friends (Luke 9:28; John 17:1).
Jesus cautioned against making a public display of prayer (Matthew 6:5) and he urged his disciples to "go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret" (Matthew 6:6).
Jesus urged his disciples to pray simply. He said, "And in praying, do not heap up empty phrases .... for your Father knows what you need before you ask him" (Matthew 6:7-8). Some Christians have a misconception about prayer based on their reading of Jesus' statement (Mark 11:24),
"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you will receive it, and you will." Many Christians are disappointed when they fail to receive what they pray for. Some blame themselves for not having a strong enough "faith," or belief that they will receive what they have prayed for. Others blame God for failing to keep Jesus' promise. The truth is that Jesus often taught by hyperbole (exaggeration). In the verses preceding Mark 11:24, Jesus told his disciples, "Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him" (Mark 11:22-23).
This is an example of a hyperbole to express the importance of faith in God when we pray. But even Jesus did not believe that whatever he prayed for would come to pass. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed that he would not die ("let this cup pass from me"), but he prefaced his prayer request with the words, "If it be possible" (Matthew 26:39).
Here, Jesus recognized that sometimes what he asked for in prayer was not possible. We, too, must accept the fact that sometimes what we seek is not possible. Nevertheless, we may not know what is possible or not possible, so we should express our hopes in prayer.
Believing that something is possible may be a deciding factor in something becoming a reality. Personal faith has been proven to be a factor in healing some illnesses, but not all illnesses can be healed by faith. And faith healing is not a substitute for medical treatment.
To me, prayer is more than just "talking" to God. It is also "listening" to God. I do not mean that God's voice will come "out of the clouds," but I am convinced that God can help us think of some solutions to our problems. Prayer provides a means of focusing our attention on problems in a way that may open our minds to possible solutions.
I have prayed about a problem at bedtime and have awakened to find a possible solution in my mind the next morning. Perhaps this is the way God communicates with us. I also believe that prayer is a channel through which we can receive strength to cope with our problems. Jesus told his disciples to "pray that you may have strength" so they would not be "weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life" (Luke 21:34-36).
The Hebrew psalmist wrote, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1).
I believe that prayer is not just "communication" with God. Prayer is COMMUNION with God. In some way when we direct our thoughts to God in prayer, we join our individual spirit with the Spirit that gives us life. The Hebrew psalmist claimed that God spoke these words, "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10).
Without saying a word, we can pray by just being still and knowing that God is with us. Jesus taught his disciples to pray by giving them an example which we call the "Lord's Prayer." "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" (Matthew 6:9-13).
As we know, Jesus viewed God as being like a loving father. In this prayer, Jesus distinguishes God from a human father by referring to God as a heavenly Father.
Then Jesus expresses respect for the sacred authority of God by using the words "hallowed" (sacred) and "name" (authority). Then Jesus gets to the heart of the prayer by seeking the coming of God's kingdom (rule) on earth, which Jesus equates with "God's will."
The request for "daily bread" is a recognition of the fact that we are dependent on God for the very basics for life (such as bread) that come from what God provides (such as seed, earth, rain).
This recognition of God's gifts is also an implied expression of thanksgiving to God for these provisions. Thanksgiving should always be a part of our prayers. The request for God's forgiveness of our sins (our failures to love others) is directly tied to our obligation to forgive those who repent of their sins against us.
Finally, the prayer concludes with a request for strength to resist temptation to do evil, and a request for help in protecting ourselves against those who would do evil against us. This prayer is a good model to guide us in our own praying. This short essay certainly does not cover all that should be said about Bible study and prayer, but I hope that it is enough to suggest an approach consistent with our beliefs as Christian deists.
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