My Religion is Life and My Church is the Universe

Deism is Based on Observable Truth and Logic Rather Than Faith in the Unknown

Modern Deism is a religion or philosophy that isn't really well understood by the general public. As a deist, I've decided to dedicate an article to explaining what it is and is not.

Deism is almost entirely void of faith.  As a deist, you observe the perfect balance and incomprehensible complexity of the universe and consider a creator to be self-evident through it. Many of the greatest minds in human history have come to the same conclusion through observation. Einstein, whose theories unlocked the key to understanding the very substance of the universe once said

"Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the universe - a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble. In this way the pursuit of science leads to a religious feeling of a special sort, which is indeed quite different from the religiosity of someone more naive."

Deism is understanding God through personal observation. There is no hidden or abstract meaning to attain, no ritualistic practice to elevate one's spirituality, and no prayer to alter destiny. There are innumerable things that are self-evident and by choosing to embrace or ignore these things, we alter the quality and depth of our experiences.

Deists reject 3rd party information from people who claim to have spoken with God or spiritual entities. However, we don't claim they are impossible or don't occur. For example, it's not that we reject the concept that an angel could appear in your bathroom and demand you stop eating tacos, it's that the only person who's obligated to believe that angel and stop eating tacos, is you. If every person on earth suddenly had a an angel telling them to stop eating tacos, we'd certainly stop eating tacos and start believing in angels.

The greatest gift of life is that we exist and are able experience. Through experience we observe God's creation and using the gift of reason, we seek understanding on everything around us. Because we are conscious beings capable of experience, we are able to love, to create, to be inspired, to be moved, and to change the world around us.

God is discovered entirely through creation - the brilliance of a sunset, the powerful roar of  a waterfall, the symphony of sounds you hear in the heart of the forest, or the vastness of space and its countless stars. God is the mastermind behind all matter - every earth shattering scientific discovery and mystery that is yet to be unraveled was dreamed and enacted by God.

God is perfect and doesn't need to intervene in creation. A creator complex enough to construct the universe would clearly be aware of its outcome, eliminating the need to change it down the line. Deism observes a balance that allows for both free will and autonomous correction.

Evil is a necessary component of a multi-faceted existence, without it, good has no definition. It is only through our struggles that we can triumph, only through chaos that we can know order, and only through conquering our own infirmities that we can comprehend the joys of a life well lived. Since we are free beings and live in a world that allows choice, we are exposed to both elements and whatever joys or sorrows they may bring.

As a whole, humanity already has the resources to abolish many of the problems we conveniently attribute to God. Through reason, we have risen to technological levels our predecessors could never have dreamed would be possible, and we continue to advance. Hunger, poverty, and disease could all be eradicated if we learned to think outside of ourselves and consider each human being as an equal part of an integral whole. Yet so far, we have chosen to hoard. We've created a world view in which people in one culture are dying from obesity while people in another are dying of starvation. It's only through our own efforts that we can make the world into the kind of place we want it to be. We can blame no one for the state of civilization, it is merely a reflection of the majority of our own actions and mindsets.

Written by Benjamin F. Sullivan, Published with Permission via BlogOfBenjamin